12 Months = One Year Old

One year ago today, a beautiful baby boy was born at 1:49 am. It was an intense day, but one that changed our lives forever. I remember that for months on end, your Daddy and I would joke with each other and secretly hope that you would be born on the same day as him, September 10th. Well you must have heard us, but grew anxious and came a day early on September 9th. But even though you came a day earlier than we hoped, you were actually three weeks before your due date. This was a day that will forever be ingrained in my mind, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Fast forward to today. I have to catch my breath because I can’t believe you are ONE YEAR OLD!!!! I feel that it is as much of a milestone for your Daddy and I, as it is for you. I think all of us deserve a pat on the back for surviving this first year together. Whenever your Daddy and I think back to early days, we don’t know how we managed to get through them sometimes. But we did, and it has made our family of three all the more stronger.

You have delighted and amused us in so many ways. As the months continued to go by, we have been amazed with the milestones and how quickly you are learning things now. There was a period where all you did was sleep, eat and poop. Not necessarily in that order. Now, you are more than a little immobile human being. You have been demonstrating this to us more and more frequently. And it has been astounding us.
In a span of a month (since your eleven month milestones), you have learned to clap, wave, shake your head ‘no’, touch your nose, and point to things that you want. And much to our surprise, it seems you have picked this week to test your legs. You seem to want to try standing up on your own more, and this week, we took our first steps together at our play group. I was hanging onto your hands and you took about four wee steps with your pudgy little baby feet.

The communication has been the biggest thing by far this month. You are really learning how to ask for what you want by grunting, pointing, and staring intently at things. It takes a bit of deciphering, but we eventually figure out what you need. I believe you will start talking before walking, as you seem to have an intense desire to communicate verbally.

You also have quite a memory now, and we are quite impressed by this. We will play with something, put it away, and the next day, you will communicate to us that you want to play with it again by pointing to the spot where we put it the previous day. You also remember songs and nursery rhymes and start to smile as soon as the tune comes out.

You seem to be caught between independence/and separation anxiety. You crave independence, and want to do everything yourself. But at the same time, you hate to be apart from either one of us and clearly notice when one of us is not around. You are worse when Daddy is not home, because you see me more often. The other day, you were staring out the window in our living room, waiting for him to come home (you do this often- it’s a bit heartbreaking to watch you sit and stare out the window waiting for him) and you saw a man across the street. You thought it was Daddy and started to cry when this other man kept walking down the street. Yes, you have quite a strong attachment to us. At first, I was a bit concerned that it was a bit too much. But after reading up on it, strong attachments to parents are a very good thing and lead to very well-adjusted children. So we will always continue to encourage your bond to us, as we never want you to stop feeling the love we have for you.

You are quite a particular little guy, and shall I say a bit demanding? Perhaps all babies are this way. You do not have a hard time letting us know when you want something at all. And maybe, just maybe we give in to you a little bit. But with a face like yours, how can we refuse?

But you are also very affectionate and cuddly. You love to curl up with us, head in lap. And sometimes, you kiss us three, four, five times in a row. You pat us on the top of our head now, and you love to play with my hair. You especially enjoy yanking my ponytail, and when my hair is loose, you caress the strands from root to tip.

You are still uncomfortable around people you don’t know well, and exhibit some shyness. This is probably a personality trait you will always have, and one that we just accept. You seem to gravitate more to those that do not ‘baby talk’ with you. But eventually you warm up to those that act like themselves without trying too hard to win you over. You are openly curious about people, and have a tendency to stare at strangers.

Physically, it is hard to see the changes in you as I see you everyday. But I can tell by the clothes that you wear that you are growing. You are slowly outgrowing your 12 month t-shirts, and seem to be transitioning between this size and the next one. You still have a receding hair line, which makes you look like a little old man. But your hair is a bit wavy, especially when damp. This would come from me, so I’m honoured to pass it down to you. For the longest time, I thought you were a carbon copy of your Daddy in looks. Now, I can admit that sometimes you might look a little bit like me. In my own personal opinion, I feel like you have my nose and shape of mouth. But the eyes and fullness of lips is your Daddy. When you smile, I’m not sure who you look like. It may be more me as it doesn’t seem to resemble your Daddy’s smile that much. And you have endearing dimples that we have no idea where you got them from. But we love them and make you all the more cuter. Your physical strength would come from your Daddy for sure. You are SO STRONG. You are going to grow up and be like your Daddy one day.

Your Daddy and I talk a lot about the early days when we first brought you home. You have taught me so much this past year, more than I ever thought I would learn. I have learned that it’s ok to take things one day at a time, not predict the future too much, and roll with the punches. The unpredictability has been one of the biggest adjustments I have had to make this year. Especially for a girl who thrives on routine.

But we’ve made it through the first year, and we are so looking forward to many more after this. You are the most wonderful baby, and son that a parent could ever hope for. We are blessed beyond words that you are here today, and we can’t wait to see you grow up. Happy first birthday………love Mumma and Dada.