Jenny + Michael: Letter to Elea: ONE year old (!!)

Dear Elea,

This last year has been such an adventure and we have loved every minute of it. Below are a few of my favorite things about you as you have made it to your one year milestone!

- You refuse to sit down in the bathtub. If I try to make you sit, you let out a whine and stand right back up. The one time you seemed like you were complying with my request to sit down, you were just getting in a good squat position to poop in the bathtub.

- When you decide you're done with your bath, you do the sign for “all done” and I get you out, lotion you up, and hand you your hair brush. You then try to brush what little hair you have (and mine).

- You LOVE you polar bear from your cousin Melissa. When I go to get you in the morning, you smile at me, and struggle to stand up without letting go of your bear. If someone tries to take it from you, you get mad. Often, during the day, you’ll drag it around the floor because when you try and walk while holding it, it messes with your balance and you're constantly falling down. If only it wasn’t so white. Well, if only it didn't used to be white...

- “awww… love” is what we always say when we snuggle with something, and it’s now something you do all the time – whether with your polar bear, or a person, or the remote control. You don't discriminate in what you're willing to snuggle with. And sometimes, you even let out a little “awwww” #heartmelting

- There are times (I don't know why) that you HATE to have your diaper changed and will do whatever you can to squirm away. But not always...sometimes you're just fine to sit there and talk to us. On the difficult ones, however, you can be easily distracted with animal noises or strange dance moves. (some people say all my dance moves are strange.. but whatever. art is so subjective)

- You love reading books, but definitely have your favorites. You also would rather have someone read them to you than flip through them on your own. If I ask you if you want to read a book, you sign "book" back to me (looks like an "I don't know" shoulder shrug), then grab the one you want, drag it over, and promptly throw her body down so that we can snuggle and read it together. Your favorite position is laying on top of me on your back. If that’s not available, anywhere you can rest your head will do.

- When we’re out in the city, you will sit forward in your stroller, smiling and waving at everyone we walk by. You especially love the homeless dudes that loiter on the sidewalk in front of our apartment. And they love you right back. If I’m out on a walk/run without you, I’ll usually get a few of them asking me where my little girl is.

- Whenever I'm trying to get stuff done, you can usually be found right next to me saying "uh! uh!" (her way of saying "up!"). When I find myself actually getting stuff done in silence, I realize something's wrong, and can find you quietly in a corner, pulling everything out of my purse. I recognize that this can be a positive thing and will sometimes hand you my wallet when I'm trying to finish something. On the other hand, I also recognize this can be a negative thing when I'm at the store and just can't seem to find my credit card.

- You love cell phones. It's fun to see the things you pick up on that we didn't teach you, but are pure imitation. You hold it up to your ear and just babble away. You also instantly recognize the noise of a phone call or a google hangout and fight to get to the phone (often hanging up with the person calling).

- You are just barely getting teeth and have been so easy through it all. And you know where your teeth are now as we brush our teeth together every morning. You also just started walking and get so excited for yourself that you often stop after a few steps, just to scream and cheer for yourself. I don't know that it gets much cuter than that.

The animal sounds you know: Duck (kwah kwah!), Cow (boo), Cat (boo), Horse (nay nay nay!), Sheep (ah-ah-ah-ah giggle), Fish (makes fish noise with her mouth), and Dog (silent, blank stare... as all dogs should sound)

The words you try to say: Up (uh!), Down (duh!), Dad (dah), Mom (mum), Help (eh!), Quack (one of her first words... kwah)

Words you sign: up, down, please, thank you, more, food, water, bath, milk, bye, bed, and book

And one of our favorite things: when you are tired, you put your hand to the side of your head, which is the sign for bed. So we walk you upstairs, sing "goodnight sweetheart", try to get some "tired" giggles out of you, and put you in your crib. You grab a binky in each hand, make sure your bear is right next to you, and close your eyes.

Every day we ask ourselves how we got so lucky.

xoxo
Mom