My dear sweet baby boy,

You are ONE.  You are all of sudden looking more like a little boy and less like a baby every day.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to cry on Friday when I take you for your first haircut.  I’m pretty sure that will push you over the edge into toddlerhood.  Well, that and the fact that you took your first steps this week.  Oh, and the new sound of your talking – almost overnight it’s starting to sound more like garbled chatter than baby babbling.  How did we get here so fast?

You, my boy, are the sweetest little guy there is.  You hand out hugs generously, and kisses as well.  I love how cuddly you are right after you’ve woke up from your nap – you cling to your Mama for quite a while before clambering to get down and play.  You LOVE to meet new people.  You are a total ham, and a flirt!  You love a pretty girl, but can make fast friends with all the guys too, by flashing your pearly whites and laughing your little chipmunk laugh you save for when you’re highly amused.

You are the happiest when you’re on the go, crawling around and exploring your world.  And you are ALWAYS on the move.  You can barely sit still for nursing these days, needing to climb down and explore pronto!  I can only imagine how much life is going to change as soon as this walking thing takes off…your Mama will try her best to keep up :).

You didn’t gain any weight from 11 months to 12, but you grew in length, that’s for sure!  You’re still 23 lbs, but are now 29 1/2″ long.  And you’re most decidedly in 18 months sizes now…even 24 in some brands.  If you keep this up, you’ll be in “T” sizes before the end of the summer.  And Mama will definitely shed a tear then.

As much as I want to freeze time right now, holding this moment close forever so I don’t forget a bit of it, every day is bringing something new.  And it sure is exciting.  You are learning so quickly – whether it’s to blow kisses, or repeating a new sound, or how to finally turn your walker in the direction you want to go without any help.  It’s amazing to see how your mind works.  You look for humor in every situation – you will take any excuse to laugh – and love to get everyone around you in on the joke.  Peekaboo has taken on a whole new level lately – you will play peekaboo with anyone (even the doggy) and anywhere and usually you’re the one initiating the game.  You are such a cheery fellow, even when you’re teething.  Those mean ole’ teeth keep coming in (your 5th one is on it’s way).  Your default expression is a huge grin, although you’ve been practicing your fish face (I call it your kissy face) a lot lately.

You love to play with the doggies…as much as they’ll let you.  You throw the ball for Eddie, and you steal the dog bones.  You also love to commandeer the dog beds.  They’re soft and squishy and perfect for rolling around on!

You still love the outdoors more than anything.  I love walking you down the street in your little car, with you waving at everyone we pass and babbling brightly at all the neighborhood squirrels and birds.  You bounce up and down in your seat with excitement when you see something new, or when we race down the hilly part of the driveway.  You do love a thrill!

You are such a joy to me, my little man.  You bring such smiles to my face and a thrill to my soul every single day.  I am so excited to see the little boy you are becoming, so bright and curious and happy.  I can hardly believe that you were once this small:

And now look at you!

I love you so much.  Happy 1st birthday Isaac!