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October 12, 2005
A Letter to My Baby Boy on His First Birthday
by flowermama
You are sleeping in my lap right now, with your head resting on my left arm and your body sitting in my lap and your long legs draped over the side. How did you get so big, little one?
You are so cute. You aren't wearing anything at the moment. That is common for you because you enjoy wearing your birthday suit when you can. You often don't appreciate being held still while a shirt is pulled over your head, but you love playing peek-a-boo -- in your sling, with a blanket, with the door flap of the tent -- and often when your head goes into the t-shirt we ask, "Where's L? Where's L?" and a smile brightens your face as your sweet head pops through the neck of your shirt as we exclaim, "Oh, ... there he is!"
It's a good thing that usually you are a diaper-free baby at home, because you don't like it when mommy tries to get you to lay still for diaper changes. I ask your siblings for help... "Help him be happy so I can change his diaper!" And they try and distract you and make you laugh. It works a pretty well, but you are much happier and much more apt to giggle and laugh after your diaper change ends.
You appreciate music very much. Daddy introduced you to many types of music as a wee babe, and the two of you enjoy listening together. Music of all types makes you move -- heavy metal, jazz, classical music, and more! You bop your body up and down, or your head nods up and down in sweet baby-style head-banging as you enjoy the sound of the music. Your latest favorite is the soundtrack from the "The Incredibles" which you (you are learning how to turn on the CD player *grin*) and your siblings turn on just a little too often. ;)
You keep very busy and such joy and innocence shine in your eyes when you crawl around and explore everything you possibly can. You are the quintessential baby explorer.... poking your hand into every creavice you can find, finding even the tiniest things on the floor, putting your hand under the couch and pulling out items thought to be lost ;) , persistently leaving the family room and crawling and cruising into the kitchen and beyond.
Until the last week or so, your modes of self-transportion consisted of a variety of crawling and scooting styles and cruising along holding onto furniture. Often you crawled on your knees, but other times you crawled on all fours, or sometimes you sat with your bottom on the floor and scooted yourself along with your right foot and leg and your left arm. Recently, though, you began cautiously taking a few steps alone, and then walking. Now you enjoy walking almost more than crawling. You very deliberately and determinedly take step after step, and you look so proud and pleased with your ability, and you are getting faster and faster!
People love to talk to you when we are out somewhere. It's endearing when someone greets you and you bury your head with it's soft fuzzy, blond hair in my shoulder and then hestiantly look up with a quick grin.
You have learned to wave. Sometimes you extend your arm and lift your hand in front of you and hold it there in a motionless wave. At other times other times you lift it (sometimes both hands) just slightly, palm up, and raise your fingers up and down.
You really enjoy baths and sometimes you need them often. Yesterday you had four. You eagerly sit in the water and put your hand down, and "splash! splash!" goes the water. When bath time is done, mommy lets you know and counts to ten and lifts you out, and you are content.
A big reason for so many baths is how much you love food and love feeding yourself. Usually your meals consist of food that I've put on your highchair tray for you to grab yourself. You eat applesauce and soygurt with glee. You should have seen yourself when you ate fresh blackberries last month -- you thought they were so yummy and such a purple face you had when you were done. Bits of tofu, avocado, kiwifruit, mashed potatoes, brown rice, beans, peas.... you love them all. I hope you continue to love such a wide variety of food as you grow! Oh, and I must not forget your very favorite food... banana. Your tastes have already changed, though, in the short span of time you have been eating. These days you have apparently decided to eat only natural foods. . . your once dearly loved Joe's O's you now pick up contemplatively and then throw on the floor. LOL Oatmeal, though, you continue to love.
You are such a fun baby! Such big smiles, such adorable giggles. Your older brother and sister love to tickle you, and Daddy loves to be goofy as can be, and you soak it up with happiness as you laugh and grin. When you are tired you have the most silly giggles. "He's really tired!" your siblings smilingly proclaim when they here those especially silly giggles. They are right, and such giggles often signal naptime.
At naptime, 
if Daddy's home and awake for one of your naps, to help you falls asleep he walks you around outside in the backyard or sits with you in the swing or on a chair while your brother and sister play. Until recently you usually fell asleep for him, but now it's not working so well. It's one of those transiton times in your life, and you aren't falling asleep quite as easily these days or as often.
Usually still Mommy can help you to sleep by either nursing you at the computer or laying down with you on our big king-sized bed. When I take you back to our bedroom, after the fan is turned on (white noise helps you sleep through your siblings' loud noises!), I snuggle with you, your head many times lying in the crook of my arm. You nurse contentedly, and we let the effects of mommy milk and warm blankets and white noise and cuddling take over, and usually you drift off to sleep. But other times, especially in the morning when the other children are not awake yet (you are my early bird!), I simply hold you while you nap a short nap in my lap, and I enjoy your sweet, precious presense.
I love you!
Posted by flowermama at October 12, 2005 01:19 AM
