1 year ago...

hi sweetie,

on this day one year ago, i found out that you were growing in my tummy. it was the most surreal day and i remember almost every bit of it as if it were yesterday. it was an off chance that i decided to take a test to see if i could possibly be pregnant. then all of a sudden, the test said yes! and then after a quick call to your mama joni, the second test said yes... then after lots of tears and shaking, i called daddy and told him the amazing news. "we did it!" he said. i also called and told your auntie neva! (she is currently pregnant with your soon to be friend!) oh how exciting... i was still in disbelief. i dragged your cousins to the doctors office with me to get another test done, a more definitive one. i had to wait a day for the response to that test, but lo and behold, all tests confirmed that you were there.

oh God is so good to have entrusted your daddy and me to be your parents. we are so blessed to have you in our lives and we have grown so much more in love with you than we ever thought possible. in the past 12 months you grew from a little tadpole (remember i told you, i used to call you our little tadpole), to a scorpion (daddy liked to call you scorpion!), to an amazing rolling and kicking machine inside my belly with a heart rate averaging in the 150s, to a gorgeous little boy who means more to me than i could have ever imagined. you made a grand entrance on november 18 at 10:56am. everyone you come into contact with, everyone you meet, everyone that sees you falls in love with you instantly. buel, you are one special little boy. you are so handsome with a contagious smile, sweet scent, strong and alert, and just simply amazing.

you can roll from your tummy to your back, you hold your head up and are trying to learn to sit up on your own. your favorite thing to do is to stand while someone is holding you. you also love to hang out with your cousins carter and evan as well as your friends benjamin and jonerz. you have gorgeous hazel eyes, light colored hair, you're tall and have a lovely amount of chub! you wear 6 month clothes, mostly because you're so tall and anything else is too short. you like to nap in your dog chair, you sleep through the night, you're working on getting some teeth on the bottom (you drool like a faucet and chomp on your hands!), and you love to cuddle in bed with mommy. you fit into your hat that matches daddy's! you also fit into the first onesie that we bought you, your gold star trek shirt! you giggle when something really tickles your fancy. you like to pet monster truck. you like to sit with your daddy while he plays on the computer and when he comes home from work, your face beams with so much joy and love. you try to stay awake at bedtime but always fall asleep and wake-up smiling in the morning. there have been a few nights where things were wonky and mommy had a few freak outs (mostly out of sheer exhaustion because neither you or i were sleeping!), but we're getting through it. it wouldn't be life if everything was perfect.

anyway, my sweet boy, i love you. you are so loved by so many people it is insane. i am beyond blessed to be a mommy, to be your mommy. thank you, Lord for giving us our son.

love,
mommy.