oh, graham

hello there, little mister~

you are 17 days away from turning one!  i keep asking myself how it is possible that an entire year has gone by since you entered our lives.  i cannot believe you are going to be one!  ONE!  

what can i say about you (aside from the fact that you make our lives SO MUCH FUN!)?

you don't say anything.  not one word.  but when you are trying to communicate you have no trouble making yourself very clear!  you wave "hi" and do a great "so big".  you pick up the phone (the toy phone and the real one) and make a noise with the same tonal sound as "hello". you push your cars and trucks around the floor and make "vroom vroom" noises - which is, quite possibly, one of the most precious things i've ever seen!  you cry when your food is all gone.  you cry even harder when you have to go to sleep before harrison.  mama knows your noises but i simply cannot wait until you can actually verbalize what is going on in that precious head of yours!

you try so hard to make us laugh.  you are an absolute ham!!  you've started bouncing and dancing to music, which cracks me up every time.  you make silly faces and you exaggerate everything.  (i'm smiling just thinking about it.  it's so hard to describe because it's such an "in the moment" kind of thing.  basically, you should just know that you are really, really funny.)

you play a little game where you "share" your binky (and sometimes your puffs) with me.  it's really sweet how you try to get them in my mouth.  you also like to push my hands over my eyes so i can play peek-a-boo with you.  you are a very engaging child - so interactive.  

you still drink 3 bottles a day.  and, sometimes, a small one before bed.  you finally, FINALLY, like to hold the bottle all by yourself.  i've been much slower in feeding you solids.  the reason for this is because you still really don't have any teeth.  the two on the bottom have cut through and are getting more noticeable each day.  you just cut one on the top and i think the other is close behind because they've been bothering you a lot.  so far we do soft fruits (bananas, pears, peaches, oranges) and soft veggies (carrots, peas, potatoes).  you love bread and cherrios and puffs.  so, really, i think you do pretty darn well for only being able to chew with your gums!! i'm determined to give you a cupcake for your birthday so i guess we'll just have to see how that goes.

you LOVE your freedom.  you walk around the house all day, barely stopping to sit.  you climb and climb and climb.  i turn around and find you up on the couch, or standing on the bench, or on the top step of the step stool, or up two flights of stairs.  there are days when i wonder if you have a death wish.  but then i remember that you are just a boy.  a very, very adventurous boy! 

one thing, though, my sweet boy...you are VERY accident prone.  essentially, you are a walking injury.  i think this is because you are much more brave than you are coordinated.  mama is constantly checking your pupils to make sure they are dilating properly.  i know i'm paranoid. but, seriously.

you refuse to wear shoes (your brother did that, too) but i keep trying.  i really want you to be able to walk outside in the snow this winter!  you love going on walks.  you love your daddy. you love your blanket and cuddling up in bed for a nap.  you love chewing on anything and everything you can get your little hands on (this drives your mama crazy, by the way).  you love pulling the toilet paper off the roll.  you love eating toilet paper.  sigh.  you LOVE harrison.  you love being up on the furniture.  you love splashing in the bathtub.  you love books with flaps that you can lift.  you love to smile and laugh and be tickled.  you love life. 

and we love, love, LOVE you!!