Happy Birthday to Kate

Happy Birthday, Dear Kate, Happy Birthday to You.

You are my baby girl . . . though you are not quite such a baby anymore. Still somehow, even if you have a little sister or brother in the future, I'm going to think of you as my baby firl for a long, long time. You are my peanut, my itty bitty. My little Katy-did.

I've loved watching you grow in this first year of your life. From wailing in the car and crazy insane spit-up incidences . . . to your sweet, sweet smiles before 6 weeks of age . . . to giggling at your sister when you were so tiny . . . to sitting up so early and then army crawling a month or so later . . . to those first precious steps at Aunt Julie's house . . . it's been an amazing year. What a first year you've had.

I'll admit: your arrival blindsided me. I wanted to have you in our family so, so badly, I never stopped to think about what exactly a little sister would mean to us. At times, this was by far the toughest year of my own life . . . and I'm sure it was hard for you at times, too. But it was worth every single second. I would do it all over again exactly the same way in an instant.

There are so many priceless things you do that make every day of my life that much more special. When you are tired, you snuggle into my neck with that lovey and pop your first 2 fingers right in your mouth. When you are done eating a meal, you play with your food and give me the most devlish grin to see if I notice. You do 'Touchdown!" and clap your hands with such avengence, I can't help but laugh at you. You can huff and puff on a pinwheel with the best of them, which I think is your cutest trick to date. You proudly show "1" on your fingers when asked your age, and you waive bye bye to nearly everyone that passes by you. You simply ADORE your sister, which is one of the most amazing gifts of all. I could go on and on, but each little thing you learn makes you that much more adorably special to me.

Your first birthday was a treat for everyone. We took you to the Aquarium, and you 'ooohed' and 'ahhhed' and pointed at dozens and dozens of fish. You got a new swing for the backyard, and you were overjoyed to take the first ride on your first birthday afternoon. After dinner, cake was your big treat . . . and BOY did you go to town! It was a day all about celebrating you, little sister. And, if I'm not mistaken, you soaked it up like a sponge.

Happy Birthday, Kate. I look forward to sharing many, many more candle-blowings with you, Buga Buga.