Dear George,

My world brightened the moment you entered it.   When you were born your lips were pursed as if ready to give us a kiss.  With your full head of hair you were the most handsome little guy I had ever seen.  The NICU nurses loved you.  You were so easy going.  You ate like a champ.  You loved to be cuddled.  Their only complaint was you could ruin your entire bed with just one diaper change.  Oh the joy of boys!  You ate. You grew. And you came home to two very happy parents ready to take care of you all on our own.

We would characterize you as an "easy" baby.  You barely cried unless you were very hungry.  You slept well at night by six weeks old.  You loved to eat but with that came the spit up.  Gallons of it.  I think it was normal to change your clothes (and mine) three times a day when you were little bitty.  You were strong too.  You rolled over at just four weeks old.  You smiled at us often and giggled for the first time playing with your stuffed animal that looks like our dog Bailey.  Love that sound!  For a while you had a love affair with ceiling fans.  When it was finally warm enough to turn them on you were enthralled.  Your arms and legs would move all over the place as a huge smile spread across your face.  Your Grandpa Quinn said when you grew up you would be a ceiling fan mechanic...if that even exists.  You also loved your activity mat.  You would go after the toys with arms flailing and legs kicking.  When you got more control, you would grab hold of the toys and would not let go.  When you figured out you could change the song by kicking the mat, you went nuts.  You kicked it so hard it fell onto your sister!  You could entertain yourself for an hour.  You were a joy!

Sitting up and crawling were later milestones for you.  I think you just liked the view of the world flat on your back (probably those darn ceiling fans).  Once you got something, you really got it.  One day you weren't sitting up alone and then the next day you were.  One day you weren't crawling and the next day you were crawling so fast I could barely catch you.  As soon as you made your mind up, you did it 150%.  This should be an interesting trait as you get older.  Once you were mobile the sweet little man became a mischievous little man.  The fireplace, the cable box, the TV screen, the trash can, the cabinets all became your personal playground.  It never mattered how many times I redirected you, told you no, or distracted you with a toy.  You always gave me this sneaky smile and kept on doing what you wanted.  Sigh.  This too will be an interesting trait as you get older (as I type this your Dad is practicing his "mad" face that will scare you into submission).  You also love the outdoors.  Taking walks, crawling in the grass, or sitting on the porch make you smile.  You already had your initiation with Texas Fire Ants.  Twenty one bites and not a peep out of you.  What a champ!  You point at everything and say, "Da?" so we will name whatever it is that has caught your eye.  Sometimes you even repeat the word to your mother's delight!  At a year and a week old you have five chompers, a few words, and just figured out how to walk.  You love your sister and you show this affection by taking all of her toys.  Don't worry.  She returns the favor.

There are so many wonderful things about you that I adore.  Your goofy smile that frequents your face.  Your persistence.  Your absolute adoration of both of your grandfathers.  Your love of exploration and the joy you display when you discover something new.  You are the little boy that I dreamed of having.  Thank you so much for blessing our lives.  I love you more then you can ever know.

Mom