December 25th, 2016 will forever be one of the best days of my life. It was the day my nephew, Rowan Jeffrey Bowden, was born. I'll never forget when I got the news that he had arrived into the world. My heart was racing, and tears were threatening to fall down, I was the happiest I'd ever been. He was the greatest Christmas/Hanukkah (as Hanukkah fell during Christmas that year) gift I could've ever asked for.

Rowan, this article goes out to you. This article is something for you to look back on when you get older. It will be a reminder how much I love you and all my promises to you.

You will always be my favorite guy. From the moment I first held you in my arms (and cried, because you were just so small and I couldn't handle how much I already loved you, I knew I would do whatever it took to make you happy. I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job, as you always point at me and will lean away from someone holding you to get to me.

Watching you grow this past year has been so crazy. I've been a part of many kid's lives and working at a daycare I've seen the same milestones over and over again (still excited about each one though), but watching you hit yours hold a different meaning to me. Despite seeing it all before, it still blows my mind. Seeing you go from this tiny little baby to this little man that's so close to walking and is starting to say words is crazy to me.

I'm so thankful that I get to be such a huge part of your life. I get to see you every week, and you even come to my daycare. I love seeing you make friends and playing around. I love that I get to teach you new things and do fun projects with you. I love that I get to help document your life. I promise you that I will be that embarrassing Aunt who whips out the cute photos of you that will make you roll your eyes and yell at me to put them away.

I promise you that I will always be your best friend. I'll always be the person you can both confide in and have fun with. I'll protect you from any harm and show you fun things. You can always be silly with me, always cuddle and hug me, and always count on me

I honestly could probably go on and on about everything I want to promise you, everything I want to tell you. You'll never truly know how much you mean to me, how happy you have made me. I'm going to do my best to try and show you though.

To my brother, Jeffrey, and future sister-in-law, Amanda, thank you. Thank you for creating this life and giving me a nephew. Thank you for letting me be such a huge part of his life and help care for him. I love you both very much and I'm happy I get to be a part of this journey.

Rowan, I love you. It's as simple as that. It's something I never want you to forget. Remember these promises, because I will always stay true to them. I will always be there for you; I will never be too far away. You're my baby nephew. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me.