William's 1st Birthday

On November 2, William would have been 1.  I can't write about this yet because it breaks my heart. But I can say that every day I wonder what he would have been like.  What nicknames would we call him?  What would his favorite food be?  How would his 1 year old personality be developing?  What would we be teaching him?  Would he have a favorite bedtime story?  What would we have planned for his birthday?  Would he be walking, running and chasing Dempsey?  Would they be best friends or still getting to know each other?  Countless questions.

And as I wondered those things last Sunday, we received a bunch of really thoughtful texts and emails. I am forever grateful that so many people will remember him too.  The texts and emails and pictures made our day a little bit less lonely, and for all of that love I am so grateful.  I think someone special was behind it too, and that means so much to both my husband and I.  Friends and family, we couldn't do this without you.  

Here are a few of the pictures we received. 

We're starting a tradition of going to the bookstore around the corner on William's birthday to pick out books we might have loved reading to him and donating them to the Children's Book Project. The organization's mission is to make sure Bay Area kids have access to books at school and at home.  As they write, "Many children in the Bay Area live in homes without books and attend schools and programs where books are in short supply. Research shows that children to whom books are read have an easier time learning to read than those who don't have this experience. In addition, evidence shows that reading aloud to children actually helps their brain development."

Lots of love,
S.