It’s 100% true what they say: the days are long, but the years are short. I can’t believe you’re one. Officially no longer a baby. A whole year as a family. 12 months of you being the center of our universe. And now that we’ve celebrated your first birthday, it’s time to round up some things about these past few months that I don’t want to forget. Just like I did with your six months and nine months update.
Oh hey there, daycare germs
Soon after you turned nine months, you started going to daycare once a week. We noticed you were really interested in other kids, and we also figured it might be good for both you and mama to spend a day without each other. You still cry every time we drop you off, but as soon as Naomi hands you some fruit, you’re all good – our little food obsessed kiddo.
But with starting daycare, the daycare germs also entered. Oh the joy. There’s been LOTS of running noses, high fevers, puke, and rough coughs in these last few months. Combined with the neverending story of teething, there’s also been lots of interrupted sleep. Oh, and we may or may not have watched Coco at least 20 times by now. But as of a few weeks it seems to get better. Maybe it’s the magic of that cute amber teething necklace you started wearing. Here’s hoping!
Food Glorious Food
I never – NEVER – thought I would say this, but at 12 months I’m still nursing you. After the very hard, even pretty traumatic, start of our breastfeeding journey I’m so happy that we finally found our groove. And because of all the pumping I did in the first 6 months, we had a freezer full of breastmilk that we could use for when you’re at daycare. So that’s 12 months of being a regular (and only) costumer at mama’s milk factory.
But you’ve also grown into quite the little foodie, and you pretty much eat anything we put in front of you. Your breakfast of choice is either a big bowl of oat meal or a big stack of banana pancakes. For lunch you really dig 3 (!) slices of bread with humus. And if it were up to you, you’d have pasta with mushrooms, green beans, and peas every single night. Or cherry tomatoes, those are a big hit as well. Fruit is also still a crowd pleaser, with bananas, blueberries, and grapes at the top of your list.
Keep moving
After you learned how to crawl at 8,5 months old, it was time to learn how to pull yourself up to standing, and how to “walk” around the house. You started walking with the support of our hands, or along the furniture, pretty quickly but so far you’re still not walking on your own. Which is perfectly fine; growing up is not a race after all!
In the last few weeks we noticed you started winking at us, with two eyes closed obviously, and it’s just the cutest. There’s also been a lot more waving and clapping, which I’m very excited about. But the best part in the “movement” department is that you started dancing! When you hear music (preferably Disney tunes, or the songs in your World Music book) you start moving your cute little bum up and down – whether you’re standing or sitting. You definitely got the music in you!
Bookworm Baby
You really started to appreciate books for their actual purpose: reading. So far it was mostly fun to turn the pages over and over again, but now you actually like to “read”. A few current favorites are your farm book, the California train ride book, the above mentioned musical book, and the sounds book. You’re still not patient enough for us to read an entire book to you, but that’s fine. I bet you’ll be begging us to read story after story in no time.
Chatterbox
Although your vocabulary still mostly consists of “mama” and “papa”, you absolutely had a “yessss”, a “dissss”, and a “wooowww” phase. Other than that it’s still pretty much non stop chatter, with lots of excited shrieks and happy giggles. I’m so glad that you’re as chatty as your mama, and I can’t wait til you actually start to talk!
Water baby
When we went away to the peace and quiet of the woods, to celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary, we also had our very first swimming pool experience. At first you were a little scared, but seeing other kiddos enjoying the pool, you quickly relaxed and started splashing around like a little sea turtle on the EAC. Oh, and that outdoor hot tub? I guess we should get one for our new house, because you are a BIG fan. And so are mom and dad.
Also, you are so easy to go away with. Even though you still only sleep in your bed (with the exception of the occasional car nap), you have slept perfectly fine in any crib we’ve put you in. In this case you slept even better than at home, and I seriously checked on you a few times to make sure everything was still okay (#momlife).
Playtime
One thing I’m very proud of is that you’re very good at playing by yourself. We’ve just put away the big play pen, but you’ve spend lots of hours in there with all your favorite toys (mostly blocks, animals, and tupperware). But now that you can roam around the living room free as a bird, preferably with a spoon in hand, we’re constantly reminded of things we need to babyproof. You definitely have a thing for pushing buttons – in the literal sense – so the remotes, our phones, and for some reason, the humidifiers are among your current favorite items. Oh, let’s not forget your love for cardboard boxes. Yep. It’s a thing.
Luc and Polly
Your friendship with Polly is still solid as a rock, although we really should teach you the difference between cuddling with her, and smacking her in the face (which totally cracks me up btw). Also, you love every single dog you encounter, so I’m not sure how we’re gonna tell you that not all dogs are as sweet and forgiving as Polly…
I (don’t) want to ride my bicycle
We finally went on our first family bike ride, and you really loved it. And although I really loved seeing you so happy and excited, riding a bike through Amsterdam still triggers mama’s anxiety so we haven’t done it since that first time (also because that ridiculous mom bike malfunctioned so we still have to fix that). Soon, I promise, kiddo!
Boys Club
You’re definitely in a “dad phase”. Well, I don’t know if that’s even a thing, or if I want it to be a thing. Because I love that you’re so close with your dad despite spending most of your days alone with mama. And I know you love your mama, so I’m not jealous. I swear! It just melts my heart to see you two together.
Opt outside
Even though we live in the craziest part of Amsterdam, we still manage to get outside for a family walk almost every (early) morning. And we’ve been having a really hot summer and fall (#globalwarmingisreal).
But we’ve also been spending lots of time outside the city; in our future tiny hometown, and in the woods. Being outside in nature is so good for the soul, and although you were born in Amsterdam, and you’ve lived your first year on this earth here, I can already tell you’re a country boy at heart!
12 months with you. The best 12 months of my life – without question. And yes, also the hardest 12 months of my life. But now that we made it through that first year, I feel so much more confident and calm. As if I finally passed the test of motherhood. And I’m so excited for what’s to come! Speaking of, exactly one week after your first birthday we hop on a plane (a few actually) for a month of family quality time in Australia! Oh the places you’ll go…
