To Dmitri on his 1st Birthday

To Dmitri Aleksandr:

My sunshine, my son, my favorite person in the entire world, my little monkey, my snuggle bug, my sweetness...

If life were a cup of coffee, before you, I would have been strong, dark coffee with a bite. Now that you are here, you have changed everything. You've added sugar and creme, caramel syrup, and whipped cream on top, and I swear I see sunshine rays coming out of the cup. You make my life so much flavorful and exciting.

But enough with the silly metaphors, I feel so lucky to have you as my child. You are so happy, playful, and full of life and energy! You're a little shy with strangers, but only in the cutest, most endearing ways. When approached, you often lean your head against me, and sheepishly smile. You are especially fascinated by other children and love to play and interact with them. But most of all, you love animals. You can spot a dog from a mile away, and you get sooo excited! You just love anything with fur, and are very gentle (for the most part) with petting animals nicely. You don't know it yet, but you are getting a kitten for your birthday. You are playing with the crate right now and are very curious about what it is...I know you are just going to be so excited.

You haven't started walking yet, but I am convinced it is only because you are the fastest crawler in the world. It's amazing how quickly you can get from one place to the next. (And you love to crawl everywhere). And you stay active. But when you aren't crawling, you love to snuggle. You give wonderful hugs. And you enjoy reading books. Your favorite toys, however, are your cars. You play with them for hours, "driving" them all through the entire house.

You are so curious, hence one of the many meanings of your nickname, monkey, (another reason is your favorite food is banana). You love to explore the depths of our drawers, taking out all of the clothes. You've been helping with the laundry by throwing all of the clothes out of the dryer and onto the floor. Emptying a box of bandaids or taking all of the cards and money out of your papa's wallet (and throwing them) are also exciting tasks. You've even started trying to put the credit cards back into the wallet, but haven't quite conquered that feat of dexterity. 

You are so smart, and I love watching you try to understand the world around you. You have figured out that cards are supposed to be "swiped" through the machines at the store. When we shop, you often help me take out the card and proceed to hit the card against the pin pad imitating me. You also like to take the pen off of the pin pad. And all of this you figured out on your own. 

You are so wonderful, I oscillate between only wanting you, and wanting a dozen just like you. 

It is hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by, and it makes me a little sad, but I have cherished every moment with you. From being a precious sleeping infant, laying quietly in my arms for hours, to now, I am chasing you around everywhere as you babble and say "mama" and "dada." You're like a weed. I can only imagine how you will change over the next year. What a ride it will be.

Thank you for making me laugh with your ubiquitous smile. You are pure love embodied. And I look forward to watching you grow, learn, and become your own.

Happy, happy first birthday, Dmitri!

With love,

Mama


Click here to read the birth story!