A Love Letter

Dear Cadence,

One year ago today, you completely changed my life. You came bursting into this world (literally, only 2 pushes) after almost 17 hours of very painful labor. I guess you wanted to be felt and heard because neither of the two epidurals that I received worked and I felt every bit of pain.

You were Daddy’s little princess right from the start.

You did not make the transition to parents for us very easy. From the day you were born you cried. And cried. And cried.

At one point in the hospital, the nurses came in to take you thinking they would give me a much needed break from all of your crying. Well, within five minutes they brought you right back because you would not stop crying and were just too loud to be in the nursery.

Your Dad and I could not understand why God had blessed us with a child who only wanted to fuss all of the time. But we pressed on as best as we could. And as you got older and began to come into your own, Mommy was able to stay home with you. It was so great to be there and watch as your little personality came out.

You were so curious and wanted to explore the world from very early on.

You wanted to know what everything was.

And you wanted to know WHO everyone was.

We figured out that you learned VERY quickly and that may or may not be a good thing… we weren’t quite sure.

You wanted to get moving right away, you had no time to waste!

And you wanted to do everything yourself- you didn’t need any help!

Oh and you were sure to let us know when things were not going your way…

Everything seemed to happen so fast after that. You learned to sit up on your own.

Then all of a sudden you were pulling up to stand.

And one day, you just took off…

Once you started walking, it was all downhill from there…

You needed to touch everything, see everything

and just get in. to. everything.

God help me the day you learn how to say ‘No.’ Your Dad and I can hardly keep up with you now. We have to use two baby gates to keep you confined to one area of the house.

But you have brought so. much. Joy to our lives. You light up every room that you are in and bring joy to everyone that you are around.

I love how silly you are. You think you are the funniest person on Earth… I guess that is a good thing because if you don’t think you’re funny, who else will- right? You love to dance and clap your hands and Oh Boy do you love Elmo!

Your smile is infectious!

You are our little helper. (Though most of the time you are not actually helping… that’s okay)

And even when you get into mischief…

We can’t stay mad at you for long.

You, my dear are going to grow up to do something great. You are so energetic, strong-willed, cautious when necessary, pensive, imaginative… A Momma could brag forever.

You are an absolute gift from God.

Daddy and I love you SO much and can’t even remember what our lives were like without you in it.

If I could give you one piece of advice baby girl, it would be: Go.

Go explore.

Go and do great things.

See the world.

Change the world.

Love others, even when you may not want to.

Help others, because kindness always comes back to you.

Love with all of your heart, though it may get broken.

Know that you are a Queen and should be treated as such by any man who has captured your heart.

Know when to walk away if he isn’t giving you all that you deserve and more.

And God help the man who thinks that he can mistreat you or try to put his hands on you. No woman deserves that and you have a Daddy, Uncles, Godfathers and people who will…. I won’t even go there. But pick up the phone and call.

Live each day. Don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. Live. Your life. Now.

Daddy and I will always be here for you. And even if we are not, you have a huge family who loves you very much and will be there when you need them. Guaranteed.

Most importantly: Trust in the Lord, thy God, with all of your heart. (Do you hear me?) He will never steer you wrong. And even if the path gets rocky and you don’t quite understand how a God that loves you could make you walk down that road- keep walking. God is there. He has a plan for you, though it may not be very clear to you. Taking that beaten path will make you stronger and help you to grow into a dynamic woman. Without your faith, you have nothing.

You are our little princess. We love you today, tomorrow and forever.

With all of my heart,

Happy First Birthday

Your Proud Momma

Tags: baby talk, birthday, blessings, family, love