I keep waiting for the right words to come to me so that I can properly commemorate Christopher's first birthday here on ye olde blogge. However, the longer I wait for those wise words to careen over and smack me in the forehead... the more unlikely it seems this will happen.So, our baby is ONE. There was cake, there were playgroup friends and their parents, there were more than a few presents sent from many different places, and then... he was one!
For those measuring by metrics, he's 31.5 inches tall now (90th percentile) and 22.4 pounds (50th percentile), which means he may very well end up with a physique like that of his tall, svelte dad. He has tired of pulling up and now frequently just STANDS UP from wherever he is on the floor, though he has only once tried to put a foot out in an effort to go anywhere. He claps, he points to his belly when asked where it is (with a sly smile as if to say, "did you think I'd lost it or something?"), converses in a near-constant babble, gives high-fives, and waves bye-bye to anything and everything... even the occasional inanimate object (eg. bye-bye trees!).
For those interested in the qualitative analysis, he's still smooshable and ticklish. And his giggle turns into a cackle if things get funny enough. His baby hair has grown into little curls at the nape of his neck which perfectly match the twinkle in his eye when he realizes that he's engaged you in a Game. His favorite games: peek-a-boo from behind the couch, hide-and-seek (very closely resembling peek-a-boo, also behind the couch), crawling after/dribbling wooden balls throughout the house, slalom tag in the sunroom playhuts and doing laps around the backyard with the Radio Flyer.
He loves peaches and Heart to Heart cereal (mmmm, Kashi), squash from the garden, mom's chocolate cake, toast with strawberry jam (still!), spinach spinach spinach, blueberry pancakes, cheese and mangoes. Much to my relief, he mastered the skill of the sippy cup just as our ridiculous record-breaking heatwave continued into August (45+ days of 85+ degrees with humidity) and now chugs water like mama and dad. He no longer needs the baby tub (he was too long for it!) and now gets into the big bath to splash around.
He plays incredibly well by himself and retreats to his room when he's getting close to naptime to flip through his books and listen to his tunes. He snuggles up for stories and nursing before going to sleep and greets us with a huge grin when he wakes up feeling refreshed and recharged. The book of the month is Hug by Jez Alborough. He's spoiled with 6:30am runs with dad to the swings and around the neighborhood at least 3-4 days a week, rides on the back of mom's bike at least twice a week to the swings or the store and plays with other little ones regularly.
He's inquisitive and cautious, loving and joyful. It's cliche, but we really can't imagine our lives without him. Yay for Christopher! We love you, Bug.
