Today or Tomorrow, depending on what time zone you're in, Charlotte turns 1. I remember when she was first born, she opened one eye and glanced at me, but then quickly closed it. She was so tiny, and it was almost as though the blanket she was swaddled in weighed more than she did. Over the past year she's grown tremendously and I've been blessed just watching her figure out and take on the world.
She has been such a sweet little girl in my heart. Her personality started to come out when she was only a few months old. It was clear that she loved making others smile. But that's not all... the more you smiled, the more she smiled. It's hard not to feel good when you're around her. Whatever I was stressed over or worried about, I would forget as soon as I was with her.
Now, you should see her first thing in the morning: standing up holding the rail of the crib with one hand and her blankie in the other, waiting for you to free her from her sleeping bag, smiling from ear to ear, bobbing up and down, chanting "ba-ba" or "ma-ma" like we forgot about her. Every time she wakes up is a fresh start for her. Sometimes I think that inside her mind she believes that there's so much more of the world to explore yet the time before her next nap is quickly slipping away. So she's busy, moving from a book to a toy to a ball to Kula and more.
But I also think she's the way she is because of the family and friends who interact with her. Grandparents have made Charlotte feel so special. And I am grateful to have all of the aunties, uncles, and cousins, who care for her as if she was one of their own.
She's loved by many. And I'm happy to tears that I'm her dad.
Today as I was working in the lab, I tried to come up with what XX has done in her first year of life. Needless to say, I was smiling the whole time thinking about her.
So here it is - From January 31, 2008 to present, Charlotte has:
- Grown two bottom teeth, 30 inches tall, and to 25 lbs
- Visited Hello Kitty and went to her house
- Stood on earth's oldest places (glaciers) and newest places (reclaimed land)
- Riden on a tractor and a turbojet
- Picked strawberries and blueberries
- Eaten red bean soup and British baby snacks
- Outgrown many sets of clothes, her first car seat, the bumbo, and her Pumas
- Seen the White House, US Capitol, Supreme Court, and the Enola Gay
- Dressed as Thumper and the Little Mermaid (not simultaneously)
- Played with lobsters, turtles, and sled dogs
- Learned how to sign, to stand, and to walk a few steps
- Voted in the booth for me for Obama
- Flown 37,878 miles (60,959 km) or 1.52 times around the earth
