My dear, sweet Hannah Beth,

Where do I even BEGIN to talk about your first year? It was like no other, I can assure you that. I’ve written this note in my head dozens of times and worried I would forget something, but here we are!

So much of your first year will be defined by the COVID19 pandemic. What does that mean? Well it means that our family of four was together. A LOT. In fact, you have yet to see a daycare or babysitter who isn’t family. You napped next to me while I worked, hung out Dad while I helped Mikey with virtual school, watched us play video games on the weekend, and got used to seeing us wearing masks.

We did venture out to a few playgrounds, the Maryland Zoo, and even Ocean City in the winter. You didn’t eat at a restaurant until you were almost a year old!

What does all this together time that mean for us? It means we were able to get to know you and see your personality grow first hand! And what a personality it is.

I can only describe you Hannah Beth, as a joy. You seldom cry out of anything buy pain or frustration and even then it is far and few between. You have the best laugh, especially when Mike is the one making it happen. You laugh with your whole face and body – eyes closed, mouth wide, and shoulders shaking. You sometimes even give yourself hiccups.

You are also very determined when you want something. You are a ‘picker’ – always with your pointer finger digging at Band-Aids, freckles, nipples, and spots on the floor… anything. We try to cover stuff up with our hands and you quickly push our hands away.

You have reached the majority of your milestones (we need to hear some words baby girl!) and are clocking in at the 99th percentile of both weight AND height. We have never had an issue getting you to eat – the only thing you’ve turned your nose up at was ground meat and avocados. Everything else is game on and you can hear the crunch of someone else’s food a mile away. You even transition from formula to milk without a curious glance.

Your list of favorite things typically starts with your guys – Daddy and Mikey. Even when you were teeny tiny, you would light up when Mike came home. Watching you interact with them is such a gift for me. You also love Bluey and Elmo. When Elmo comes on TV you stop what you are doing and are totally focused on the tv until it comes time to dance to the Letter of the Day. You love flipping through books during rest time and having a ball in each hand whenever possible. Like most babies, you desperately want all the remotes and phones. Also, when I started rocking you from day one while I listened to Taylor Swift’s albums Folklore and Evermore. Now when it stops playing during nap time you wake up.

My sweet girl, this year has been a challenge and in all honesty, you have been the light we’ve all needed.

Love always,

Momma xoxo