Letters to Isaac, Month 12

Dear Isaac,

Well, here you are, big boy! One year old.

We had a fantastic party for you and your sister this weekend. You were amazing. You handled the excitement like a champ. You especially liked the cake.



You have changed so much in the last month. A few of our relatives who hadn’t seen you since Easter did not even recognize you. You are losing that infant look and beginning to look like a kid. A couple of Mommy and Daddy’s college friends drove up for your party and brought their three month old baby girl with them. It was the first time in a while that I had held a baby younger than you and it really was really odd. I am used to you being the baby, and all of a sudden you…weren’t. I am excited and a teeny bit sad all at the same time.

In addition, you took your first real steps this weekend! Up until now you have mostly just been cruising the furniture. You would stand on your own until you realized what you were doing. Then you would get the same look on your face that Wile E. Coyote gets when he realizes that he has run off the edge of a cliff. Your arms would start wind milling cartoonishly, and down you would go.

The day before your birthday, your Granny came up to visit and she brought her dog. You were fascinated by his big fluffy tail. You took a step towards that tail, then stopped. We all waited for you to catapult over. You stayed up! The next day you decided you would take five or six steps in a row over at your Nanny’s house. Show off!

Some of your favorite activities these days include:

• Eating. You, child, are a bottomless pit. Your favorites are meat and bread. Last night for dinner you ate half of an adult-sized pork kebab, a big scoop of your aunt Kate’s yummy raw acorn squash salad, 3 big shrimp, half a banana and half a bowl of key lime mousse with whipped cream. We all totally expected you to yak. But you kept on banging your high chair tray and saying “umm-ma, umm-ma, umm-ma” which I believe translates to “More, more, more”.
  
  Incidentally, you are getting quite a vocabulary, little man. Your first word was Dada, of course. You followed it with Mama, No, Juice, and Down. I am amazed at all this as your sister rarely lets anyone get a word in edgewise.
  
  
  Other favorite activities:
  
  Conquering the backyard. Though seriously, buddy? Sticks are not snacks, okay?

And of course,

• Destroying the playroom
  
  

I wish I had a picture that truly captures the swath of destruction you leave in your wake. This is the best I could do. I especially love your triumphant howl.

You are a character, little man. I love you.



Love,
Mama