what a year!

At the time this is published, it is exactly one year since Nate was born! Life has only gotten better for all of us over the past year.

A year ago, Nate didn't really eat much. He did sleep a lot. Today, Nate eats 4 meals a day of table food (breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner). He drinks 3 bottles of formula every day and is starting to drink whole milk instead. He naps from about 9-11 am and 1-3 pm, and sleeps overnight from 7 pm - 7 am.

A year ago, he loved being cuddled and nothing else. Now, he loves Elmo, his monkey, and his blankie, and he will occasionally tolerate a cuddle. His favorite toys are those which make noise (whether by a mechanism within or simply by banging them on the furniture) and those which can be thrown (most everything is in this category).

A year ago, Nate had a cry that sounded like a sea gull. Now, he screams (for fun), babbles, and cries like a little boy. He also says Mama and Daddy, though sometimes he leaves out the dd, making it Da--y. Or Dada. Or Baba. He calls Rodgers many things, but I'm just Mama.

A year ago, Nate could support his head well for a newborn, and he could grab things. Now, physically, he can do just about anything but walk. He is strong and has good fine motor skills, but he just hasn't quite mastered balancing enough to walk. My theory is that his head is too big and throws him off balance. It was big when he was born, too. Either he has a big brain or a thick skull. ;)

A year ago, Nate liked looking at me, Rodgers, and anything shiny. He still likes shiny things and us, but he also likes looking at pictures and books and watching Elmo on TV. His favorite books are the ones with lift flaps. He loves finding the hidden pictures. He discovered my birthday card that plays music. He opens and closes it over and over again to make the music start and stop. He loves controlling things.

A year ago, Nate had tons of thick, curly, black hair. Now, he has short (because we cut it), thin (because it was falling out around 9 months, but is growing back), brownish hair. He still has his huge dark chocolate eyes, chubby cheeks, and dimples. He was wearing NB and 0-3 clothes; now he's in 12 mos and 18 mos.

He has changed so much in these short 12 months. It's amazing how fast this year went, especially considering that the preceding 9 months were the longest of my life. While it is strange to think of him as a little boy more than a baby now, I'm not sad that he's growing up. Every stage of this past year has been more fun than the last, and we have much more to look forward to.