One Year: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

You are one year old! In the days leading up to your birthday, I've been reminiscing about what I was doing a year ago-- the aches and pains and sleepless nights of being 9 months pregnant, the overwhelming anticipation, the nervousness, the excitement. I remember sewing all of the elephants on your mobile, as I wondered what you would look like and what your personality would be like. The last few weeks of my pregnancy with you were a precious time that I will always remember. But meeting you, getting to know you, and spending the last year with you has far exceeded any of my expectations. You are simply the cutest, smartest, funniest, most adorable baby we have ever laid eyes on.

So what were you up to during your 12th month? The month began just a few days before Christmas, when we traveled to Seattle to spend the holiday with Dzia Dzia and Grandmama. We spent your first Christmas there, and then traveled down to Portland on the 27th to visit Gammy, Grandpa, and your aunts and uncles. Unfortunately, you suffered through your worst illness to date and were sick during our entire trip to the Northwest. By the last night in Portland, I was truly worried about your health and whether you would be able to handle the plane trip home, but you soldiered through and then surprised us by immediately perking up as soon as we got you home and in your own room on the evening of the 31st. Maybe you were just excited to see all your toys? We took you to the doctor as soon as they opened on the 2nd of January and discovered you had a double ear infection on top of a nasty cold virus. Fortunately, you were back to your old self within the first week of January.

Your 12th month saw a few big milestones. The biggest of these was that you weaned yourself right after Christmas. I think it was due in large part to how sick you were and you just couldn't nurse and breathe at the same time. As a result, you would get frustrated and then just want to quit nursing all together. While we were in Portland, you nursed for increasingly shorter periods of time, and then on our last night there you refused all together. I was really sad about this because I wasn't quite ready to end this chapter in our lives. But then you surprised me by nursing really well one more time on the plane ride home. I thought that meant we would continue the habit for a while longer, but as soon as we got home you were done. While I was sad to see this important part of our relationship end, I am happy that we did it on your terms and that you were ready to move on. Once we transitioned away from nursing, you were more than happy to guzzle down your big bottles of formula and you haven't looked back since.

Your vocabulary blossomed during your 12th month. You looked at me and said "mama" for the first time on January 9th. You still say it very sparingly, so I'm thrilled any time I hear it . You also say "ma" very frequently, but you're usually screaming it while I am frantically shoveling puffs onto your tray. "Ma" is your word for "more," and  Belkis, our Cuban babysitter who is also one of your teachers at school, pointed out that you may be saying "mas" because a lot of the teachers at school speak Spanish. If so, we're on totally on board. Bring on the Espanol. Another new word is "nana" (banana), which is something you always want "mas" of. You also frequently make requests for "puh" (puffs.) And you are starting to say "nuh nuh nuh," which I think is your way of parroting back the "no's" you are beginning to hear regularly. Your best word to date is "bubble," which you said to me with crystal clarity over Christmas and then clapped your hands. I was shocked because we used to sing a song about bubbles with accompanying hand clapping when we went to Gymboree over the summer. I had sung it back to you a few times since then, but not regularly at all. But you looked me in the eye, said "bub-ble" and clapped your hands. Of course I had to oblige. We now sing Bubbles on a near daily basis, and you still love the hand clapping.

You are still doing a great job sleeping through the night. You go to bed around 7pm, and wake up sometime between 6-7am. However, naps continue to be a struggle as usual. You transitioned up to the Young Toddler room in early January, and everyone takes one nap a day at the same time. Your teachers tell me you sleep about 1.5-2 hours a day beginning around 12:30pm, but we cannot seem to replicate that at home at all. We are lucky to get a 1 hour nap, and it's usually more like 45 minutes-- which leaves both you and I tired and cranky later in the afternoon. Still, I am grateful that you are a good nighttime sleeper.

Moving up to the Young Toddler room was a big transition for you, and it took you a few weeks before you found your footing and began to get comfortable in your new classroom. For most of your 12th month, you've been a little more clingy than usual, which I think is due to the transition and also due to some separation anxiety, which is normal at this age.

At 12 months, you weigh 22 lbs., 11 oz., and you are 30 inches tall (50th percentile for both.) Your head is 49 cm around, which is still off the charts in the 98th percentile. You wear size 12 month clothing, and you wear size 4 diapers. You love looking at yourself in the mirror-- often waving at and sometimes kissing your reflection, singing songs  (especially "Bubbles"), taking baths with your "dut," playing in the backyard, standing at the windowsill and looking outside, drinking water from your sippy cup, playing peek-a-boo, and pushing chairs-- or anything that moves-- around the floor of our house.

You really do not like getting your diapers changed, getting strapped into your car seat, getting into your high chair (unless we bribe you with puffs), and being fed most types of food. (You want to do it yourself.) You are (usually) happy, you have a great sense of humor, you are more independent by the day, and you are bursting with energy. Most days, you wear us out. But we wouldn't have it any other way.

Nicholas, being your mother is a privilege for which I will always be grateful, and your first year has been nothing short of exceptional-- one of the best years of my life. I want you to know that you are loved beyond words, and that both Daddy's and my life are better because you're in it. This is just the beginning, and I can't wait to see what's next. Happy birthday, buddy.

All my love,
Mommy