HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONAH

Wow. One year. What a cause for celebration. In fact, I feel like it's my birthday. So many changes in one year. AND we actually managed to keep this boy healthy and happy for 365 days. Such a milestone and such an accomplishment. This is coming from a person who has done some pretty challenging stuff: I lived in a foreign country where I didn't speak the language or know a soul, I joined a speech club so I could try and conquer my worst fear, I wrote a thesis. But raising a baby is an entirely different kind of challenge. One that has, unlike my other pursuits, nothing to do with being selfish. Yes, I brought this kid into the world, but I had no idea what I was in for ( and thankfully no new parents do, or the human species would have died out long ago!!).

Jonah is absolutely my universe. He is changing everything about me-how I look at the world, how I view myself, what I think is really important in life (i.e. it's way better to have a good time playing in the dirt than keep clothes pristine:) I am so proud of myself and Michael and how we have come through this year, the hard-headed people we are, a little more supple, a little more flexible, a little more soft. We long to hear to sound of our child laugh, to see him smile, to hear him speak in his baby language. We are lucky beyond lucky and we know it everyday.

Happy 1st birthday, sweet pea.