grateful

dear Baby,

It’s the eve of Thanksgiving, and I wanted to write you a quick note as we get ready to celebrate the incredible, amazing blessings we’ve been given over the past 365 days. At this time last year, you weren’t even in the picture. There was no baby talk, no “plans”---just me and your daddy, living in a tiny apartment, content and happy. I was a bit stressed over how the cheese dip we were planning on bringing to Thanksgiving dinner would taste. Life was simple, and good.

Exactly one year ago tonight, your daddy got in an accident {a 16-year-old driver with two friends in the car smashed into him while he was stopped at a red light}. I can’t believe that was a whole year ago---it feels like yesterday. Your daddy was fine, but the car was not. Insurance was messy, and we drove an ugly rental car for a week while our car was put back together.

I’m telling you this, because in a year from now, on the eve of Thanksgiving, I can imagine myself looking at you and saying, “Can you believe that only a year ago, you were still inside me, kicking away? We hadn’t even met you yet… Can you believe it?” And you will probably smile, and gurgle {that’s what ten-month-old babies do, right?}, and your daddy will pick you up and spin you around, and you’ll laugh, and my heart will explode with happiness, I think.

Last year, on Thanksgiving, I was grateful that your daddy was ok, and that our car wasn’t totaled, and that my parents let us borrow a car so we could get to your great-aunt Kathy’s house on time for Thanksgiving dinner.

This year, silly cars are the very last thing on my mind.

i love you.

p.s. you have a penchant for kicking me in the ribs while I’m trying to go to sleep. I’m looking forward to a year from now, when this will {hopefully?} no longer be the case.

p.p.s. we got to see you on Monday. you are handsome, and getting really {um, really} big. keep growing, little guy…

{A photo of my cousin's sweet baby, taken a year ago}