Allie Turns One

Astute readers may remember that Allison turned one whole year old on September 21st, and what a year it’s been!

I can remember her actual birth like it was yesterday. I remember Diana feeling new and different contractions while we were watching Survivor the night before, and the subsequent craziness of the next day, followed by pure adrenaline of the next few weeks as we figured out how everything worked. Watching her grow from a tiny little sprout into a toddler (almost) has been incredible. From one year to the next, adults are pretty much the same, but she’s gone through such an amazing transformation in this past year, it’s just miraculous. We always look at pictures and videos from this past year, and marvel at her various stages of development.

On Saturday, we had an informal get-together in the park to celebrate, and I was talking with an old friend from high school. He asked about fatherhood, and I told him what’s been going through my mind over the past few weeks. When other people look at Allie, they see a baby. When I look at her, in very literal, no hyperbole terms, I see the most perfect thing ever created.

This next year is going to be a big one. She’s just taking a few steps, so full-on walking is right around the corner. No teeth yet, so I’m assuming they’re in there somewhere. Lots of talking, but no English yet. Over the past few weeks, she’s been getting a little more free-willed, so we’ll see how that develops. It’s going to be an exciting year, for sure.