to Noah....I can't believe what you can do!!

My precious little man is ONE. And I have not been very good at keeping up with your accomplishments along the way...the baby book is just not handy all the time. Every day you do something else that is new and I can't believe you're doing these wonderful little things and where did you learn them?



Up until now, I haven't really written down the little things and exactly when you did them...meaning that your little brother or sister is likely to never know when he or she walked, got first tooth, etc. But starting around 9 months or so, you really started to blossom into your own little person!! Around 8 months you started standing up and cruising around on furniture and thinking you were generally a genius for doing this (and we agreed, never mind that kids have been learning to walk on their own for centuries...you were the smartest ever born). And since you did this....and 8 months,... I was convinced you would walk at 9 mos like I did, but you did not. You spared us until you were about 11 months. You really took off when we went up to Nashville to see Aunt Erin and Owen...I think you were just turning 11 months then. You were climbing stairs way before you were walking, though...so that was entertaining for me in Dallas with our steep staircase in our apartment.



So...you have done so many things between about March and now, it's hard to remember them all...but before your first birthday you started signing. Your first sign was "airplane" and then "hat". Soon after that you perfected "please" and "milk". Now there is a new one just about every day. It is so great that I can know what you want now and you don't have to scream to tell me!!



You have always been the focused type...you'll sit down for 20 minutes and work on a puzzle or flip pages in a book looking for your favorite things--balls, balloons and other round things. :) You have such a sense of humor...you giggle when you toot and you think it is hilarious to hide from me when I'm trying to get you dressed in the morning. You are totally surprised when you are pointing the water hose at yourself and you squeeze it and you squirt yourself in the face. You hate to get water on your face in the bathtub. You love bubbles. and hammers. You LOVE hammers...anything resembling a hammer...a mallet, whatever. You actually just hammered your bellybutton with your favorite blue and yellow one. You have about 4 favorite "brown bears" all almost identical (and any one will do in a pinch, although the babystyle one is your fave) and a "blue blanket" with your initials on it that miss jessica gave you. You must have these for night night and for naps. Otherwise, it's not good. I love it when you pick up things that are too big for you...you think you're so big, but really, you're so precious and small!!

Your language sounds akin to German with a hint of Portuguese...and you like to give speeches. You will walk around with your hammer and hit things and talk for what seems to be hours....I do so wish I knew what you were saying. It sounds SO important. Your latest sounds like "little" and you say it over and over...littlelittlelittlelittlelittle, dah! It is so absolutley precious.

Right now, you're munching down on your dinner of salmon and cheese, pasta, broccoli and apples....and your Papa has taught you how to chew very dramatically so it's extra loud in your direction! As of the past few days, you've become a good eater, that is, if you're allowed to eat on your own time and do your own thing with your fork. It takes a while....but you eventually get done eating. You just signed at the lights just to make sure I knew they were on. Now you're doing Indian noises with your mouth and hand. It's nonstop action, here.

I'll try to do better, little man, at keeping up with your progress. I know it's not going to slow down any time soon! :)