November 30, 1974

Your first birthday. I’m sure it means much more to me than it did to you. Yesterday I was thinking about how a year ago on that day I had been so busy. I went to the doctor who said, “See you next week”, a baby shower at Johnsons where you got so many nice presents, to school for a long afternoon and evening of lab. I told them confidently I would see them next week and then drove home. During the night I felt like I had eaten something that had disagreed with me and the next morning you were born. I also remember the long snowy nights when you would wake up every hour it seemed, and I was so tired. But I would feed you in your toasty warm (usually) bedroom and hear the snowplows go by and see the lights flash on the ceiling. I was scared of you in a way because I was afraid of doing something wrong and didn’t know what you needed or wanted.

You don’t talk much yet (eye, mama, dada, nana, more, up) but I understand you pretty well usually. Sometimes you are happy and giggly, sometimes pouting, and grouchy. I can tell when you want your own way and are mad and when you’re just tired. You’re so much of a person now and I have to be sure to let you be yourself as much as possible.

Today you were cranky – maybe getting another tooth. But you enjoyed your birthday party. Your eyes got big when you saw the cake and you stuck your hand in it and reached for the candle. You didn’t know how to blow it out, but you wanted to feel it. You ripped paper off packages and were very photogenic I guess because Daddy took about 15 pictures.

You loved the post office from Granny and Grandad, and you played and played with your corn popper. I wanted to find you one like the one you enjoyed so much at Spring Canyon. I don’t know if you recognized it or not, but you sat on the floor and pushed and pulled it and carried it all around. I loved watching you and I see now why parents buy so much for their children. It is so much fun to see the big, excited eyes and the delight new toys can bring.

We bought your boots today and we got four inches of snow, but it was too late to really test them. I hope we can build a snowman tomorrow or Monday. (Your birthday cake had a snowman on it though. I’ve been waiting and waiting for an excuse to make fancy birthday cakes and you are it.) I think as long as we are in the north your birthday and winter will come close together. That’s good – I like to celebrate before winter closes in and I love the fresh new snow. It made me think of how fresh and new you still are, every day full of surprises for both of us.

Well, time for bed for us too. I hope that in this year to come you will make steps as new and firm as tracks in the new snow, toward being a man after God’s own heart. I pray that He will guide all of us toward Him.

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