Dear Cole

Dear Cole,

It's almost four in the morning. You won't remember, but you've been awake for about an hour. You aren't crying. And you aren't whining for attention. You are simply awake in your crib making small talk with your stuffed animals.

I'm not sure why you are awake. Frankly, I'm not sure why I'm awake. Your mother is sound asleep.

I'm probably awake because it was a tough day for your daddy. But hearing your voice at this time of the night gives me comfort. I'm not sure if you do this every night because you are always awake when I wake up. It is possible you wake up every night and sing in your crib until the sun comes up. I don't know if that happens.

On a different subject you are almost a year old now. Your mother and I look back fondly on this time in our life a year ago. Well...I look back fondly. Your mother acknowledges that she was extremely pregnant with you. We talk about how much excitement there was before you arrived. We look back on many of the details and it makes us laugh and smile. We also go back through photos of your first year. You've changed so much, yet we remember you at every step of the way.

Your first year has been a good one. You make us laugh. You make us smile. You suprise us everyday. You've made many friends. You talk. You crawl. And now you are standing too. You've made us proud parents. You've made me a proud father.

Now it is time for me to go and see if I can shut my eyes for a little sleep before I must go to work. You've quieted down a bit so I think you have closed your eyes now too.

I will see you in the morning.

Love, Dad.