Happy 1st birthday, Vivienne Kate

Dear Vivienne,

I’ve been thinking about this blog
post for a while now. I knew I had to write it, but I didn’t want to.
Not because I don’t like writing about you, sweet, precious
girl… oh no, it’s just the opposite. If I write this love letter, then it surely means that you’re
growing up and that soon you’ll soon be a toddler, a girl, a tween, then a
TEEN, then off to college… and oh Holy Toledo, it’s more than I can
bear.

You see, sweet Vivienne — you are amazing.

You are my little sweet pea. 

You are a baby above all babies. (It’s true.) Your babyhood has just been so easy and so enjoyable and just so fun and smile-inducing.

You came into this world on January 24, 2011 at 12:46 p.m. and when I saw you…

…oh, when I saw you…

During those first 24 hours I just kept trying to place
you. To figure out just who you looked like. “Whose eyes are those? How
about that nose? Look at her fingers, now whose fingers are those?”

Here’s what I found out very early on: you are nothing like anyone else.

You, my sweet Vivi-cakes are your own person. Your own baby. And even though before you were born I was a Mommy to your older sister, that experience is nothing like our experience and you are nothing like your sister and she is nothing like you.

Sweet Vivienne.

You are perfectly you.

Let’s talk about those first few months.

Your entrance into our lives was seamless. What’s that? You weren’t always here? Here’s why it was so smooth: because you… this… it was all meant to happen when it happened.

You moved in. You took up residence in our space and in our hearts. Lila was thrilled
to have you. Never, not once did Lila have an issue with your presence.
I think it’s because she knew what your Dad and I knew: that you were cool.

Maybe
it was because parents are naturally a little more laid-back the second
time, but sweet Vivienne, you have been easy. You immediately showed us
that you were different by preferring the opposite of everything your
older sister liked. You were a belly sleeper. You liked cuddling. You
hated accessories… except stickers…

 You are perfectly you.

Let’s
talk about your personality. At this point in your life, you’re calm
and collected. You’re an observer. You have distinctive preferences: you
love this little plastic fake bottle of perfume that came with your sister’s-stuffed-animal-cat-carrier-thing and you carry it everywhere
(totally random), you love TV remotes and cell phones, you
adore blueberries, you despise having your diaper changed, you love
attempting to eat Ferg’s food, you crawl outside through our patio doors
on a regular
basis in an attempt to escape, you love to swing, Lila must constantly
be in your view and you love books.

Upside-down books.

You’re
also my partner. You really like me and I really like you. (I’ll remind
you of this when you’re 13.) You cry when I leave the room… but in
all honestly, shhhhhh….. don’t tell anyone — I love it.

Sweet
Vivienne, when you were a newborn in the hospital, I would hold your
head to my face and shush you and sigh out loud; a sigh of pure contentment. I continued to do that
each time I’ve held you. Then, sweet baby… you started sighing back. I’d
hold you, or your Daddy would hold you and you’d gently rest your head on us and sigh. You still
snuggle into us on a daily basis. You snuggle with your baby dolls, too.
We hand them to you and you hold them, rest your head on them and sigh and
pat their backs.

You are a snuggle muffin.

You are perfectly you.

You
weigh 18 lbs and are about 26.5 inches tall. You have four teeth (two
on the top, two on the bottom) and you’re absolutely walking. You clap. You
smile. You say Mama, Dada, and Lila. You laugh and laugh all the time. You have brown hair and brown-ish eyes.
You love Ferg’s kisses and like to play with her. You’re neat; you like to put toys
and other items away again and again. You climb, oh boy do you climb. You’re
always climbing on something. And you’re quite the dancer. You shake it on a regular basis.

Oh, Vivi… you are perfectly you.

Sweet Vivienne, I wish for you so
many things. But most of all, I hope and wish and dream and pray that
one day, you will hold your sweet baby in your arms and that you’re
filled to the brim with love for your baby in the same way that I am for
you.

I am so pleased that I am your Mommy. And for forever, sweet girl, you will always be my baby.

My sweet Vivienne Kate, happy birthday.

I am so happy you were born.

love,
your mommy

more about vivienne kate
• • • • •
Pictures from Vivi’s first year — just a few — click here to see
When I announced my pregnancy — click to read here
Vivienne’s birth story — click to read here
Vivienne’s birth announcement here — click to see it

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