1 year.

Jack,

You're ONE! Holy smokes. This has been the hardest year of my entire life. We have cried a lot of tears. I never knew tears until this year, both happy and sad. Seeing you as a big, strong, smart, and happy toddler is awesome. Big payout, big reward. I know why all parents think their kid is the smartest kid in the entire world. It's because we watch you turn from this blob into a thinking emotional ticking person who has opinions and answers our questions and points and disagrees and discovers. It's kind of amazing.

You are making a lot more noises these days. You can make the sounds for chicken, dog, fish (smacks lips), cow, car, monkey, snake, and kitty. There was one week in January where you literally learned one animal per day. Dad would come home and we would show him. You know them by their picture or if we say their name. You only do it when you are in a specific mood or when we are reading books. BOOKS. Oh my. It's books all day long with you. You will go by your bookshelf and pull out all your books and read them one by one. You have about 12 or 13 reading sessions per day. Your current favorite is probably Hello, Bugs. You tickle your belly when we get to the spider page, and you wiggle your finger when we get to the worm. You can point to your nose and eyes, but only when you are feeling super sharp.

You have such a little temper on you. You are constantly frustrated with your less than full capacity toddler body. You are starting to throw your food off your highchair and get little tantrums where you put your arms in the air and kind of kick so I can't hold you. You weaned pretty easily a few weeks after turning one and now you drink milk from a sippy like a cool kid.

You took 6 steps on Christmas, and you will take steps when you walk from mom to dad, but you aren't all that interested in walking just yet. It's like you don't want to experiment and slow yourself down, so you just crawl at warp speed. You do pull yourself up on the couch and let go and walk to the coffee table or to the legs of your high chair. You are slowly getting there and no one is rushing you. I only wish you'd learn because I think you will be a happier camper (and that means we all will be, since you run the show). You are still kind of bad at sleeping. Better, but not great. When we put you in your crib at night, you just like to stand up and get to the corner of the crib closest to the door and do a long drawn out wailing session. Sigh. We will get there, my young babe.

Nana and papa got you a new jeep for your birthday that you love to push around with you everywhere. You roll your lips and make the car noise and use it like a walker. You take it into all the bedrooms. You love to store things in containers, take things out of drawers. You discovered the kitchen cupboards and make your way into those daily. You are obsessed with the outdoors. We still take you out there when you are sad and you calm down immediately. You got your first big cold right after you stopped nursing, but you are such a tough guy you would hardly guess. You hate it when mom wipes your nose or your face or tries to clean you off. FITS be had. You are always playing hard. My favorite part of any day is tickling you and watching you crack up laughing. You are ticklish everywhere (ribs, sides, armpits, thighs, neck), and it's so fun. As you laugh you throw yourself forward into my chest and kind of dig your head between my shoulder and neck and give me a big sigh when you are all done. I LOVE YOU. I'm looking forward to all the future birthdays.

Love,
Mom