One
It is really impossible to know where to begin. Because we now have a one year old.
And there is no way that we have a one year old. Because we have a baby. A baby. A little, tiny baby. A baby who only uses sippy cups now, laughing at others who still choose to use bottles. Really? bottles? Seriously mom, how baby is that?!
A baby, who incredibly, has a tooth.
And walks.
About three weeks before his birthday, he decided there were a lot of things he needed to accomplish before the big 1-0, because really, it is downhill from there. So he grew a tooth. A process that for his father and I, was definitely more painful than if we had one of our own extracted.
Then came the decision to walk. Literally, one day while his Auntie Reed was visiting he picked up Snuggle Pig (who definitely deserves a post all his own), stood up, and started walking around the living room. He’d fall down periodically, but that was it. That was when he decided to start walking. No trial and error for a few weeks, just one decisive action. He’s been walking ever since.
He has never once held anyone’s hand to walk and he continues to refuse. Because seriously, Mom? Big Kids Do Not Need Assistance. This is not the only area of his life that he is steadfast in his ways. I often marvel at how someone so little could have such firm opinions on things. His father does not marvel. He has his own ideas.
He isn’t talking much, he says Mama and Daddy, and to be honest, his first word was actually Dodger, much to the chagrin of John. It is more of a Bober or Doder, so for awhile we could pretend it was gibberish, but then he started going up to the grey cat and saying Bober!
Following in his mother’s footsteps the animals are one of his most favorite parts of life. He routinely goes up to Serena to give her kisses on her nose, pat her on the back, or lean against her. Remarkably she is quite tolerant of him. Perhaps it is the pounds of rawhides she gets when he is near.
He spends as much time as possible outside, already entering into battles with his parents when they make him go inside due to darkness or cold.
There are dozens more fun things he does, each day surprising us with a new sound or face or interesting article he read in the New York Times that he’d like to discuss over breakfast…
And while my heart breaks as I watch over my shoulder as babyhood slowly fades away, it is immediately repaired by the promise of all the amazing things that lie ahead.
