Our Last First

All of a sudden we are done with the baby stage.

Again.

And I'll be honest.  It is bittersweet.

James was sent here from... somewhere.  

Plowing through infertility.  

Adversity of 2014-2015.  

And today we had to say goodbye to the shining gift of having an infant.  

I never felt that gift.

I'm a self-professed, non-zazooer, not a baby Mom.  

But this kid?

Happy 1st Birthday to our sunny, laughing, chill, curious, sibling loving, bread hating little buddy.

You love your brother and sister.

Your Dad.

But your mama most of all.

You have a shy flirting smile when you see one of your favorites.

You JUST moved from the army crawl to the knee crawl to the aggressive cruise.  

You love Old McDonald Had a Farm and bounce along to it, but nothing compares to the smile when Mama sings you are my sunshine.

You moved from not interested in standing or pulling up to aggressively cruising all in one week.  I'll still peg you as a late walker.  I think it will be another 6-8 weeks.

You love a breakfast frittata only with spinach added and hate broccoli.

You can crush a banana.  Your teachers call you banana boy.

You've learned how to feed Daisy the foods you don't like.

You like to look at and turn pages in books, and rolling balls.

Your best bud is Thomas and he is just as joyful and smiley as you are.

We may be wrong, but it seems like you say the words "yes", "truck", "car", "ball" and "up".

It's possible that the AHHHHYYYYY shriek you have added in the last week in you loving on your very favorite Annie.  Or you may be just testing your vocal cords.

Bottle this kids.   These years are short.