Dear February,

We've had a fun relationship over the years. I always looked forward to you due to my love of Valentine's Day. When I was a kid, I looked forward to you because I thought winter ended after Christmas and that you meant spring. (It was a sad day when I discovered how seasons actually work.) We've shared some good times--cute scarves, candy hearts, the beginning of the end of the cold. But this year is so different.

This year, February, you made me a mom. This 2013 February will stay with me the rest of my life. From now on, I will look forward to my daughter's birthday. I'll spend time carefully picking out the perfect birthday present and decorations to make her smile. I will meticulously plan surprises and new traditions. I will cry at the passage of time as every year I get further and further away from the infant I now hold in my arms. Crying will be followed by excitement for all the life I get to witness before my very eyes.

I am grateful, February. As you draw to an end, I must thank you before you go. Thank you for giving me one week to realize my own strength. Thank you for giving me three weeks of wonder and vulnerability and joy and amazement. Thank you for being a lovely and hospitable hostess for this time in my life. Your chilly air and rain and breezes made for excellent baby snuggling weather. Thanks for taking us in after this little girl decided she just could not be born in January. Thank you for making us a family.

A toast to you, February 2013. Thank you for changing my life forever.