Three hundred and sixty-five days ago I was wishing that a baby would be born. I had been hoping; I had been pondering. And then my Christmas dreams came true. With the help of an epidural and a mile-long walk into the hospital because the parking lot was under construction.
When she was born we named her Julianne Ryan--the "anne" after my sister Andrea, the "Ryan" after Jason's brother's middle name, and the initials matching Jason's. We've called her Jules since before she was born because she was, indeed, our Christmas jewel.
Tomorrow a birthday party, an afternoon spent with aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents, a trip to Powell's and dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. Who knew turning one could be so spectacular?
