Our Little Baby Blog

Your first year

Dear Abe (or Abie or Abie Babie),

Today is your first birthday. One year old. One year ago today I was in the hospital, looking down at my baby boy, and wondering how I got to be the luckiest woman on earth. You were late, as you will recall, four days overdue and I was absolutely huge. We didn't know whether you were a boy or a girl (though I knew for certain that you were a boy) and so we went to the hospital with two names and two outfits.

But mothers always know. And I knew you were in there, Abe, ready to complete our family and teach us the joys of raising a little boy. A strong loud cry and red hair, you have the coloring of my grandmother and the determination and cleverness of your father. The perfect combination, if you ask me.

Though we spent many a month in physical therapy, I am so pleased to see that you are crawling and starting to walk around like a typical little boy. We just know that your toddler years are going to be doozies. Not only are you strong-willed and set on doing whatever you set your mind to, you are also exceptionally smart at moving things around and climbing and figuring out how to operate your little toys. Far quicker than we ever imagined.

Just this week I saw you drag Anna's little white stool over to an end table, then very methodically climb onto it and then climb onto the end table. Seriously. You weren't technically even one year old and you're already giving me scares! Abie, you will be scaling trees in no time.

During the past few days you've started taking your first steps. Just a couple, then a few more and now you're already taking five or six at a time. Crawling still appears to be the most expedient way of traveling, BUT walking will quickly replace it when you get enough practice. I predict that will occur in the next couple of weeks.

From the moment you open your eyes until the moment you fall asleep, you want to move. We bring you up into our bed to try to snuggle, but you will not have it. You want to crawl all over us, drink a GIANT bottle, climb up to the head of the bed and then back down and then onto Dada and then back onto Mama and then up to the head of the bed and then hurl yourself off the edge because Mom just LOVES that at 5:15 a.m. You are a ball of energy.

And yet... yet you also have this wonderful desire to be close to us that is so incredibly sweet. While you aren't a quintessential cuddler, there are so many moments when you will crawl over to us and stand and yank on our pants until we pick you up. Then we will pull you up for a few minutes and set you down again only to see you crawl right back and yank again until we get the message that you want us to hold you so you can see everything we do. We love it. It's these sweet moments we savor because we know that you'll be off again soon, banging on blocks, chasing Anna and trying to climb on something too dangerous.

You are such a delight, Abe. We are so lucky to have you. Our love is all encompassing. We want to eat up every inch of your soft baby skin and kiss every red hair on your head. There is no end to our devotion to you. Thank you for being the amazing little boy that you are.

Love,

Mama