A Letter To Elaine

Wow. One year. This year went by faster than any before. The three of us have experienced incredible highs and have been grateful for every moment. Sometimes things were hard, but any trials were absolutely worth it to have you in our lives. From your first smiles to your first steps you have brought a whole new level of joy and love to us.


On this, your first birthday, I want to tell you about the things that make you uniquely you.


- You are a dance machine! Gloria Estefan sang "The rhythm is going to get you" and that describes you exactly. Whenever you hear music - on a commercial, tv show, cell phone ring tone, etc. - you stop everything you are doing and dance. The other morning you were slowly waking up when dad's alarm clock rang. You sat up right away and swayed along. We don't know where you learned to dance, but we love it.


- You have to taste test all the clean laundry before we can put it away. You always want to be buried in the warm clothes and then you put each piece in your mouth one at a time. There is always a wet spot on the clothes as we put them away.


- You are very funny with your tongue. Ever since you were born, you (perhaps unknowingly?) stick your tongue out. Lately you have been sticking it out to the side. The funny thing is, dad does the same thing. When he's concentrating, he pokes his tongue in and out without knowing it. It's just something you two have in common.


- You love books. They are your favorite toy. This makes your mom very proud.


- We taught you the fun of horseback rides. If we are sitting on the floor you walk up behind us, push us forward and pat our backs. Then when you are up on our back and we stop, you pat us again to say "go horsey."


- You took your first steps at 11 months. Right now you take 9 or 10 Frankenstein steps then fall down and crawl the rest of the way.


- You are silly and giggly with us but serious with everyone else.


- Everyone always comments on what a good baby you are.


-You are learning the motions of The Itsy Bitsy Spider song. You love "washing the spider out" and are starting to raise yours arms when the sun comes out.


- You recognize that certain words have actions. If someone says "bye-bye" you wave. If we say "yay" you clap. But our favorite of all is when we say "give me love" you lay your head on us. You will do it to other things as well, like, "give the doll a love" or "give the book a love" or "give the spaghetti a love" (that one actually isn't so great). It makes us melt to see you being so sweet.


- You have a real laugh and a very funny fake laugh.


- You like to play rough. You love when we throw you in air, help you do back flips or pull you around on a blanket.


We could go on and on. You are so special and unique. We love you through and through.


Happy Birthday. Love, Mom and Dad