Dear Zianne, I think around this time I'm supposed to start talking about how I can't believe you are almost a year old... But you know what? I can believe it. You are almost a year old. You are a crawling, babbling little baby turning into a toddler, and in a couple of weeks we will celebrate your first year on this earth, in our home, and in our arms. I think I'm also supposed to say I want time to stop or slow down because your baby days are flying by and before I know it you will be off to college... or something like that? But you know what? I can't slow time and I don't have any desire to try. These are good days. I love watching you learn new words, turn the pages of your books, play your xylophone, and point at birds out the window. There were other good days this year. There were the days you slept on my chest. There were middle of the night feedings. There were the nights you slept in a swaddle, and the days you sat up on your own and played quietly in one place. But those good days are gone and I don't wish them back. They were precious. I am thankful for each and every milestone of the past year. I'm even thankful for the hard times that stretched me as a person and taught me to sacrifice more fully. But I don't need newborn Zianne frozen in time. I like the way you are right now and I joyfully anticipate your future.  The Bible tells us "The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair" {Proverbs 20:29}. Our youth is a precious time full of vigor and expectation, but Scripture also tells us that old age is a blessing. I can't stop time, and I don't want to. Each season of life is sacred and each year lived on this earth is one step closer to seeing God face to face. I hope you enjoy each second of your youth. I hope that you grow and develop in a way pleasing to Lord. I hope you love others well, live a life of joy, and have a childlike faith that outlasts your days as a child. And as I grow older and my hair turns gray, I promise not to spend my life wishing I could turn back the hands of time. I will recount my memories with joy, accept my present circumstances with gratitude, and ponder the future with great hope. This past year has been my most joyful yet, and I eagerly await watching you grow and change in the next year to come. Love, Your not-yet-gray-haired mama ... Read more