On Turner’s 1st birthday, I sat down at the end of the day to reflect on the previous year, my first year as a mom. I felt so overwhelmed with emotion of how much I absolutely adored my sweet boy, so I wrote him a letter sharing my thoughts about his first year. At the time, I wasn’t really sure when I would give it to him. Maybe when he leaves for college? Maybe when he gets married? I don’t know. I just know I’m keeping up the tradition to preserve these precious memories. Here’s the letter I wrote to him on his first birthday:

To my precious Turner Cole,

You’re one year old today! My goodness how this year has flown by! I heard someone say that when you have a baby, the days are long but the years are short. This has proven to be true. This year has been a big adjustment for all of us, but I can assure you it is the best adjustment that I have ever made! Let’s think back over the past year….

You were due to arrive on January 1, 2014. My blood pressure had been a bit high, so I rested for a few days and went in for a routine blood pressure check on December 17^th at 3:45 PM. Dr. Bankston said that we needed to monitor my blood pressure for the rest of the day, so I called your daddy and told him to head over to the hospital to be with me. Just so you know, your daddy is a super-hero. He left work to gather up all of our bags and to take Ally to spend the night at Pet Paradise, then made his way right over to the hospital to be with me.

My blood pressure wouldn’t cooperate, so Dr. Bankston decided that you were ready to be born! The Dr. and nurses started the process of inducing my labor at 8:00 PM. You made your big debut into the world at 3:45 AM on December 18^th, exactly 12 hours after I went in for what I thought was just a simple check of my blood pressure. I had no idea that you were going to be born so soon, but I was so thankful that you were here! When the doctor placed you in my arms, I remember saying, “He’s perfect!” And those words are still so true today.

Your daddy and I were blessed to both be able to take about 11 weeks off from work to be with you after you were born. There were many, many sleepless nights, but when I look back, those were some of the best times of my life. Those first several weeks made me realize how much I love your daddy. Remember what I said about him being a super-hero? He was (and still is) so great at taking care of you. He gave you all of your baths and helped feed you and change your diaper during the middle of the night. He also did all of the things that it takes to keep the house in order while I took care of you during the day. When you grow up, I hope and pray that you are just like your daddy!

You started going to First Baptist Weekday School when you were almost 12 weeks old. Your teachers LOVED you!! They have to say that they love all of the babies equally, but I secretly think that you were their favorite. And I can see why! You were such a good baby. Very happy, easy-going and low-key. You were really only fussy when something was truly bothering you. Well, and when we tried to put you in your crib to sleep on your back. You didn’t like that at all, so you took quite a few naps in the swing!

You’ve been very consistent with hitting your milestones at the right time this first year. First it was rolling over, then sitting up by yourself. You loved for us to help you stand up when you were about 5 months old, and it wasn’t too long after that you wanted to start pulling up on things by yourself! When you started to cruise and crawl, things got interesting around the house. You liked to sneak over to Ally’s water bowl and dump it out on the floor! Now that you’re walking like a big boy, we have to keep an even closer eye on you, because you like to explore!

I have learned so much from you this year. I never knew that my heart could love one tiny person so much. I often whisper to you “I love you so much that I can’t even stand it!” It’s true…if I think about it too much I think my heart may just burst. You have taught me to be more patient and to let go of worrying about little things and only focus on the things that matter. You’ve taught me that it’s okay to let the house be messy because it’s more fun to play than to wash the dishes. You’ve taught me to be confident in my decision-making and not second-guess myself. When you smile at me and look so happy, I know I’m a good mom. I make every decision with you in mind, little one. You and your daddy are my whole world, and I only want the absolute best for you.

By the way, thanks for being a better sleeper for us lately. You’re pretty consistent with 8 PM – 6 AM, and well that just makes life a little bit easier for all of us. One of my favorite things to do is watch the video monitor after we’ve put you in your crib for the night. You are a little wiggle worm all over the crib, and you love to chatter! It melts my heart to hear your sweet voice as you fall asleep at night. I pray that you never lose your sweet innocence.

Turner, I could go on and on for several more pages, but I just want to say Thank You for giving me the best year of my life. You are one special little boy, and I am so blessed that you are mine. I pray that your heart will always be tender and that God will use you for big things in life. I pray that you’ll always realize how blessed we are as a family and that you’ll want to be a blessing to others. I also pray that I will raise you in a way that you’ll love Jesus and love other people and that you’ll live your life according to God’s Word.

I love you times a million infinities, my tiny human. I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for us.

Love,

Mommy