David Bryce

Dear David,

Welcome to the world! You are my little warrior, and my miracle baby. You stayed with me for 9 full months of pregnancy with a true knot in your umbilical cord (we'll never know how long it was actually there), and battled through 40 long hours of labor without skipping a single heartbeat, and exclaimed your feelings about both the moment you took your first breath.

You share a name with some very important people in our lives. We were already thinking David was a special name in our family. Your Great Grandpa Dave was an amazing man. He was just 5'6", but would tell people he was "just under 6 feet", and truly he was larger than life. When I went into labor on your Uncle Davey's birthday, I think that sealed the deal.

I call you Davey Jones. It started right after you were born, and it's stuck. I love the way you smile when I sing your "Davey Jones" song, and it's even better when Devin sings to you.

It's taken me almost 6 months to write to you, and while it's been hard to sit down and record my feelings for you, I want you to know that I have soaked up every sweet, perfect second of time as your Mom.

From your first cry, I knew you were born with incredible strength and determination, and I see that in the way you've taken on every day, learning and growing, and moving so fast!! But you also are maybe the happiest, content little soul in the world. Unless you are hungry, you smile, talk, play, snuggle, and sleep while your little body is bursting with joy. One day while you were just a couple months old I looked down at the stroller while we were walking, and you were looking up at me with the biggest smile. It took up your whole face, and was oozing from every part of your tiny little body. I could sense you saying, "Mommy!! I was just waiting for you to see how happy I am to be with you!!"

You just started rolling over, and now there's no stopping you. I frequently find you on your belly in your crib, sometimes wedged against the side and not sure how to get back to where you want to be.

You also love the tub! You're still deciding whether you like the pool, but water in general is pretty fascinating.

You are already a busy guy. We took a trip to Utah just before maternity was over to see our family, and especially all the other babies that were born just after you. We also had your blessing in Utah so we could bless you with your cousin Luke. We ended up being able to see all your aunts and uncles on the Randall side (minus Uncle Derek), which was AMAZING!! I was super excited to be able to enjoy the 4th of July with you guys in Centerville, which I think is the ONLY real place to celebrate Independence Day. We also got to see lots of the Cottle family, including a few more new babies, which was so special.

You are SO loved by your big brother!! He loves to make you laugh, and he often will climb right in bed with you to cheer you up when you are sad. Right from the beginning he would climb into your ball pit and hold your hand. It's taken a little bit of time for him to understand how to play gently, and sometimes it's still a process, but you are very patient with him, and you are also fascinated watching him.

David, you've only been with us a short time, but I can't imagine how life was complete without you. There is something so intentional about your joy and your determination. In the difficult, intense moments of life, I'm grounded as I snuggle you and look into your beautiful eyes. You seem to understand far more than I ever will about what really matters. Maybe that has something to do with being in heaven not too long ago. I love you more than I can ever say, and I feel so grateful to be your mom.

Life is intense and I struggle to balance all the demands that come my way, and some days feel so hard. But, you remind me every day how blessed my life is. Your gentle spirit calms my troubled soul, and brings me such incredible joy. I love you, sweet little warrior.