May 19, 2008

Dear Sarah,

This is the BIG month. The BIG 1-nothing. You are in the final hours of your pre-one-ness although your willfulness arrived a few days early and you have been behaving more like a one year old for the last week. Thanks for easing us into it Little Bean.

We have had some epic battles this month over food. We want you to eat a balanced, nutritious, organic diet rich in all things good for you. You want to eat Cheez-its. Seeing as you control your mouth and your TEETH (all SIX of them) you are winning and you have cheesey paste all over everything. You will capitulate on occasion and allow hummus, pita, potato pancake and banana to cross your lips. But not every day. Just on Tuesdays when the moon is full and it isn't raining. You have also lost interest in anything that is consumed using a spoon. You want to do it all by yourself and that has made for some rather messy meal times. We have found one way around this. You have two spoons, one for each hand. We have one spoon. And we sort of fling the food from our spoon onto your spoon and you put it into your mouth. It is a spectacle more intricate than River Dance.

You are saying a lot of vowels and syllables at this point, although they don't yet seem particularly distinguishable. You do definitely say "bah-tle" for your bottle and we can get you to imitate sounds. You seem particularly fond of sounds that emulate a building crashing down like "BASH! BANG! DONG! BOOM!" You also of course say "ma ma ma ma" and "da da da da" and it certainly refers to the two of us. But, it can also be useful for referring to the dog, your ladle and the postman. You also wave with reckless abandon and we get to wave at you when we walk up the stairs, walk down the stairs, walk across the room, look away . . . you get the picture.

This month has also marked the blossoming of your relationship with your da-da-da-da. The two of your play together like there is no tomorrow and he is the one who puts you to sleep every night. The other night you woke up about an hour later - howling. The next morning I asked him how he got you back down. He said, "I didn't know what to do so I blew on her. It worked. She went right back to sleep." You are one weird kid, and I am so grateful that your Daddy seems to understand your quirks.

In anticipation of turning one you are becoming more opinionated and willful. You point at things that you want and you get cross when we remove things from you like dog bones, car keys, dirt and knives. You have also begun to throw yourself prostrate on the floor and flap up and down like a dying manatee for no apparent reason. My theory is that you are very close to walking and sometimes being on the ground is just more than your little psyche can handle. We are all learning about patience.

Early this month, you and I spent our April school vacation together. We went to Walden Pond one day for a picnic and you had your first taste of wading. It was a hit! We felt all Thoreau-esque and existential as we gnoshed on hummus and watched the trees sway. You played with sand, splashed in the water and generally had a fabulous time. We had lots of fun lunch dates, watched a parade with Minute Men and horses (you loved the horses) and spent lots of time playing together. You have this Fisher Price barn that makes noises when you open the doors. Now I had a Fisher Price barn when I was little but it didn't make noises. All of your stuff needs batteries. Anyway, you know which door makes the horse noise and the first thing you do when you get into your room is crawl over to that barn and open the horse door to hear the noise.

This month you also got to spend a lot of time with Grandad. He came out on a moment's notice because Mama freaked about Daddy being gone in Pennsylvania and California for a week. Not only did he completely renovate our backyard and finish up a bunch of inside projects that hadn't been given adequate attention by your sleep deprived parents but he also did lots of things with you. He gave you your bottle in the morning and got you dressed for the day. He cheered on your Cheez-it consumption and was really good at making noises bashing on things. You did love that. You read a library's worth of books together and he allowed you to completely mark up our kitchen windows with your little paw prints. All in all it was good times for everybody.

As we approach this momentous landmark of your little life, I am so amazed by the journey that you have taken these last twelve months. I am even more in awe of how beautifully and gracefully you have navigated this path you have been on and how much you have grown and learned in one short year. Yes, you have been so loved by everyone in your little life, but we have also expected you to weather a lot and you have come through it such a little person, so capable, kind and gentle. We look forward to the years ahead!

Love,
Mama