One Year Old: A Slightly Belated Update

Somehow, an entire year slipped away from me and now my Little Bug is a year old!

Walking tall!

Or, he is a year and almost two weeks.  So much for that resolution to blog more often.

Little Bug started walking a month or so ago, and now hardly needs my help at all, although he likes holding my hand when he's tired or sometimes when we're in an unfamiliar environment.  And he needs me to go up and down stairs, sometimes.  I had to go buy him some real shoes recently, since I'd probably be considered a bad parent if I let him walk around outside barefoot or just in his socks.  Not to mention the fact that his socks would all get filthy.  (But at least he'll wear socks now.  We went through a phase where he loved pulling his socks off.  Heck, he loved pulling everyone's socks off.  My socks, the socks of other babies...)

His newest skill is clapping his hands, and he spent the entire day today walking around clapping and grinning.  And of course, I was grinning all day too, because what mama doesn't delight in her child's enthusiasm for the world?  I also taught him to high-five a few days ago, a skill he proudly showed off for his daddy at the video teleconference earlier this week.

Clap your hands!

Sometime in his eighth month, Little Bug really took a good interest in food.  We didn't really do much with purees, mostly because he didn't like them but also because the "traditional" method of introducing solids just didn't sit right with me.  I pretty much always have and still do just feed him directly from whatever I'm eating myself (with exceptions sometimes; if I'm eating junk, I make him something healthy).  To start off, I'd mash it up a little with a fork or cut it into tiny pieces, but nowadays he's pretty good at mashing things with his gums (and chewing with his seven teeth) so I can offer bigger chunks that allow him to figure out eating for himself. Yep, spices and salt and all, and none of this one-new-food-at-a-time-with-several-days-between nonsense for us.  Little Bug so far loves pretty much everything, although his distinct favorites are bananas, raisins, green beans, carrots, brussels sprouts, beans, and egg yolks (hard boiled).  He also loves bread, and cheese, and I started offering peanut butter on occasion shortly before he turned one (my one concession to neurotic food schedules), and he loves that too (just like his daddy).

Banana attack!

I have no idea how much he weighs right now, or how tall he is, because I was too lazy to schedule his first birthday well baby checkup on time and I couldn't get an appointment until March.  Suffice to say he's a big boy, and carrying him around should eventually give me some nicely toned arms.

He does still love being worn in the Ergo, although it won't be long before I won't be able to carry him that way in the front; already he's getting too tall that he barely fits under my chin!  He loves being worn on my back too though, and my sister is going to gift me with a backpack-style carrier that will make hiking easier.

Little Bug has a plethora of toys.  He loves balls and his stacking cups and anything with wheels, and he loves bringing me books to read.  (He doesn't always stay put for the entire book, but whatever.)  He loves the little wheeled cart his grandpa (my dad) got him for the holidays, and he loves his set of IKEA little pots and pans.

And he's finally, finally getting past the stage of "everything in the mouth."  That's not to say that Little Bug doesn't still put things in his mouth, because he does, but he doesn't put everything there anymore.  We can go walking outside and I can let him pick up leaves and twigs and know that he might just look at them and then put them down, although he does still try to eat them sometimes too.

So all in all, our son is growing up.  He makes me smile, and sometimes my heart swells so much with love that I don't know how I could possibly love him any more (but there are always more reasons to love him), and every day brings new things.  How could I have ever thought my life was complete before I had my Little Bug?  All that's missing now is my beloved D, and hopefully we only have a few months left before he comes home to us.