Happy Birthday, Bean!
Dear Beanie,
Today is your first birthday and I can’t even believe it! I can’t believe that it’s been a whole year, but I also can’t believe that it’s ONLY been a year. It feels like I have known you my whole life, buddy.
I hope you know how much your Daddy and I love having you in our lives. You make everything better and more exciting. I’ve never known how much fun a blow up duck bath tub could be. And before you, my Tupperware just held food. I never knew how cool remote controls were. But you’ve shown me that even these little things can be fun for hours and hours. I love that you open my eyes to things that I never noticed before you were here.
You know, you came around during a lot of changes in our family. I was so nervous and scared about uprooting you and taking you away from your home in Connecticut, but you never skipped a beat. You looked ahead and just kept on going. Every day I as sure that you would just crack under all the changes around you, but you never stopped smiling, Bean Man. You didn’t hide from the change or try to rebel against it. You just took it one day at a time and found the joy in what was happening that minute – moving boxes made great forts, new people all around became new friends, and different places meant new things to explore.
I think that is what you have taught me the most this past year, Bean. You’ve been teaching me that lesson ever since I was pregnant with you and you decided not to be born the regular way because it was a better view for you to sit head-up. You taught me that lesson when you would wake up in the middle of the night as a little, little baby and we would have just as much fun at 4am as we did at 10am. You taught me that lesson when you started daycare and took it like a champ (much better than I did!). You taught me that lesson when you started eating solid food and you skipped baby food altogether. You taught me that lesson as you grew up and started changing so much every single day. You’ve taught me that change doesn’t have to be scary. If you just take it one day at a time and appreciate what the Good Lord has given you in that moment, you spend your days thankful and happy. I hope you keep that outlook for many, many more birthdays.
The past year has been the best year of my whole life, Bean. I never knew I could love someone like I love you – so completely, so much. I have felt so full of love that it has poured out into other areas of my life and I have become a more compassionate person and a more loving wife, too. And you will never know how many people that impacts simply because you are in my life.
I hope this next year brings us so many more adventures, Bean Bean. I hope it brings so much more change. And I hope that as your world grows, that mine will grow, too. I love you a million, trillion, bajillion times!!!
Happy birthday, buddy –
Love,
Mommy
**********************
Read Chris’ birthday letter to Bean over in The Man Cave.
Be sure to check out the Bean’s birthday video slide show over on the Confessions page.
21 Comments
Ella
Happy Birthday Bean! Its been so much fun watching you grow up through your mom’s blog! Have fun at your party and i hope you get lots & lots of presents 🙂
Alaina
Aw, that is so sweet…happy birthday, Bean!
Beth
Happy Birthday Bean and Congratulations Chris and Katie!!! Happy 1 year anniversary of becoming a family!
Tiffany
Happy Birthday Beanie! May every year bring you just as much fun and love as your very first!
Maybelline
That was so touching.. you made me cry.. so sweet!! Happy Birthday Beanie Bean!
Kendra
I absolutely love the letters you and Chris wrote to Bean. Those will be so special to him when he is older.
Abby @ They Lend Me Their Hearts
Happy Birthday Beans!
Claudia
Happy Birthday Bean!
Rachel
Happy birthday, Bean!
Katie, yours and Chris’ letters are so touching and made me tear up a bit. You’re both wonderful writers.
Emily Marie
Happy Birthday Beanie!! You’re so lucky you have such great parents and such a great record of the first year of your cute little life!
PattyHo
Happy Birthday to sweet Beanie. muah!
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
Happy Birthday Bean.
I have to confess: I only skimmed this post because I am sitting at work and I know if I really read it that I shall become weepy. Babies grow so fast.
Have a great celebration y’all. 🙂
Sarah H.
Ooohhh so heartfelt and cute–I almost cried!
Katie M
Wow its been a year! Thanks for allowing us to watch little Bean man grow with you! You two are great parents and make good looking babies! (Now hurry up and make another one so we can see how cute a little Katie will be! 😉
Marla
Happy Birthday- Beaner. You’re an adorable little boy. 🙂
Marla @ http://www.asthefarmturns.wordpress.com
Christina
So sweet…what a great year, and thank you for sharing it with us!
And what a fantabulous picture! 🙂
Monique
Happy first Birthday, Bean!
Angela
Gotta love Bean.
Your letter is so sweet
Julia
Happy Birthday Bean!!!
Corinn
Happy First Birthday, Bean!!!!!!!!! That was a fast year 🙂
p.s. I loved both of your letters.
p.p.s. Congrats on your book!!!! My dad had his first book published last year by McMillan Publishing. I will never forget the day he found out they would be publishing his book. Greatest.Day.Ever.
Sharie
Happy Birthday Bean! One year old, what a wonderful birthday to celebrate!