Dear Landry,

I literally cannot believe I am sitting down to write your ONE year old letter!  

You have been such a sweet little addition to our family.  8 lbs. 11 oz. of pure perfection!  My sweet tootey...  

You were born the day before Thanksgiving, so this year, your birthday is on Thanksgiving!  What a timely little gift we are...because we are oh so thankful for you.

Our start was a little rough...you were a very grumpy baby which was hard.  Plus I also had your brother and sister to take care of.  So that mix plus breastfeeding sent me straight on board the crazy train.  But we quit breastfeeding around 3.5 months--my sanity started to come back and you chilled outs some.  And you turned into such a happy little fella!  Even though you are still (and probably always be) my neediest child :)

You, my sweet Landry, are such a little wiggle worm!  Through my whole pregnancy, you wiggled and kicked nonstop...and that didn't stop at all when you were born.  Unless you were completely sound asleep, you never relaxed enough to be completely still.  We had to swaddle you up tight as a newborn to get you to sleep because you would flail your arms around and keep yourself awake!  

You are also the sweetest little snuggler (but you wiggle even during those snuggles!).  You love to lean in close and give loves, you come lay your head down on people's laps, and if theres a blanket or pillow nearby, you grab it and snuggle in.  It's incredibly sweet.

Let me tell you something--I will never believe that dancing is a bad thing because so many sweet little babies dance instinctively when they hear music.  YOU definitely got that instinct!  You move your hips back and forth, shake your shoulders, and bounce up and down.  You love music and you love to dance!

One of my favorite things you started doing a few months ago--when someone is holding you on their hip and they're not paying attention to you, you lean around to look at their face and get their attention. Cracks me up!  You don't like to be ignored...

You are toddling around and getting better at it each day.  But you also don't need to walk to get anywhere quickly...you are the fastest crawler I have ever seen in my life.  And you are in to everything...  You dig and chew and open cabinets and crawl through tight spaces and explore all over.  Nothing is safe when you're around! And everything goes in your mouth...

You absolutely love bath time!  This has been a fun change from your brother who screamed through every single bath...you get excited and head to the bathroom as soon as you hear the water running.  Splashing around cures any grumps you may have had and you will play in there as long as I'll let you!

About two months ago, your hair really started getting curly, especially after baths.  And now it's curly all the time!  I don't really even know what to do with it, but I love it!  Daddy wants to cut it (because it is pretty long and a bit shaggy), but I won't let him :)

As of right now, you're not really "talking", but you do say mama, dada, hey, and just this week, Bella (ella-la).  You will also sing along with us or music playing.  And your new favorite is pretending to cough--you get the giggles every time!  You shake your head no and clap your hands, give fives and wave bye.  And you have 8 teeth with at least four more on their way right now.  You discovered balls this month and love them.  You'll throw them and then go get them--playing fetch with yourself, haha!  And you drool the absolute most of anyone ever. 

Outside...if I would leave you outside your whole life, I don't think you'd complain one bit.  If you see a door open, you dart towards it.  And if it closes with you stuck on the inside, oh how the tears come.  You always smile so big when we walk outside.  You love to swing and crawl around in the grass.  Outside is definitely your happy place.

I absolutely love how friendly you are.  You seriously never meet a stranger.  If anybody pays you any attention (which, let's be honest, everyone does because you're cuteness is like a magnet), you smile so big and reach for them (a lot of times, you actually leap for them, haha).  You also really like guys (which is fun because Arabella and Kaplan never did)...Daddy, Papa, PawPaw, Unc, Evan...you just get so excited!  They're your buddies.

However, your favorite people and friends just may be your brother and sister.  The three of you are such a dynamic little squad.  They absolutely adore you (sometimes too much, getting all in your spaces, haha).  They are so protective of you and so excited about you.  And you get pretty excited about them too!  It is so fun to watch you love each other!  I absolutely cannot wait to see all of the adventures you get to have together.  

Landry Cohen, you have added so much joy and love to our little family...and a little bit of craziness too!  It is so much fun to see little pieces of who we are come out in you.  You are just such a cool kid.  I hope you never lose your curiosity and determination...and your JOY!

Your daddy and I will fight for you, protect you, teach you, and love you every single day of our lives.  You will always be our precious, perfect son; our third baby; our beautiful, blessed gift.

From Here...

....To a Year

Happy birthday, sweet boy!  I love you more than you will ever know.

xoxo, mama