one year

We did it! Everyone survived year one. In fact, I'd say we more than survived. It was a really great year filled with so many wonderful firsts. It feels like ages and ages ago that we brought you home from the hospital. I'm still in awe every day that I get to be your mom. It's the best job I've ever had, and certainly the most fun I've ever had.

Since I'm really not OK with the fact that you are ONE, I'm holding onto the fact that I still get to call you my baby because you aren't officially toddling yet. You've been standing on your own more, and you've taken a few steps here and there, but it still seems like you have a way to go before you really take off. I'm a little surprised you aren't walking all over the place given you've been cruising and running behind your push toy for months now. I'm ok with this, though, because I know life will only get more challenging once I'm constantly chasing you.

Climbing, on the other hand, has been mastered. You climbed up a couple of steps in Turks, but this month you conquered the long flights of stairs at home. You were sitting next to me in the hallway one day while I opened a closet to grab something. It took me all of 10 seconds. By the time I turned around, you were on stair #4. And you haven't looked back since. The stairs aren't your only climbing mission - I can barely keep you from climbing out of shopping carts and launching yourself into the basket when we go to the store.

You are a champion sleeper these days. We usually don't hear a peep out of you before 8:00 a.m. Man, it feels like years ago that I was still getting the 5:00 a.m. nursing call. Today aside (this morning you rolled around in your crib talking for TWO hours instead of sleeping), you still take two naps. It sometimes takes you a loooong time to fall asleep, but you rarely cry in the process....unless you throw your lovey overboard, in which case we have to rescue it before you'll fall asleep. One of my favorite parts of the day is going in to get you after a nap. You're always so excited to see me and/or us. There is lots of smiling and bouncing, and it's the only time of day your cuddly.

You are also really hard sleeper. I don't know if I ever remember a time that an outside noise woke you up. If we have to wake you up for whatever reason, I can usually open the door and turn on lights without even a flinch. Turning off your sound machine usually does the trick, but the other day I talked to you and rubbed your back for a solid 30 seconds before you finally stirred. Here's hoping this sticks!

Other than post-nap or if we are reading/nursing, you really don't cuddle at all. In order to meet my Charlie quota, we have to attack you with kisses and tickles and hugs. Sometimes we sandwich you in a big group hug despite your resistance. We don't take it personally. We know we can't compete when Elmo or any number of fun toys are within eyeshot.

You love reading books. You'll sit and play with a book for minutes at a time - turning the pages, lifting the flaps, and giggling each time. It's so much fun to watch you really enjoy things now. You move from thing to thing pretty quickly, but sometimes you turn on your inner judge and spend several minutes studying a toy or trying to figure out how it works.

You really are such a chill, content little fellow. You still like to observe, and you still have quite the serious/somber streak, BUT, you've become much more emotive the last couple of months. You smile and laugh a lot more, but compared to your average baby, I'd say you are still a tough nut to crack. Even if your face doesn't show it, though, we can tell when you are excited. You sit up straight and become very attentive when something excites you. If you are really happy, you'll kick your legs in glee.

You've finally added ma-ma-ma to your babbling repertoire, but I'm still not convinced you've really connected mama or dada to us. I wouldn't mind one bit if you decided to make mama your first official word.

Your favorite activity right now is throwing. And yes, your favorite thing to throw is food. It's becoming quite the problem these days - especially at dinner. Sometimes you don't even bother throwing, you just look me right in the eye, reach your hand over your highchair and drop your food on the floor. You can imagine how much this exasperates your mother. Even more puzzling, once your dinner is all on the floor and I'm cleaning up, you can't get over there fast enough to try gobbling things off the floor. Sigh.

You love playing catch back and forth - clapping after each throw. You also like putting things away (your favorite hiding spot right now is the seat of your jumperoo - I find treasures in there all the time). You love taking puzzle pieces out of puzzles, but never putting them back in. It's way more way to use them as clappers or to bang them on the floor. You love picking things up and shaking them to see if they will make a fun sound. I mean, I think you just love anything and everything that makes noise.

You have figured out your toy telephone - often holding it up to your ear. You do the same thing with other toys too. Of course, some of your favorite toys aren't toys at all. I found you in the closet recently having a grand ol' time pulling diapers out of the box and throwing them around. You were having too much fun so I just let you carry on.

Bath time still gets high marks. We have trouble keeping you in there, though, because you like to pull the plug. You still don't love your post-bath trip to the baby spa. Good thing your spa attendants are patient. Flushing the toilet is so much fun - as is banging on the toilet or trying to take trash out of the trash can.

You are extremely curious about some things, but leave other things alone. You were surprisingly nonchalant about the Christmas tree - largely leaving it alone, but occasionally pulling off an ornament or two. On the other hand, I couldn't keep you away from a Merry Christmas banner hung on the stairs.

You've started to do this adorable head bob. I think it might be your attempt at dancing? We call it the Charlie. You already have a signature move!

You definitely hit a growth spurt recently - I swear everything that fit yesterday is too small today. I can't wait to know your stats when we go in for your one-year checkup next week.

As we celebrated Christmas this year it was sweet to remember this time last year - your birth, bringing you home, the beginning of the roller coaster that is motherhood. I had no idea then what was in store, and I had no idea it could be this wonderful. Somehow, I love you a little more each day. Happy first birthday!