Happy Birthday Baby Boy

Dear Baby Dylan,

We are about 6 days away from your first birthday. I have been pestering your dad today, demanding we must get the perfect birthday cake for you. It must be personalised, have marzipan in it and preferably adorned with diamonds too. You wouldn't think I'd choose a cake, of all things, to try and express my utter devotion to you, but there you have it; the cake must be perfect.

We had trouble conceiving you, baby Dylan. We spend almost 2 years trying to 'make' you, but for some reason it wouldn't quite happen. The sadness I felt each month became increasingly less bearable, but when we found out that you did finally decide to make a home in my tummy, your dad and I, well, we couldn't contain our joy! He still remembers the way my footsteps sounded when I walked back into the bedroom announcing you were coming!

You're asleep in your own bed right now. Earlier this eve, your daddy gave you your dinner and apparently played a game with you which meant that your pajamas were entirely covered in some kind of brown goo. This happens a lot with you: brown goo. In your ears, in your hair, on your face, around your mouth, on your shirt, in your eye; brown goo. You hate muslins, bibs or anything that goes around your neck, so when I put one on, you pull at it defiantly until your face goes red.

You have a giggle that, I am convinced, make the angels sing. I hear it and cannot help but feel the corners of my mouth curl up, inside; I beam. And giggling you love to do. Particularly when daddy chases you on all fours. Sometimes you get confused about the chase game; instead of crawling away very fast, in your excitement; you crawl towards the chaser! This is so adorable, it makes me explode a little.

Don't take this the wrong way, and don't get offended, but you poo a lot. This is not a problem to me, in fact, I like it when you poo. What I don't like, is when your bum is covered in poo and you decide that you're bored of lying on the mat and you attempt to crawl off mid nappy change. I don't mind your poo, love cleaning you up several times a day but I draw a line at poo-covered furniture.

And the only way I can make you lie still on the changing mat at the moment is to sing Dutch nursery rhymes to you, preferably with silly faces and awkward hand movements. Do you know how skilful one must be to multitask like that? You try changing a nappy, cleaning off poo, sing a song, pull a funny face and do something awkward with your hands at the same time. Yes, your mummy is a fabulous superstar.

To our horror you like to dive off of things, the bed (which is very high), the couch, our laps, your pram. You seem to understand the law of gravity but you also seem to want to test it out, defy it, laugh in its face. Let me tell you now, little Dylbee; gravity will, like a quiet, confident opponent; win. Please stop smashing your head into things, okthankxbye.

You don't really like it when grown ups stand upright on their two legs. You are, after all, little and 'down there' and want the 'finer, closer connection' with us grown ups, so you've figured out a brilliant way of getting us to come down to your level; you pull down our trousers. Sure, you pretend it's just you 'pulling yourself up' on my trousers, but we both know that pulling down my trousers, which has happened on a few occasions, gets me to sit down with you. Dylan 1 - Mummy 0.

Speaking of 'pulling up'. You can now walk with a stroller, you 'cruise' along side furniture and you can stand by yourself for at least 20-30 seconds. When you walk with the stroller your face lights up with the goofiest grin and you can also get incredibly frustrated when the stroller comes to a halt because a chair or other object is in the way. When it comes to expressing frustration you do seem to harness the Leo energy.

You like to lick shoes, suck on usb cables, chew on remote controls and munch on tissue paper. You love many of your toys, but you much rather find a tiny fluffy dust bit that no one else but you can actually see with the naked eye. In this respect you do really resemble the many characteristics of a puppy dog.

"Heeya" - as in; heeya heeya ho (old macdonald had a farm) - is one of the words with some kind of meaning you are able to say. When I sing that song to you and change the lyrics to: 'Old MacDonald had a farm and on his farm he had some Dinosaurs - heeya heeya ho', I inwardly hope that my inserting dinosaurs (or elephants, or lions, or wombats) in a farm, will inspire creativity in you later in life. I hope that you will learn that it's ok to challenge the rules a bit and to be creative with something you're given, to think outside the box and play with what comes your way.

Now that you're crawling and on the verge of standing up, you sometimes get into a pose which I can only call 'Shakespearean' - you're down on one knee and you hold your arms open wide as if to say; Juliet, oh Juliet, wherefore art thou? It is most dramatic and expressive I tell you.

You are a total flirt. Wherever we go you smile at people and people smile back at you. On the bus they play games with you, ask me how old you are, comment on how happy you seem. Where ever you go, people cheer up, start smiling, twinkles appear in eyes. You have a magic spark, a gift that way, I hope you never lose it.

Your fifth tooth (incisor top left) has appeared today - you have 5 teeth now (including the new one). We've recently started 'brushing your teeth' which is a bemusing activity for all involved. We try to brush your teeth, you try to chew the brush and suck up all the toothpaste which you seem to think tastes delicious!

You have shot up like crazy in the last couple of months. While in your earlier months you were in the 50th/ 60th percentile for height & weight, you are now suddenly in the 90th percentile! We are not quite sure what happened, but daddy thinks you're going to be a 'gentle giant'. Both of us are pretty tall so it wouldn't be a surprise if you too grow tall. Your hair is finally growing a bit too now, but you still don't have a full head of hair, we don't need to brush it quite yet. You have two dimples on your back, like your dad, and your eye colour is an interesting mix between blue, grey, green and brown.

When I say; 'kisses' to you, you let your head fall back, smile wide and wait for the kiss to be planted on your cheek or mouth. The cuteness of this simply can't be contained. When I blink with both eyes, you blink back with both eyes. You use your little finger to explore everything. You stick it into all sorts of little crevices and holes including my belly button with which you are endless fascinated!

You are everything I ever wished for in a baby and more. I consider myself so lucky to have been blessed with a child like you. I am so deeply honoured and humbled to call myself 'your mother'.

Happy first birthday baby boy.

Thank you for coming to us.

All my love
Mum