Dear Cormac Lain,
You are one year old. What a year it has been! To say that I have loved watching you grow and change would be an understatement. We've had our tough times but you have brought the most joy to me this past year. I'm laughing even as I write this because this is about the fifth time I have sat down at the computer to write this post...three months late. The irony of it all is that I am so busy LIVING life with you to sit down and write about it. And you know what? That's ok with me. I hope that one day you will love to look back and read about your life when you were a baby...so here's a little snapshot into your life as a one year old.
Things you LOVE:
-Moving! You are walking everywhere. This started right around 13 months. You had been cruising (holding onto the furniture) for quite sometime and then one day you took a few steps. The next day you took a few more and then you were unstoppable. Now at a little over 14 months, I can tell that you want to RUN but sometimes your legs and your brain aren't quite in sync. You get going really fast but then you fall down. Don't worry...you get right back up and keep going.
-Independence. You are already wanting to do things by yourself. You don't like to hold my hand when we're walking in the parking lot but we're working on that. You like to feed yourself and are getting really good at eating with a fork! It's funny because we started clapping and cheering for you after every bite and sometimes you will cheer for yourself after you put a bite in your mouth with the fork. It's just hilarious.
-Screens. I don't super love this one...but you are kind of obsessed with any screen, anywhere. We watch some t.v. here at home, mostly the Today show, Daniel Tiger, and Curious George. But anytime someone has out their iphone or ipad you are OBSESSED. You want to take over it and play. This makes it especially hard to take a picture of you lately because you just want to grab the phone...you little turkey.
-Pillow Mountain. I think Daddy might have started this and now we do it every.single.day. We take all the pillows off of the couch and cover them with blankets to make a "pillow mountain". You will launch yourself onto it and just laugh and laugh. I usually tickle you when you do this and you have kind of come to expect it so sometimes if I don't tickle you right away, you'll just lay there waiting like, "umm Mom? Are you gonna come tickle me or what?" Haha. I love to tickle you because it is just the purest joy there is. There is no sound quite like your sweet belly laugh.
-Books!! After we stopped giving you a bottle at bedtime we started reading more books to help you be still and calm before bed. You love to read your books all day long. Sometimes you will go in your room, pull the cushion off the rocker, and just sit there and "read". You are even getting better at turning the books right side up. You love Pat they Bunny, The Going to Bed Book, Thank You God and Just Helping My Dad. We've been working on saying "thank you" and Daddy taught you to say it when we're reading Thank You God. You don't do it all the time but you do it sometimes and we think that's pretty cool.
Things you DON'T LOVE:
-Being told "no". Bless your little heart. This is so hard for you. You get so upset when you can't do something you want to do, like take the night light out of the socket and put your finger there (I know, mean mom). You also really want to undo those little fasteners that keep your diaper on and you really don't like it when I tell you not to un-do them.
Cormac Lain,
You are a joy to my heart. I wish there was a word that meant joy times one hundred because that's what you are. You make me laugh every single day and I am so thankful I get to be your mama. This has certainly been a year of growing for both of us. You have taught me so much and really the Lord has taught me so much through you. It was hard at the beginning, being so tired and feeling so helpless not always knowing what to do. There are still times we don't know what to do but we are in a great rhythm now proving once again that all seasons do pass. I absolutely love this season we are in. You are sweet, gentle, funny, loving, curious...Of course we have bad days, and you get cranky sometimes. But I do too. We started saying prayers before bedtime and it's SO sweet watching you, watch us, pray. You get very still and quiet like you aren't quite sure what's going on. I'm looking forward to hearing your prayers. We pray every night that you would grow up to be a man who loves Jesus with his whole heart and that is my prayer for you sweet son. That you would know and follow hard after Him. You are the joy to my life and we love you more than words could ever say.
Love,
Mama and Daddy
