just a couple weeks ago, i wrote a birthday note to lucy as she turned 4. no doubt, i laid on the sappy pretty thick. for max’s birthday, i wanted to take just a few minutes to tell him a couple things as he celebrates one year on planet earth. i can neither confirm nor deny the sappiness that may or may not flow forth in the remaining paragraphs. 🙂

it’s so hard to completely avoid cliché with these types of post. the reality is that many of the clichés are entirely accurate. yes, time has flown by. yes, it truly does feel like just yesterday you were born. and yes, it also feels like you’ve been with us forever. just a year later, it’s hard to imagine life without you, max.

we’re still waiting for you to walk. right now, it’s just that sorta weird crawl where 1 leg drags a little, leaving one dirty knee (sorry dude, mopping isn’t our strong suit). you’ve started with a wobbly little stand every now and then, so we know you want to move forward in the evolutionary chain very, very soon.

people often ask if i’m glad to finally have a boy and i’m not, particularly. now, don’t get me wrong, much more than being glad to have a boy, i’m glad to have you. just you. for who you are now—happy, laughing, slobbering, bouncing up and down when the right music comes on. and for who you’ll become—whatever and whomever that might be. i don’t expect you to be me or like what i like or care about what i care about. in fact, i hope i stay out of the way just enough so that you’re able to become the kind of person you can be without the burden of my expectations.

whatever the present or the future might hold, just know that you’re loved. and not just loved, but lifted up as a special and unique part of this family. you aren’t just the baby of the family, but a valued voice…when you get a voice beyond your current blabbering. 🙂

despite those nights that you wake up with a leaky diaper or those times you scream when we’re not shoveling food in your mouth at the rate that you’d like, you are a constant source of joy—not just in my life, but your mom’s and both your big sisters (i swear they like you, despite the punching bag that you’ve become for them).

so, happy birthday, max. you’re 1, dude. you’ve got a long way to go. life is good and i know you’ll live it out in the best way you can.

alright, i’ll check back next year at about this time. 😉