To Our Sixteen-month-old-baby Micah,

How we love you – how amazed we are by you! How delighted we are by your chubby cheeks and chunky little tree trunk legs. You are tall and strong and bubbling over with joy and cheeky chuckles. We love to watch you sign “dog” and “milk” and “car” and “ball” with such profound (and repetitive) enthusiasm! We love to wake up to your slobbery morning kisses and watch you embrace Jackson with gusto every evening before bed. We love to see you follow your big brother around every corner, under every bed, behind every door and into every kind of nook-and-cranny mischief that the two of you can cook up. We love to watch your blonde curls wind around our fingers and your blue eyes gaze nose-to-nose into our eyes. We love your tight monkey hugs and shoulder pats. We love your feet that are just too baby fat to fit into regular shoes and we love your delight in being outdoors, your thrill for dogs and your desire to eat, touch, taste and savor everything that crosses your path! We love to watch you dance and we love to watch you sleep. You are our sixteen-month-old-son and we love ever nuance about you – each and every one!

You are our Micah, breaking down all sadness and busting into our lives with so much joy – our blessed, redemptive gift from a Father who never gives up on us, always walks beside us and chose to lavish us with the extravagant, generous gift of you, our beautiful baby boy, when we asked him for you. Without batting an eyelid, He reached into the depths of his love and created you for us. Like your name says, may you be “like unto Him” – your Father – both earthly and heavenly, your whole life long. Because between them they will raise you up on their shoulders and show you how to soar!

Happy Sweet Sixteen Months! Love Mommy and Daddy