Hey, Jude.

Dear Juju,

9 months ago today you were born. 6 months of believing we’d never meet you, 1 day our dream came true, 39 weeks and 2 days of anticipation, 42 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing, 9 months of sleep deprivation, countless loads of diaper laundry, countless loads of regular laundry, icky diapers, 3 A.M. feedings, crying fits, first smile, first laugh, first word (mama!), learning to crawl, first hug, first step (please stop this, it’s too soon!), and the rest of my life filled with you. Every day I wake up and can’t wait to find out what the day has in store for us. Every night I go to bed exhausted, frazzled, exhausted, blessed, and exhausted (you are quite tiring for such a little person). I am in awe that I get the honor of being your mama. Thank you. Thank you for blessing me with your giggles, with your tears, with your triumphs (you took a step today!), with your life. Today you have 4 teeth, you can crawl, you pull yourself up on EVERYTHING, you are SO close to walking, you eat anything you can get your little hands on, and you have the biggest grin. You, my sweet and wonderful baby boy, mean the world to me. I love you Jujubug.

Love,

Mama