Little Bear is a year!

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

This alone articulates my thoughts and reflection. I know that people say you blink, and your baby is a full grown adult. It really feels like yesterday we were waiting in anticipation for our new arrival, planning nursery, securing the car seat into the backseat and wondering what we have gotten ourselves into. We launched ourselves in the unknown world of diapers, 2am feedings, and a love where words can’t articulate how fulfilled our lives have become. It’s amazing how a little 5.5oz bundle can transform your life. I will be the first to admit my house has not been the cleanest, nor laundry put away after it’s been washed, or dinner a gourmet meal daily, but I rocked my baby. Tucking away precious memories and cherishing moments for they have flown by amid the quickness of life. Part of me wants to recap the whole year, but alas I don’t think there is enough blog space to cover every detail or picture. 

Taken at exactly a year, 7:11pm! 

 Now my little tiny baby is all too quickly transforming into an active toddler. Our Baby Bear, now Little Bear is an energetic, easy going, and investigative, with a hidden stubborn streak as he is testing his boundaries. I am thankful my little guy is so loving and still loves to cuddle with mommy and his bear blanket. I hope that doesn’t change for a really long time. The two of us aren’t really morning people, so our mornings are spend rather slow, snuggling and watching PBS.

 He is a curious George, has to investigate every detail of something. Or discover how it works, looking over every piece. He is fascinated with the smallest of things. He will spend 20mins with a spoon or a piece of paper, so his assortment of toys range from light up musical toys to empty water bottles, and left over cardboard paper towel rolls. He loves to knock over tower of blocks, push cars around making motor sounds, and recently began pretending to eat out of empty cups while at play. He even shares the “yummy” treat. His kick toy is now his pull up, stand and cruise around toy. He is getting good at getting into and out his bumbo without help. He loves to lounge back in it and watch a Baby praise DVD or an occasional musical I’ll play skipping over the talking part. (Oklahoma was his favorite so far)

 Favorite toys include, cell phone iphone, fisher price chatter phone, musical turtle, little fisher price cars, a ball, a farm yard toy that makes music and animal sounds, a Mickey mouse rattle, and basically anything small he can fit in his hand and crawl. He also loves Daddy’s phone and Mommy’s laptop…many times is trying to use his knowledge of touch screen on my computer. He does know how to activate and rearrange many of our settings. He enjoys playing peek-a-boo hourly around every corner or blanket, with huge smiles showing off his 6 teeth. Oh and he will generously give sloppy open mouth kisses. He also will press his head close to yours thinking he is giving you butterfly kisses in return to yours. He is ticklish which will provoke one of his secret laughs. I love how he will just turn and smile at me, dance with happiness, usually accompanied by a squeal of glee, and go back to playing.

 He loves his books. A recent morning sickness bought I was laying on the floor letting him play around me, when he brought me books to read to him, and he would just lay beside me looking up at the books as I read. I love those moments. He also loves to read back to me, chatter away in only his personal language, sharing his version of the story.

 Favorite blue blanket is still apart of nap time and bed time. I am still blessed with a good sleeper, 12 hours usually at night, and two, two hour naps during the day. Generally wakes up happy, slow to awaken, but usual greeting is a huge smile and a coo of cheerfulness. There have been a few times checking on him in them middle of the night, to discover not only does he laugh in his sleep and talk, but he does crawl in his sleep.

 Favorite foods are still chicken, mac n cheese, crackers, and apple sauce. Least favorite are peas, bananas, and cottage cheese. I think it’s more the texture then the flavor. Basically he is on a good mix of solid foods and milk. Weaning is beginning, slightly sad for me, but also great too for new freedoms are on the horizon. And he loves, loves his whole milk! Weight is still an issue, but he eats like a 5 year old. Ate a whole beef potpie for lunch, will eat 6 Chick-fil-a nuggets, fries, and chocolate milk in one meal, and he also ate 5 chicken wings, and left over pizza crust and bits of my piece of pizza in one sitting. So, we are going to take him in to get some blood work done. Thankfully all other development is on track, and well a head of where he needs to be, with words, mobility and cognitive skills.

 He can say Papa (1^st word) Momma, Dadda, Hey, Hi, NaNa (for eating) Hey due (hey dude) and is daily saying things that sound like uh oh, yikes, woah, and hmmm. And it sounded like “I did it” the other day, daddy was witness to it, as well as an attempt at one auntie’s name. Waving for hello and good bye, although sometimes way after the fact. He is learning clapping his hands. Although since Papa can clap one handed, D thinks he can too and mimics that a lot. :) And I think he must think he is part Hawaiian, cause his bye is very much a hi. Many words are sounding out slowly as he mimics our sounds, even though he doesn’t know he is saying words, he is daily getting close to know more. Attempted a monkey sound and copied Tarzan howl after hearing those two sounds in a song. I love how he will just chatter away to me, especially during lunch or while I’m driving to the library or walking to the park, and just tell me about his day. He still loves to blow raspberries in silliness, something we said we will be in our 80s mimicking still and he will be like “why in the world do you to that?”

 He is now crawling on all fours and fast! He’s a climber, anything he can find to get himself higher he will. He loves the stairs, and a favorite play place is the hearth, which after spending two days practicing and figuring out what I meant when I said “turn around,” or “feet first” he can get up and just now able to down without just plummeting off. We are working on going down the stairs now, but he basically has picked up on how on his own, getting down all the way without my help. The time spent on him learning the up and down off the hearth helped.  He’s not walking on his own yet, but will usually only practice with daddy. I think he is saving those first steps for when dad will be home to see.

 He loves music and my silly dancing, which he now joins in on; he hears the beat and starts to dance…even to the music in Wal-Mart much to the delight of strangers. He loves something with a bit of a county blue grass sound, worship praise music, and enjoys Michael Buble crooning. He will sing along much to my delight and even when there isn’t any music playing break out in his own song. 

 

I wish I had the words to truly capture what a delight he is, how entertaining he is daily surprising us with something new, and how blessed we are. I wish it was possible to freeze time so I could hold on to these moments just a little longer so to remember them forever. So for now, while I have the chance…. 

I am rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.