Twelve Months

Dear Jonah,

On Saturday you turned one year old! That is just unbelievable to us -- how is it possible that it's been a year already? You are becoming very accomplished these days, and it is such a joy to watch you learn and try new things. You have so many new tricks! Where should I begin? You took your first steps this month, and you walk a little bit farther every few days. Crawling is still your main mode of transportation, but you love to walk, and if you hold onto our fingers, you love to run! You love to be chased up and down the hall, shrieking all the way. You even try to play chase with the kitties, and don't seem to care that they don't play back!

You have learned the sign for "birdie" and love to look for birds out the window. You also make the "bird" sign at airplanes, which we think is pretty clever! You look toward the window and wave whenever you hear a bird or an airplane. I think the next sign you need to learn is "train," because you look toward the window when you hear trains, too -- which happens frequently, since we live so close to the tracks.

You have also gotten very good at pointing -- you point at everything that interests you, and I think you are pleased that you can finally communicate with us a little bit. The downside to this, though, is that now you are learning that you don't always get what you want -- yes, we understand that you want that, but we're not going to give it to you. So you've had a couple of tantrums, but you have to learn sometime, right?

In addition to clapping, you now also dance on command! This cracks us up. You start bouncing and stomping, and sometimes you even do it when you hear music! If I suggest it, you will also eat your foot, which also cracks us up.

You're also starting to enjoy being read to, which is really fun. You will even sit by yourself and turn the pages, which is a nice change from you eating the books!

You loooove animals, especially dogs. When we go to a park, you will make a beeline for any dog you see, pointing all the way. You like parks and being outside in general, and I wish we had a backyard so we could play outside more than we do. You're not a big fan of the swings, however, which is too bad since they're all over the place!

You went to your first pool party (well, technically a 'ool party -- a pool with no p in it) last week since it was so hot, and you had a great time. The water was a little cold, but you didn't seem to mind! You also love baths, and you get so excited when we start running the water to fill the tub!

After your one-year checkup (you're perfect, says Dr. T., and you weigh 20.5 lbs and are 30 inches tall!), I made some mac & cheese for you -- and you rejected it! You tried a bite and spat it right back out. What kid doesn't like mac & cheese? What kind of monster have I birthed? I figure I'll try it again in a month or so, and see if you change your mind. I hope so, because that was going to be a good source of protein for you!

We had a birthday party for you on Saturday, and it was a ton of fun! Almost all of your baby friends were there, with their parents, of course, and a bunch of our grown-up friends came, too. We played had a couple of kiddie pools (thanks to Becky and Lisa!), a hammock for the grown-ups, and cupcakes for all! So you had your first cupcake -- chocolate with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. It took you forever to try it -- you picked it up and dropped it, and after I pulled some bits off for you, you fed some to Grandpa, but didn't try to eat it! I finally stuck a little bit in your mouth, and then you were sold. Like, "oh, hey, this is good!" You liked it a lot and ate almost all of it. And when I had one later, you made a grab for it!


Jonah, I cannot believe it has been a whole year. There are times I would love to fast-forward though (many of them happen in the middle of the night), but so many more of them that I want to slow down so I can savor them. At the same time, I can hardly wait to see what you will do in the next year, and in all the years after that, and I hope we can learn to parent you in the ways that you need. I hope we can teach you to love the Lord, and to be kind, and that we can help you be happy. You bring so much laughter and joy into our lives, and I didn't know I could love anyone as much as I love you. You are such a blessing to us, and our lives are richer and fuller because of you.

Happy birthday, Baby!

Love Always,
Momma