A Year In Review: Ethan

Officially, I have been a momma for a whole year. 12 solid months of nappy changes, breastfeeding, cuddles, that awesome baby smell, and the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen, hands down.

This time last year, I felt huge and saggy and gross and tired...and sore. Pushing a baby out of your body will do that to you. But I had a brand new human being lying in the little plastic box next to my bed. With ten fingers, ten toes, spindly little froggy legs, a Friar Tuck ring of dark brown hair, and - according to the picture - a pirate face. Yarrggh!

  

  

  

 

Words can't describe just how perfect this little boy is. Sure, he's stubborn and can produce some impressive crocodile tears when he doesn't get his own way...and yes, we're still working on being gentle and not pinching lips and noses or pulling Daddy's leg hair, but without those things, Ethan wouldn't be Ethan. And while the whole of his person is much greater than the sum of our experiences, I thought I'd get nostalgic over some of the year's highlights.

Month 1: Realising he had the capacity to pee over his head and soak my curtains.
Month 2: Watching his little froggy legs go all chunky and squishy as he got proper baby fat.
Month 3: Seeing him try to follow things with his eyes...he spent an entire Sunday School class shaking his head back and forth.
Month 4: E's first snow!
Month 5: E's first trip to the playground, where we discovered that he loves being on the swings.
Month 6: Realising all of my training was paying off when E would respond to my requests for kisses my gnawing on my lip with his gums and slobbering all down my chin. Yum.
Month 7: Learning that E travels quite well on an aeroplane, thank you very much, his Auntie Victoria was his favourite person, and all of us discovering his obsession with dogs.
Month 8: Discovering that E was well-behaved when going to a restaurant, but shouldn't be trusted with guinea pigs and other small animals...
Month 9: Starting to commando crawl and walking when both hands were held.
Month 10: E's love of echoes was brought home in full force as he shouted his way through our tour of St. Michael's Abbey
Month 11: Proper walking (!!!), the startling discovery that he can get off the couch safely without assistance, and the habit of pointing with one fist when he's excited about going somewhere.
Month 12: Two teeth, the beginnings of some words, a new-found obsession with running away from Mommy in public places, and an increased adorable desire to cuddle all stuffed animals and parents.

A whole year! How has it been a year!? How do I now have a toddler? As much as I'm incredulous and nostalgic all at the same time, I also love it. I love getting to know him at the same time as he gets to know himself. And I can't wait to see what the next year will bring! Happy birthday, my darling boy. <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p">