one

Dear Elliott,

You are one! How did this happen? Your first year has flown by and I don't think I've really accepted that it's ending. Of course this ending is the very best kind of beginning, but you'll have to forgive me for feeling a little sad that your proper babyhood is over. It's funny - when your brother was one I thought he looked like such a big grownup toddler, but I do still think you look like my baby. You remain round of cheek and belly, soft of thigh and hair. You still suck the middle two fingers of your right hand to soothe yourself. You have the most amazing eyelashes I have ever seen. I sometimes bury my face in your laundry and breathe in your sweet smell. Sadly for me, you are not much of a sleep snuggler. You'll nap on my lap sitting on the couch or in the rocking chair, but I don't often have a chance to sit for long and enjoy it. And if I try to bring you to bed with me, you just wiggle, try to climb out, or complain. I still want to keep you close, though, so your crib is still beside my bed and I must admit I'm not in any hurry to move it. Though I should never admit this for fear of jinxing it, you sleep through almost every night and are generally a very good napper. When I pick you up after work or get you from your crib in the morning or after a nap, you usually lay your head on my shoulder for a few moments, snuggling in. It is one of my very favorite things ever.

You have two top and two bottom teeth and two more top teeth are just starting to cut through as of yesterday. You say mamamamama and dadadadada and sometimes bye. You have signed more a few times. You like to kiss the pictures of babies in your bedtime book and beam at yourself in the mirror in the back of the new book you got for your birthday. If I put you in your pen in the living room with toys, you'll often play by yourself for pretty long stretches of time. You also enjoy playing with big brother in your bedroom floor in the mornings. Your favorite toys are your wooden disk rattle, the Little People barn, and your wooden chunky puzzles. You put everything in your mouth so I have to watch you closely and can't let you spend much time alone with board books. We have you in baby swimming lessons at the Y and you seem to like them. You spend most of class floating happily on your back with my hand under your rear. You still fit in the Beco though increasingly are allowed to get down and crawl around on outings. I'm interested to see if you'll tolerate being worn when the weather gets better and we go back to the zoo...I hope you will.

You have a strong personality but you are also immensely easygoing and sweet. You are happy most of the time, and have the best and biggest grin in all of babydom. You can properly crawl and cruise all over. You like to eat baby fruit, but only if it's mixed with cereal, and you also like yogurt. So far you're not a big fan of finger foods, though you will crack Cheerios in half with your four teeth before spitting them back out onto your bib, and you'll nibble pancakes into little bitty pieces. You only nurse first thing in the morning and take your milk by bottle the rest of the time. You are a big fan of your big brother, and will light up when he comes into the room. When he plays with you in your baby pen, you'll throw yourself up onto his back and try to hang on as he crawls away. You seem more physical and more daring than he ever was, and now can climb up onto the bouncy seat or the nursing stool in your room and stand up. You are bold and funny, loving and curious, and sometimes very loud. It's been a year since you were lifted out into the world, and you've been lighting it up ever since. Happy, happy birthday, my beautiful little one.

Love,
Mama