by Udita Saklani
Here is a beautiful letter from a mother to her daughter on her first birthday. Read on to know some funny and memorable incidents which are so relatable
To my soon-to-be one-year-old daughter,
Oh! My God! Let me first take a deep breath before I start to pen down my feelings as you turn one year old in a few days from now. It feels like I just winked and the time went by with a lightning speed. Just like my maternity leaves went by in a jiffy and I watery-eyed when I had to join back work. I feel a similar emotion today all because you aren’t that little squishy baby which I can cuddle up in my arms! 
Jokes apart, I can’t be more thankful, that we have reached your first-year birthday mark. I say this because the initial few days after you were born were kind of tough for me. It was one of the coldest days of January, the day you were born. Add on top of it incessant rains which kind of made the cold even worse. That meant extra cover and protection for you while we were on our way back to the hospital. No wonder you got tonnes of woolen clothes as baby presents when you came into this world. It also meant that my C-sec stitches would take a longer time to heal- again thanks to the chilly Delhi winters. Those were the days of incessant backaches and clogged milk ducts! Little darling, it was a bag of mixed emotions. On one hand, I was thankful to God for sending you to me and on the other, I was battling clogged milk ducts and terrible back aches.
Today when I see you, I can’t be prouder of myself! Well, all mothers are, and I am no different. From days when the nights seemed to be too long to the current day, where you have already started going to a daycare- Both of us have come a long way. Just like you have crossed beautiful milestones in the last one year, I have also found a new and a better version of my own self.
It looks like just yesterday your grandmom carried you from the nursery and handed over to me and today you are almost on the verge of walking by your own self! Somebody, please pinch me. You have given me lessons on how to love someone with love which doesn’t have any measure. You taught me that it’s okay to not look perfect always. Messy kitchen, diaper strewn rooms are in fact , a mandatory checklist kind of a thing for a successful journey in motherhood.
The year couldn’t get any better, so here I am highlighting some funny and memorable incidents which will stay etched in my heart forever:
1. You always used to poop up 1:00 AM sharp at night. While most moms complain of not having a fixed pattern with a newborn, I couldn’t be happier, as you had a fixed poo schedule set!
2. My gynae never showed us the ultrasounds properly and particularly for a long period of time due to strict rules here in India, but one thing I am pretty sure of – is that you were probably sucking onto your thumb in my belly also! You are already on it and I am having a hard time when I have to pull out the thumb from your mouth.
3. You had a good amount of hair on your head when you were born. That surely speaks of the numerous and terrible heart burns I used to have when you were inside me.
4. You have given me mini heart attacks all throughout the year when you started to roll on your own. There wasn’t even once I could work in the kitchen with my full attention to the food that was being cooked. Any sound and I would come running to your room, only to find you giving me that chuckle!
5. You started going to the day care when you had just turned eight months old. As much as I was scared and apprehensive about you settling in at the new place. You went ahead one step and surprised me even further. Within 3-4 days you had found your clan at the daycare, which meant no more tears trickling down my eyes.
6. You have been my constant companion in the kitchen when you aren’t sleeping. As much as I detest sorting the entire mess you create while I cook, what makes the whole day worthwhile, is sorting the kitchen when the day is finally over.
I think it’s been a pretty long letter, and I should get back on planning things for your first birthday! I have so much pending work already that if I delay it further, I will be in a soup.
My little doll may you grow up to whatever you want to be. The world’s your canvas, paint it as you want!
