Dear Rafael!*

Happy Birthday!  It's amazing how fast this year has gone!  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital, just in time to meet your sister and enjoy a relaxing Thanksgiving dinner.  And here you are a happy, active 1 year old, taking your first steps and getting into trouble every time I turn my back.

From the very beginning you were my easy baby.  You slept most of the time and rarely fussed, a far cry from your colicky sister.  Yet, you also quickly developed a personality that let us know that you were her brother and my child.  You know what you want and heaven forbid you don't get it!

I was also a completely different mother with you than I was with Michaela.  More experience and being around other mommies taught me not to sweat the little things.  I gladly handed you off to friends when they offered to hold you, knowing that you would be a stronger child if I didn't insist on being with you every second.  As you have slowly started crawling and cruising, I haven't hovered over you.  I trust in your strength and know that you will recover quickly from any bump or scrape that happens.

You make everyone around you want to love you.  Daddy, sister and I all absolutely adore you.  I can't wait to see you continue to grow into a little boy and am looking forward to the changes this next year brings!

*Ok, well it's a couple of days late, but that's what happens when a second child's birthday falls so near a holiday. :)