Just Over a Year

I really felt the urge to write over the past few days, but I had such aching in my forearms, I postponed it till I felt better.

Last week, Anna turned one. As we were supposed to do, we made a fuss, with two parties and a pizza night on her actual birthday. Everyone remarks how the first year flew by, and perhaps with time, I'll believe it. Truth is, dear one, we had some difficult days and many long nights.

Overall we are tremendously fortunate to have a health, mostly happy little girl. I always tell people she's social like her mother, but, truth is, she's more so, at least for now. She is very curious about other children and she often screams "Hi" to them from across the room or across the playground. She says "Hi" several hundred times a day. And her smile erodes even the grumpiest of daddy's moods, eventually.

Today it was old theme of reluctant napper. More often she wants to get into everything she can crawl to or grab from a supported stance. Yes, that's her job. It would be great, though, if she stopped to play with a toy or two on the way to reaching for the coffee cup she's spotted on the end table half way across the room. Probably the worst hour so far of her budding toddlerhood was trying to entertain her in a tiny exam room at the doctor's for her one year check, with grand finale of screams and shrieks from needles and blood lettings.

Of course, with the bad comes other good. Her play is more complex, she giggles, she snuggles a bit, she says a few words like 'ball, doggy, blue', and she is starting to moo like a cow. She shows preferences for certain books. She yells, "Bye, bye!" She flatters me by eating my waffles and pancakes. And most of the time, she's a good natured, well-behaved baby.

Tomorrow we're bringing her up north for her first time with Lisa's family, which will hopefully mean some fun for all of us.

For my part, this will be my last entry. I owe her a book for all her work growing to be a year old. I guess as hard as it has been for us, think of how hard it is to adjust in your first year. In that she's done as good as she knows how. Certainly, we'll keep fighting for her.

I love you, little nutter!