Our Dearest Abishai Lee,
I still can't believe that a full year has passed since we welcomed you into this world. Today you turned one year old. Every day you continue to amaze us with your never-ending curiosity, fearlessness, and unconditional love. As I think back through the year, I recall traits of yours that I want you to always remember.
You are brave.
I was filled with a sense of pride as I watched you confidently pull yourself up and toddle your way across the room to seek out a different toy. I will never forget the day you boldly ventured up our wooden steps and then goaded us to chase you up them when we caught you. With each step you take further and each flight of stairs you conquer, you congratulate yourself with joyous applause. You can conquer anything.
You are loving.
You are our cuddle bug. No words can express how quickly you melt my heart when you touch my face, tilt your head, smile, then gently lay your head down on my chest. In that moment you tell me that there is nowhere else in the world you would rather be. You taught us right away that smiles cannot be wasted. When you smile and gasp that wraith-like noise of yours, we see and hear true jubilee. Thank you for showing us true joy.
You are smart.
We are filled with wonder as we watch your curious mind work. How you knew how to mount your toy motorcycle without ever being on a vehicle of that nature still baffles us. We forget how much you watch our every move. The way you taught yourself how to unlock my iPhone and swipe through photos still amazes me. We love watching you learn the way things work. Don't ever stop being curious. Your inquisitiveness and drive will motivate you to do great things.
You are spiritual.
Without any prodding from us, you are drawn to God. Since the day you could focus on the pages of a book, the only book that every captivated you was The Lord's Prayer. You would stroke the images and impatiently turn the pages only to flip the book back to the beginning to read it again. You "read" your first copy with such fervor, Grandma Teofy had to buy you a board book version to keep up with all the affection you show it. No other book is of interest to you like this one. Many times I tried to introduce another book into our bedtime repertoire, but without fail, you'd crawl back to your bookshelves and pull this one out. Your evening routine is not complete without us reading The Lord's Prayer to you one, two, sometimes three or four times. Then of course there is your fondness for worship music. It is so pleasing to me that at the sound of the first few notes of Matt Redman's "10,000 Reasons"you instantly calm. We love this about you. Our prayer for you is that you continue to seek and love God as you grow. You are God's gift to us and we dedicate your life to Him.
Happy Birthday, sweet boy. We love you so much.
Mommy & Daddy
