To our Daughter A video dedicated to your first 12 months and our journey together. Never forget how much we love you ❤

From the moment we found out we were pregnant, it was all a bit surreal, there was anxiety, happiness, fear, excitement, love and hope. The rollercoaster continued beyond your due date as we waited patiently for you!

I remember the moment I held you. I remember, despite having planned everything, in that moment I was so unprepared.

I was unprepared for your crying. I was unprepared for your clinginess. I was unprepared for the naptime battles and the bedtime shenanigans and the steep curve of learning you.

I was unprepared for how agile, mobile and energetic you’d be, how much one little person could crave independence while still needing me close by every minute of every day! I was so utterly unprepared for the fierceness that would come to characterize my love for you, the tender mess my heart would become as I learned to be your mom, the reality of everything I would give for you at any moment.

There aren’t enough words in the world to explain this love I have for you. I have no way to explain the burden I feel being your Mum. The weight of raising you well, of making the best choices for you. The weight of being responsible for another human, one I care for so deeply it breaks me.

I think I’ve grown and changed more in the past year with you than I have in the rest of my life combined. You tested my body, my nerves, you pushed my limits but you opened my heart. You healed deep insecurities and brought new ones to the surface. You made me a Mum and by doing so, you made me into a brandnew person, a woman who has never existed before.

Your first cry set off a chain of events I couldn’t stop and couldn’t slow down. As we reach your first birthday, I have that same feeling you get when you step off a roller coaster: knees shaking, heart thumping, mind racing, feeling exhilarated, blown away and full of joy and pride all at once. You are my everything and my all.

We’ve achieved so much in this first year together. We spent hundreds of hours rocking, hundreds of hours playing, laughing and learning new things. We all survived long nights, short naps, illnesses, lockdown and teething. You figured out how to be a human, how to express your needs and your desires, how to make things happen in your own world, how to be independent and adventurous. You learned to hold your head up, roll over, reach up, sign for more, point, climb stairs, names and books. You've learned the word no, that things are hot and how to climb!

For all the things we’ve learned together, the best part about this year has been learning each other. I hope you’ve learned that I’ll come when you cry, that I’ll let you make mistakes, that I’ll let you explore but will always be watching and waiting, ready to catch you when you fall and kiss your head when you snuggle in close. I hope you’ve learned that I’m a shelter when you’re sad or scared, that I meet your needs when you’re hungry or sleepy and that I’ll do just about anything to hear your laugh and see that smile..

Above all, I hope you’ve learned that my love for you is unchanging and relentless — deeper than the oceans, stronger than the waves, brighter than the sun and wider than the world.

I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure you know this, making sure you believe this and feel this every day. If I can succeed in giving you the love I feel for you, then I will have succeeded in becoming the Mother I want to become for you.

You are everything and all to us. Time is precious and 1 year has gone by so fast! We have a lifetime together Amelia, this has been the best year of mine.

We love you forever and more. Happy Birthday le Bebe xx