Sam's Life: Birthday Boy

Our sweet Sam turned one year old on Friday! I know it's a cliche, but I can't believe how fast his first year went. I think back to a year ago - to the 36 hours of labor, nights of no sleep, and nursing 12 hours a day - and while I'm thankful those things are over, I'm sad to say goodbye to my little baby. I cry every time he gets a birthday card, yet I rejoice to see all that he's learning to do for himself. What a privilege it is to spend every day watching him grow up. I'm thankful beyond words for this precious gift God has entrusted to us.

We spent Sam's birthday doing a few special things. We opened presents in the morning before Daddy left. Then Sam and I met him for lunch in his birthday shirt. Later Daddy came home from work early to do birthday cake (thanks to my dear friend, Yvonne) and candle. Surprisingly, Sam loved the candle so much that he cried when we blew it out. We ended up lighting it several times because he enjoyed it so much. On the whole, it was a fun day, but Sam probably had no idea it was different from any other. His mom and dad, however, thoroughly enjoyed celebrating their precious little boy.

Highlights from this month:

- Sam had his first stomach virus. It was a doozy and made me thankful for my mom cleaning up after me when I was sick. Sam was kind enough to share his germs with both his parents, so we're all thankful for a return to good health. I loved the extra cuddles I got while he was sick, though.

- We went down to 1 nursing a day - which will probably not last much longer. I'm pretty sure my milk supply is quickly dwindling. Sam has gotten used to whole cow's milk, though, and loves his afternoon bottle.

- Sam continues to eat well. Usually it's baby cereal and eggs or fruit for breakfast, baby food with some finger foods for lunch and something similar for dinner. He will usually choose fruit over almost anything else, but he's becoming a meat lover too. We'll have to work to get those veggies down.

- He has started signing more and more. The sign we see most often is still more, but we've also seen please, all done, and even bath lately. He also has certain sounds that we know mean specific things. For example, he barks like a dog anytime he sees - or remembers seeing - a dog. According to him, every other animal growls like a bear. He also has a sound for the washing machine or a truck.

- Sam continues to be a wonderful sleeper. He usually sleeps 12-13 hours at night, which is such a blessing! His morning nap is usually an hour to an hour and a half, and his afternoon nap is generally around 2 hours.

- He's still not walking on his own, but he loves to practice by walking with us or his push toy. We'll see if this next month brings us a walker...

- He now has 2 teeth (!) and perhaps a little more hair. Because he's so small and bald, people always think he's younger than he is. They're amazed at how alert and happy he is - and we think he's pretty great too - but I think it's mostly because they're comparing him to babies half his age.

We loved celebrating this birthday, little buddy, and we can't wait to party with you for many years to come. Happy 12 months!