How did you get so big? I remember just a year ago, climbing on a stool perched on a school desk, hanging things off the ceiling and looking down to see you moving like crazy in my belly. I remember thinking that pregnancy was never going to end, and then you were here. It was not easy; being in a wheelchair and completely unable to care for you was never in the plan, but I think it made those moments later on, when I was able to fully care for you, so much more special. During that time I fell even more in love with your daddy as I watched him handle caring for me and you, with grace. What a special bond you have with your daddy. He (and I) are so grateful for all the one-on-one time he got to spend with you this first year. How lucky are you?
You are such a fun little boy. You are so happy and love to be around people. You light up the room with your smile, and have even started to laugh at yourself. You have no fear and crawl everywhere, including up and down the stairs. You have a strong personality and you let us know what you want by pointing and grunting. You love books and can often be found in the corner reading your book to yourself, in a very soft whisper. You have recently really started playing by yourself and it is so fun to watch you in your own little world. Remember how you never really took a formula bottle? Well, you LOVE milk and guzzle it every chance you get. Today you drank 45 oz! You are also talking more and more. Your current vocabulary includes: mom, mama, dad, dada, baba, nana (Ronna), woofwoof (kind of), and whatever you can't say you point to and grunt. You love to pull out the drawer under the stove and climb in and just sit there. You have more energy than any baby I have ever seen and most days I am sweaty just from chasing you around. You just barely started sleeping through the night (thank goodness!) and last night you slept from 7pm to 7:30am! Some mornings you wake up and just babble to yourself, allowing mommy and daddy a few more minutes of sleep. You truly are such a lovable little boy and love to "give loves" to whoever asks for them.
Gavin we love you so much and are so proud to be your parents. Even the hard moments are worth it, because you always turn to us and flash us that smile that makes us melt. It's hard to get mad at you with that smile. You have forever changed our lives, and we can't imagine life without you. Thanks for being our "everything".
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
