Dear One Year Old

Dear Elliot, Elli, Elli Dew, Little Elli Belli,

You are one year old. You are my daughter. You are my third daughter. You are most likely my last daughter. You are my baby. You will always be my baby, no matter how old you are. You are my world. You are my hug. You are in my heart. You are in me. You are one.

You are one today. You are a reflection of your father. You are a daddy's girl. You are a mommy's girl. You are the lover of hair. You are my motivation to style my hair. You are a lover of momma's milk.  You are my check in the box. You are my high metabolism. You are 12 months old. You are one.

You are one today. You are my thumb sucker. You are my big eyed darling. You are my observer. You are my dog lover. You are quick to speak your mind. You are happy go lucky. You are happy being the little sis. You are the Orthner Caboose. You are one.

You are one. You are my captive audience for my nightly choral concert. You are my lover of music. You are the beat of my drum. You are the missing link to our band. You are my idol. You are amazingly awesome. You are one year old.

WAIT... YOU. ARE. ONE. YEAR. OLD. TODAY.

Go get em girl. Watch out world, Elli Dew is on her way. There is no looking back now!

Love,
Mom, but not just any mom...YOUR mom...thank you

I will close this note to you with the last words you here each and every night. Will you let me hold you and sing to you when you are 2? 5? 13? Always?

"Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don't care if I ever get back for its root root root for the Giants. If they don't win its a shame. For its one, two, three strikes your out at the old ball game.

I love you ELLI DEW!"