Dear Sunshine

Dear Adelyn,

Wow, you are one years old today and what a year it has been. You are so curious, adventurous, observant, sassy and overall one happy little girl. You really have become the little ray of light your brother named you before you were born -- our baby sunshine. And don't let your brother fool you, he did have his tough moments this year adjusting to having a baby sister and sharing mommy and daddy's attention, but whenever we were around other people he always referred to you as his Sunshine and you were coming home with him -- no one was allowed to take you away. To this day he still calls you Sunshine and is very protective of you. And you, well you adore and have always adored him since we first placed you in his arms in the hospital. You light up every time you see him, you have to follow him where ever he goes, have whatever he has and look up to him already. You have a special place in your heart for him and I hope you will always treasure that.

You have been a pretty easy baby too. You have always loved to eat. I will never forget how happy you would get when it was time to nurse (and yes you nursed for the whole first year of your life). You would let out the cutest little giggle and get so excited. When you eat now, if something is especially good you hum "numnumnumnum" while you eat. You are always willing to try something new and are pretty content if you have a snack to carry around.

I have also always loved getting you from your naps. You get so excited to see who ever is about to pick you up. Before you could stand you would excitedly kick both feet frantically with a huge smile on your face and now that you can stand as soon as the door opens you pop up and smile and shriek in glee so happy to see us. You have an infectious little personality which I love. You have never really been a cuddlier but when you do cuddle, we treasure it. You have a very warm and loving little heart.

You are also very independent. You like to try to figure things out your way and do it on your own. A little stubborn, but very determined. I think thats what helped your ability to walk at 10 months old. When you set your mind to something, nothing can stop you. And with that comes your adventurous spirit with no fear. You love the thrill of being swung in the air. The motion of an elevator going up or down makes you laugh. Running and chasing your brother can have you laughing in an instant. Your curiosity gets you into trouble, but you like to check things out and explore what the world has to hold.

You are one special little girl and we love you more than you will ever realize. Thank you for such a wonderful first year and opening our eyes to stop and look at things in a different light. Despite all the lack of sleep you caused for your daddy and I, we love you and can't wait to see what the next year holds.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

(And just to note, this was written on your bday in 2015 ;))