A Birthday Letter to my Youngest Son

Caleb,

I can’t believe that you are one. Happy Birthday my precious little one. You are truly a joy, a blessing from above. The past year has been the fastest of my life. I am in awe.

Of course, that may be because you are the fastest baby I’ve ever seen! You must do everything your way and do it quickly. Even if it gives your parents a heart attack.

From the very beginning, I knew you were going to be more like a force of nature than a quiet little bundle of softness. Even though “they” say it’s not possible, I felt you move inside of me at 12 weeks. It wasn’t gas. Yes, my beautiful boy, you started moving and did NOT stop my ENTIRE pregnancy. Every single day, starting at 12 weeks you used my uterus as a trampoline. I tried to warn your Daddy that we were going to have our hands full.

Then, when you were born, you wanted to make sure to keep us on our toes. Your pulse kept dropping; you came out limp and blue, there was no crying. Daddy and I were terrified. But, after the nurses stimulated you, you let us know you had a voice! You haven’t stopped using it since.

And how can I forget the feedings? My poor baby, you developed such a horrible case of reflux. It would take an hour to feed you a bottle and it was like a wrestling match the whole time. When you were having 8 bottles a day, I would spend 8-9 hours JUST feeding you. Or, I should say, wrestling you. It was like being tortured every 3 hours, every single day. You also had to have the most expensive formula on the market. It’s the only thing that let you keep down at least half of your bottle. But, we made it through! Once you started on solids, things started getting easier. You always seem to want to move forward quickly. Once you tasted solid food, you weren’t too interested in the bottle anymore. By 5 months, you were using a sippy cup. By 10 months, you had no more bottle (except at bed time).

Yes, you flew past those early stages with lightening speed. You were sitting by 4 months, crawling by 5 and had taken your first step at 9 ½ months. By 11 months, you were walking. I was shocked. Your brother didn’t take his first steps until he was 13 months and walked at 14 months, so I thought I would have more time. But, you want to keep up with your big brother. You both love each other so much. It amazes me that you can play with a 5 year old and keep up with him!

You are, in every sense of the word, TOUGH. You are the very definition of a rough and tumble little boy. Remember the time you fell down the stairs? Yeah, probably not. Well, the door to the basement was shut, just not latched. You managed to pry it open with your fingers. I saw you open the door and as I ran from the sink to the steps, I grabbed your foot as you started your downward descent. Only, you slipped through my hands. You went face first down the entire staircase. Your brother and I were flipping out. We were terrified. You get to the bottom and within seconds, you are laughing. Not a scratch on you. I’m pretty sure you have a guardian angel and I’m thankful because son, I think you are going to need it.

Oh, and your vocabulary. I’m amazed at how many words you can speak and use properly. When you see someone, you say, “Hi!” When I sneeze you say, “Bless!” When you drop something or do something you know you shouldn’t, you say, “Uh Oh!” You can say Mama, Dada, Nic and about 10 other words at least and almost everyday you say something new.

Caleb Nathaniel. Your first name means “Faithful,” your middle name, “Gift of God.” That is what you truly are to us, my beautiful boy. You are our faithful gift of God. For more reasons than you could possibly know. This first year has been full of surprises, lessons, tears and laughter. You have made our family complete. We love you, our little monkey! Your smile really does light up a room, your laughter is contagious, your life a blessing. I can’t thank God enough for choosing me to be your Mama. I love you, my precious, precious child.

Mama

Caleb - Year 1 from Donna Cope Sams on Vimeo.