Dear Henry,Well, happy first year of life! Let's begin by recounting a few notable events that occurred around the ringing in of your new year. And what better place to start than cake! And by cake, I mean cupcakes. And by cupcakes, I mean, healthy muffins with a light sugary frosting on top as made by your Mom. While it sounds a bit like a rip off, you actually enjoyed them, probably because they were made with bananas, which you could eat all day. Your first "party" was just parents and grandparents.
At first, you had no idea what was going on....
It only took you a second to dive right in....
You contemplated what you were tasting...
Ate all the icing off and contemplated some more....
You got a new watertable, a tricycle, and a fort...
Your Mom really liked the fort and especially the slide!
You were excited to get your own John Deere, and are already a big fan of anything John Deere related.
Got some other fun presents, and Delilah tried to remind your Mommy that she existed.
It was a fun evening...
That next weekend, we went up to Fairfax, Virginia for your Uncle Mark's wedding. You were the ringbearer. Here are a few shots from your trip....
You enjoyed Grandma's necklace during the rehearsal diner and during the rehearsal, you and I went down the hill in the wagon.
Note the beginnings of a grimace on your Mom in the picture on the right. This is when you refused to get out of the wagon and just wanted to stand there and play with it.
After all the festivities, you were just plumb tuckered out...
The next day, we had some fun on a nearby playground, and your Mom again had fun on the slide...
When we got home, we had another party for your here with some friends. In the picture on the bottom right, your Mom is thinking about trying the slide again.
Speaking of your Mom, she really is an amazing Mom. You know this as you prefer her more than me, though I'll say you are starting to come around to me at times. But I want to you know how much she is totally devoted to you. You wouldn't believe how many times she gets up at night to comfort you. She has been so nurturing to you and loving. I know both of us, but especially your Mom, hates to leave you to go to work in the morning.
They say that time flies - especially when you have a kid. Either because of the lack of sleep or the fact that so much has happened this past year, I'd say that the old saying is true. It seems like the time when you were just a newborn and you just laid there was such a short time. Now, 12 months later, you are so big and heavy, almost walking on your own, and much more human-like. The changes just happened so quickly. You are just into everything. Many times I find myself just sitting there watching you try to figure something out. Currently, you really enjoy flipping light switches on and off and can do this for hours.
Usually you are trying to figure something out that is not a toy. In fact, you don't really like toys that much. You'd much rather play with a real wrench, a piece of hose, a weedeater, or a cat. Poor Delilah has been very patient with you pulling her hair, squishing her, and sometimes chasing her. Sometimes you just pull books off the shelf, or grab a broom and just run around the house "sweeping" or chasing Mommy.
When I say "running" I actually mean that I'm holding one of your hands and you are leading me wherever you want to go. Same goes for your cars, which you'd rather push than ride. I don't mind though. My back might, but I don't because I know next year, you won't need me to do this.
I remember when we used to look at your little sausage fingers and think they were so cute. Now, we try to look at them when we try to clip your fingernails and miss the days when they weren't so busy.
eat berries right off the vine, read books at night, the time after I read books to you when we play on the bed,
swing you from your arms (until your Mom told me that could actually be bad for you), and just being outside, walking, looking at chickens, or chasing rabbits out of the garden and yelling "Get! Get!" Watching the garbage truck pick up the garbage, then going inside to read about the garbage truck in my old "Trucks" book that I read when I was a kid. All of these things you couldn't do when you were a newborn, so life certainly has gotten more excited and I"m glad you aren't going to be a newborn forever. However, time still goes too quickly. It could slow down just a smidge.
Last week, a friend asked me if there was a balance between having a kid and your own personal life. My answer was a definitive "no." While I do still find time to do my own things and work on projects or mow the yard, my time is mostly spend with you or cleaning/doing chores. But my second part to his question was that so much positiveness is added to your life once you have a kid. And that is very, very true. The amount of love I feel for you and the amazement you bring to me each day is infinite.
I guess one reason they say time flies is that you can miss so much if you don't stop to step back from a moment and realize you are seeing a moment. Otherwise, it disappears so quickly.
You know, you weren't the only thing born on your birthday, a new father was born that day too. So what can I say about being a Dad?
It's wonderful. It's hard to remember life before you. The answer to the question "What's the meaning of life?" seems to have been answered more fully the day you were born. My life has a whole new meaning, and what I think of as important is different because you are so important. I just want the best life for you and enjoy you learning about the world and life.
A short post-birthday event was going to the mall. You ate Chick-fil-a for the first time, and loved it. You probably get that from me.
Dad
