Happy Birthday Vincent

Dear Vincent,

Happy 1st birthday. 1 year ago today…at this very moment…you were making your way into this world. Over six weeks early, your arrival took us a little by surprise. I guess you were eager to meet us and begin your journey. I have never felt more happiness than seeing you for the first time – you were exactly who I knew you’d be. And I’ve never felt more sadness than when you were in the incubator in those early days. The thirteen days before you came home with us were the longest, loneliest of my life. I couldn’t wait to have my baby home.

I’ll never forget that warm October day when it finally stopped raining and we brought you home. You slept all the way until we reached the front door and we told you that you we were home. You opened your eyes to see what this ‘home’ was all about and promptly fell back asleep, satisfied. Finally I could breathe.

The next few weeks were spent holding you and watching your personality emerge…you have always been so very you. I remember watching you sleep in my arms those first few nights and your contented little gurgles and murmers. I remember all those chilly fall nights when we stayed up learning how to breastfeed and those great cold evenings snuggled up by the fire.

You have given us so much this past year and you inspire me by just being you. There are so many things I love about you…so many ways that you are unique and amazing and weird and wonderful. Here are just a few:

I love that you are strong willed. You have an urgency to you that I both fear and love. I hope you never lose your drive to discover new things and approach life with intention and determination.

I love that you are insatiably curious (and yes, a bit stubborn). You prowl the house searching for buttons to push, switches to pull, nooks and crannies to explore. You’ve replaced our air vents and unlocked ‘child proof’ safety locks…you are relentless when you want something…I hope you’ll never stop trying to get the things you want in life.

I love that you are such a manly man. From your strong guy imitation to your brutish force…it’s what makes you, you.

I love that you know what you want. From those first days in the NICU when you ripped out your tubes every time the nurses tried to put them in (you knew then that you didn’t need them and just needed to be home with us) to the way you can’t stand to have your right foot covered up with a blanket to the way you push the spoon away when you are full…you’ve always told us exactly what you need…we need to remember to trust you.

I love that you love the outdoors. You always have. You find calm outside in a way that I wish I could. Your favourite thing right now is touching the bark of trees and looking at the fall colours (and trying to eat the red leaves).

I love that you love books. You’ve recently started to know your favourite books by name and will bring them to us in turn to read. “On the day you were born” and “Snuggle puppy” are your current favourites. And you still love to kiss yourself at the end of “Baby boo”

I love that you are a little weird. You make strange faces (like that ugly snort pig one) and delight in oddities. I wouldn’t expect anything else.

I love that you have a wicked sense of humour. Some days it’s like you’re performing a stand up comedy routine just for us. You’re a bit sadistic, but secretly, we love it.

I love that you love to travel. Plane rides lull you to sleep. Ferries make you happy. Oceans make you calm. Meeting new people makes your day.

I love that you love music. From those first improvised lullabies (David Sylvian’s Ghosts) to your precious Jambo Jambo jumping music (which you imitate in the sweetest little voice) to your recent discovery of drumming and dancing to the Beatles and 80s music…you’ve got the beat.

I love that you’re intense. You feel things deeply and fiercely and you approach everything with an intensity that is all your own.

Vincent, there are so many ways that we love you. Most of them can’t be put into words. I remember when we chose your name…we had already decided on Vincent but wanted to check its meaning…we looked it up and we agree with the person who said the name Vincent communicates "a devilish elegance.” That’s you, baby.

You have become such a happy, confident, independent little boy. When you look up at me with those huge deep brown eyes I can’t believe how lucky we are that you chose us as parents. Congratulations on an amazing first year. We love you.