for caleb at one year

Dear Caleb,

Well, here we are: your first birthday. I didn't think it would come so fast, and yet I should have known it would. I know it couldn't be kept forever, but it is still bittersweet to see your babyhood come to an end. But even though I'm finding it a little hard to let go, I want to wish you the happiest of birthdays and welcome you to the toddlerhood you seem to be so eager to be a part of.

Much has happened in the milestone department in the last month. First and foremost, you walk -- independently and everywhere! You are very well-balanced and prefer getting around on two legs rather than four.

Another big milestone has been milk. You consumed the last of your formula a few weeks ago and have been a cow's milk drinker ever since. With it you've begun your transition to sippy cups, but bottles are not gone altogether yet for they are still too soothing.

Speaking of food, you eat more like a big boy now, often refusing to be spoon-fed in favor of feeding yourself small bites of table food. I love watching you grab and mash bananas into your face, or stuff your mouth with scrambled eggs, using your entire hand and all of your fingers to do so. It is very messy, but it gets the job done.

Along with this mealtime independence comes an inclination to be more picky. You're not as bad as your brother, but you seem, unfortunately, to be heading in that direction. When offered something you are not interested in, you pick it up and decisively throw it to the floor. Sometimes, because of a new fascination with gravity, you get a little carried away and before anyone can stop you, your dinner is splattered beneath the highchair.

With age comes responsibility, and you have accepted yours willingly. When it is time to clean up, you put toys away -- sometimes where they go, but more often in the garbage can. Your favorite toys include: the cobbler bench, especially the nails, which you like to pull out and suck on; cars, which also, when you're not driving them across the floor, go straight to your mouth; balls, which you kicks, throw, and bounce; the beanbags, which are not only fun to toss, but also fun to balance on your head; and Garrett's dolly and the accompanying bottles, which you expertly feed to it.

When things don't go your way, you can throw a tantrum with the best of them, and when people around you laugh, you join in without knowing why. You are a tough fighter and have adapted well to your mother-hen of an older brother. Overall you are a happy boy, which I love (and which gives me hope that your recent bout with separation anxiety at nap and bedtimes will be a short-lived phase).

I love you, Caleb, more than you can ever know. You bring such joy to our family and to my life. Happy, happy birthday -- I am so glad that you were born!

Love,
Mama