family

family

Thursday, July 26, 2012

what a year!

So here I sit less than a week away from my little peanut's first birthday. I can't help but get emotional as I remember his birth day.  It's amazing to me how fast this first year has flown by.  When I was pregnant I remember feeling like the weeks were dragging by.  I was constantly in a state of wonder about when our little guy would arrive, who he would look like, and what life with a newborn would be like.  Then he arrived and I looked back at my time being pregnant as a blip in time.  Suddenly those weeks that had seemed endless were a mere moment in the grand scheme of things.  Part of me felt guilty for wishing them away so fast and part of me was glad they were over because I had the end result, a healthy, beautiful baby boy.  Now that his first year is almost over I laugh at what must surely have been sleep induced craziness.   Those 40 weeks of pregnancy may have felt too quick but boy oh boy these past 52 have gone by at the speed of light.  My precious little 9 lb bundle of joy is now an 22 lb walking, babbling, biting maniac.  I always thought my own mother was a little cuckoo when she constantly said time flies by when you have children but I think I might finally understand what she meant and maybe, just maybe she isn't quite as crazy as I thought.

So my baby is almost a year old and this is what he is up to.  He is still breastfeeding much to my surprise and I am delighted we made it a year.   I will continue to let him breastfeed as long as he would like and that's not up for debate.  I think he will wean when he is ready and I certainly am not going to force it upon him. I don't think it will last too much longer though since he is now fully mobile and into 1000 other things.  He has been eating solids for quite some time now, especially since we went the baby led weaning approach.  He loves all fruit, especially blueberries, strawberries and apples.  He tolerates vegetables like peas, carrots and brussels sprouts and seems to loathe meat.  I have tried everything from beef, to chicken and fish and he really has no interest, but loves eggs and peanut butter so we aren't concerned yet.  On the activity front, he is walking and has been since about 10.5 months.  One day he was taking one step at a time and the next day he woke up and walked all the way across the living room.  I wasn't rushing the walking but I have to admit it that it's pretty fun watching him toddle all over the house.  He has definitely progressed quickly and can now stand from sitting without pulling up on something and can squat to pick up something and stand back up without missing a beat.  He is literally into everything baby proofing be damned.  He especially loves opening cabinets and emptying the contents.  The babbling is probably my most favorite change.  He was saying no and hi for awhile but now he talks to his toys and just rambles nonsense.  It's especially funny when you put him on speakerphone with someone.  He will yell and grunt at the phone and he gets so frustrated.  It seems like he gets annoyed because he wants to say something and it just won't come out.  It cracks me up.  Other noteables include hugging around the neck when you pick him up which melts my soul.  Open mouth kissing.  Throwing tantrums when he hears the word no and tapping his foot while standing.  The last is the cutest because it's like he hears an imaginary beat and he's keeping rhythm.  I need to video some of these things because they are too cute for words.

Our lives are so busy right now.  We are planning a first birthday party, going through some career changes (hopefully) and contemplating another baby and a new house.  Although it gets crazy and we get a little cranky I wouldn't trade a moment of it.  This past year has made me happier than I could have ever imagined and I know it will just keep getting better.  I always wished I could have something that I felt I was meant to do for a career and I think it's safe to say I found it.  Being a mother to Nathaniel has fulfilled me in ways I can't explain.  If I do nothing else in this world I only hope that I raise a healthy, happy and special boy.  One who knows how deep my love for him goes and who can appreciate the little things in life.  I know being a mother is probably the most under appreciated job but I'm up for the challenge.  I'll be back soon with some first birthday plans and pictures hopefully.  I'm blogging from our brand new laptop and have no pictures here to share, sorry for the boring post!

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