Happy 1st Birthday, Luke! I can hardly believe it's been a year since you arrived- right on time (your due date) and yet what felt like way behind schedule. In honor of your first birthday, we are having a record setting blizzard here in Chicago. Kate had a snow day from school and Daddy is "telecommuting". I am extremely thankful that I was not making my way to the hospital this morning as I was a year ago. Hopefully we'll get some good pictures but the snow drifts are at least as big as you and it will likely be days before we can get our car out of the garage!
A snapshot of you on your first birthday.
You (still!) have spiky red hair. As it grows in thicker, some people see more blond. Despite my attempts to tame it, it generally always looks like this-
You have a huge smile and a mouth full of teeth. You have 10 teeth - that's a lot - and at least 3 more working their way in. This has been a painful process for you. We wish we could soothe you better.
(Click on photos to enlarge as these were the best I had of Luke's teeth.)
You are (finally!) sleeping better - hallelujah! I will spare you on the details for I do believe in the power of jinx. Seems you were just trying to teach me patience. Just as with your arrival last winter, I need to accept you will do things on your own time. You do still love daytime sleep. You are very sad whenever we do have to wake you from a nap. We have now allowed you to sleep with a blanket (the blue "Bubba" Kate gave you when you were born) and a giraffe blanket animal. You seemed to instantly love Bubba. Here you are going back down for a snuggle after the above photos were taken at the end of the good morning nap. You also already show signs of being a blanket sucker. Is this genetic?
You are always on the go. You crawl, you cruise, you climb. You occasionally stand on your own for a second or two, but you have not taken any independent steps. You are mighty proud of yourself when you do walk with assistance though. It is incredibly hard to change your diaper. The acrobatics you pull with a bare bottom and both ankles in my right hand are pretty darn impressive. Getting dressed is a wrestling match. You often win and spend hours with no pants on. You also seem to prefer no socks and routinely pull them off. (I had to include this picture because it gives you a sense of the hair. Again, click to enlarge.)
You love ANYTHING electronic or mechanical and grunt or whine in the presence of ANYTHING electronic - computers, phones, remotes, etc. You're no longer fooled by our decoy no battery discards that we have lying around to distract you. You're even fascinated by the dishwasher, washing machine, and refrigerator. It makes it tough to do much of anything when you are awake and not strapped into your high chair as you are pressed right against me investigating things. I often tell Kate, "It's okay. He's just exploring." To which she responds, "He sure is Curious!" Which is very true. (She's currently obsessed with Curious George.)
So far you've been a good eater. Once we got your reflux under control your progression through solids to finger foods has been easy. You don't drink as much formula as they would suggest/expect/recommend for a baby your age but you're growing great so I try to let it go. You drink water from a sippy cup, but not milk. Hopefully soon. You love fruit, especially pears, avocados and yogurt. You had your first taste of spaghetti on Sunday and it was a hit. I almost wonder if this is also genetic!
Note how flat his hair is - this is unusual to say the least!
You are babbling more each day but still tend to grunt, scream, or point as means of communication over talking. I'm not sure if this counts but if it does your first word is "Yum mum mum mum mum." meaning hungry or food. You consistent make this sound or word when you want to eat and have for a while now- six weeks maybe? You also say, "Dada!" with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. It's generally directed at your dad, but not always. You wave bye bye and occasionally will babble a b type noise at the same time. You raise the phone to your ear (or anything remotely resembling a phone) and make a loud "Ha" noise - an attempt at Hi or Hello. I know more will come in time. I can't wait to hear Mama. We are trying to teach you body parts. We think you've learned head - as captured below. Up next belly, toes, and nose.
You play wonderfully on the hearth of our basement fireplace. It is the perfect height for you and you love the doll house and mailbox toys that sit there. You also enjoy dolls, cars, tools, and balls. You are trying to figure out how things work- snaps, buckles, latches, zippers, etc. Peekaboo and a good game of chase are your idea of a good time. You LOVE the rainbow Gymboree tunnel and enjoy some good rough housing on a stack of pillows.
You give great hugs! When you're sad or tired or lonely or excited, you love to have a little snuggle. When I get you from your crib in the morning after 10 hours of night, you are all ready to give me a tight squeeze. You're extremely friendly and even go in for hugs and some love when we have visitors over - even if they're not that familiar to you. You so far show little to no signs of the typical, "stranger danger" phase I would have anticipated at this age. Sadly, you still bite. It's largely a means of affection- like a puppy nipping at their owner- but it hurts!
You are so grown up. It definitely went by faster with #2 and it makes me sad to think my baby is a toddler! I am torn between wanting to freeze time and yearning for the fun to come - walking, talking, swimming, trips to the park, riding bikes, tasting ice cream, and so on. We have a small celebration planned for Saturday once we dig out of the snow so I will post more pictures after that of this exciting milestone.
I love you, Luke! Always, Mom
