Dear Marek,
Wow, one year old! Happy first birthday my sweet boy. This last year has been filled with the happiest and scariest days of our lives. The happiest day of our life was exactly 365 days ago at 5:54 am when you came into this world. I have never cried so many tears of joy, you were the most precious little thing that God has ever made and you were all ours. I pictured in my mind, as I held you those first days of your life, how your first year would be. I could see your Daddy and I teaching you so many things about this world. I pictured celebrating you crawling, your first words and maybe even your first steps by your first birthday. This year has gone so differently than I could have ever thought it could. With all my tears of joy that I cried this year I have also cried many tears of sorrow and fear. When you were diagnosed with IS our world was literally turned upside down. It has taken so much away from you and our family. It has left us holding our breath from seizure to seizure, it has left us fearful of what tomorrow holds and it has made you struggle which is the hardest thing to bear as parents.
It has also changed our lives in a positive way. I never thought while holding you those first few days that in the next year it would not be your Daddy and I teaching you everything but rather you teaching us things about life that we never understood. Marek you have taught us so much. You have taught us to never take ANYTHING for granted, that every day is a gift and we should take full advantage of every minute. You have taught us how to be strong, brave and resilient. You have taught us how to notice the small things and to celebrate each little thing in our life and to be thankful for them. You have given us more laughter and joy through these tough seven months than I have ever experienced in my lifetime. We love you more and more each minute of every day and we are SO PROUD of all you have overcome. You have faced an evil demon this year, one that has tried to take everything from you, but you haven’t let it. You are a fighter, a brave, strong and determined fighter and you will win this fight.
Your daddy and I have been trying to think for weeks now what would be the perfect gift for you. It is hard because the one gift that we would love to give you isn’t possible. If we could take away your hardships we would in an instant. We promise that we will be beside you every step of this journey. We will push you to reach your potential, because sweet baby you have so much potential and one day you will move mountains. We promise to fight for you against anyone who stands in your way on your road to greatness, whether it be doctors, insurance companies or therapists we promise that NO ONE will hold you back. We promise to NEVER take anything for granted and to celebrate every inchstone you reach like most parents would celebrate first steps or high school graduations.
It is hard to believe that you are one today. On one hand this year has gone by so fast, on the other it has moved so slow that I could hear the second hand as it hit each of its sixty marks. I hear a lot of parents say that their babies are growing up so fast. I can’t say that this year because part of me is still stuck in the beginning of January when you were five months old before this storm rolled over us. I hope and pray with every ounce of my heart that your next year of life will be easier than your first. You have endured more during your first year than most do in a lifetime and you deserve a year to just be a kid. I am hopeful that this year brings an end to all the medication your have been on that has blanketed your personality. Although we get short periods where your personality shines through the fog of medication I truly feel that it has been many months since we have seen the real Marek. I hope that your struggles become smaller and smaller and that one day this will all be behind you. I pray that this next year is the start of seizure freedom for the rest of your life that you get to take back all that was taken from you.
Marek David we love you to the moon and back. Happy first birthday peanut!!
Dear Marek,
Wow, one year old! Happy first birthday my sweet boy. This last year has been filled with the happiest and scariest days of our lives. The happiest day of our life was exactly 365 days ago at 5:54 am when you came into this world. I have never cried so many tears of joy, you were the most precious little thing that God has ever made and you were all ours. I pictured in my mind, as I held you those first days of your life, how your first year would be. I could see your Daddy and I teaching you so many things about this world. I pictured celebrating you crawling, your first words and maybe even your first steps by your first birthday. This year has gone so differently than I could have ever thought it could. With all my tears of joy that I cried this year I have also cried many tears of sorrow and fear. When you were diagnosed with IS our world was literally turned upside down. It has taken so much away from you and our family. It has left us holding our breath from seizure to seizure, it has left us fearful of what tomorrow holds and it has made you struggle which is the hardest thing to bear as parents.
It has also changed our lives in a positive way. I never thought while holding you those first few days that in the next year it would not be your Daddy and I teaching you everything but rather you teaching us things about life that we never understood. Marek you have taught us so much. You have taught us to never take ANYTHING for granted, that every day is a gift and we should take full advantage of every minute. You have taught us how to be strong, brave and resilient. You have taught us how to notice the small things and to celebrate each little thing in our life and to be thankful for them. You have given us more laughter and joy through these tough seven months than I have ever experienced in my lifetime. We love you more and more each minute of every day and we are SO PROUD of all you have overcome. You have faced an evil demon this year, one that has tried to take everything from you, but you haven’t let it. You are a fighter, a brave, strong and determined fighter and you will win this fight.
Your daddy and I have been trying to think for weeks now what would be the perfect gift for you. It is hard because the one gift that we would love to give you isn’t possible. If we could take away your hardships we would in an instant. We promise that we will be beside you every step of this journey. We will push you to reach your potential, because sweet baby you have so much potential and one day you will move mountains. We promise to fight for you against anyone who stands in your way on your road to greatness, whether it be doctors, insurance companies or therapists we promise that NO ONE will hold you back. We promise to NEVER take anything for granted and to celebrate every inchstone you reach like most parents would celebrate first steps or high school graduations. 
It is hard to believe that you are one today. On one hand this year has gone by so fast, on the other it has moved so slow that I could hear the second hand as it hit each of its sixty marks. I hear a lot of parents say that their babies are growing up so fast. I can’t say that this year because part of me is still stuck in the beginning of January when you were five months old before this storm rolled over us. I hope and pray with every ounce of my heart that your next year of life will be easier than your first. You have endured more during your first year than most do in a lifetime and you deserve a year to just be a kid. I am hopeful that this year brings an end to all the medication your have been on that has blanketed your personality. Although we get short periods where your personality shines through the fog of medication I truly feel that it has been many months since we have seen the real Marek. I hope that your struggles become smaller and smaller and that one day this will all be behind you. I pray that this next year is the start of seizure freedom for the rest of your life that you get to take back all that was taken from you.
Marek David we love you to the moon and back. Happy first birthday peanut!!
Awesome! !
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