Happy Birthday, Jonah!

Jonah is one year old TODAY!

Happy Birthday, little man.

In some ways, Jonah is the same little boy we first met face-to-face one year ago today.  He still has a funky little crinkle on his right ear and a birthmark on his thigh.  He is still happy and go-with-the-flow, most of the time - with a peek of a dimple on his left cheek.  He freely gives out smiles to anyone who will return the favor.  He loves music, especially being sung to (especially by his dad).  He still startles really easily at loud, sudden noises.  If he is even remotely sleepy, a drive in the car will knock him right out.  And that left hand of his still seeks a place to land -- when we rock, it sits on the arm of the chair; when we read a book, he rests it on my forearm (his right hand turns the pages).  And he is still delightful, curious, busy, and intense.  When Jonah was still tiny, someone told me that kids never change - that her kids were exactly the same as teenagers (and now adults) as they were as little tiny babies.  In some ways, I understand completely what she meant.

But of course, some things are different.  Mostly, these changes remind me that he is becoming an independent little person.

Meals.  Jonah mostly feeds himself.  Favorites include avocado (still!), bananas, chicken, ham, beef, fish, scrambled eggs, really mushy carrots, yogurt and mango.  He drinks well out of a cup, and he's working on using a spoon.

Sleeping.  Thanks to Daylight Savings Time and a tip from a veteran mom to try overnight diapers (duh!), Jonah now sleeps until 7:00 or 7:30!  He naps twice a day - usually 1-3 hours in the morning and another 40-90 minutes in the afternoon.  Eleven and a half hours at night and three to three and half hours of napping seems to be the sweet spot for a happy, well-rested Jonah - but even when we don't hit that mark, he does pretty well.  And he has finally settled into a routine where he can fall asleep without screaming AND wakes up happy.  Such an improvement :)

Mobility.  I was sure when he started scooting around at six and a half months that he'd be walking by a year.  I was wrong :)  He cruises with ease and gets anywhere he wants by crawling - and he's really fast!  My favorite new game involves putting a bandanna or small blanket over Jonah's head.  For some reason, this causes him to crawl around frantically, as fast as he can, giggling hysterically the whole time.  After a while, he pulls it off and brings it to me so I can put it back on...and we do the whole thing over again.

Playing.  Jonah still enjoys books.  He also likes to put things into any kind of container, and then take them out again.  Any kind of ball is always a hit - he and Dad work on catching, and he is getting quite good.  And we spend a good portion of each day dancing to music.  Jonah loves to groove :)  We're both excited for warmer weather and the chance to get outside.

Growth and Development.  Jonah has six teeth.  He still wears size 3 diapers.  For clothing, he's in 12-18 months, depending on the brand.  After he eats, his belly gets swollen and huge - but the rest of him is pretty skinny.  He can point to his tongue, lips, ears, hair, belly, feet and nose.  His favorite word is still, 'Buh' - and it seems to mean any and everything.  He has also added 'uh oh' to his vocab, but it sounds more like 'Ah...Oooh.'  (Taking those two factors into account, I think Babu could give Bibi a run for her money in the first-grandparent-to-be-called-by-name arena).  He gives the best hugs and has become quite the little snuggler.  If you ask for a kiss, he'll pucker his lips instead of coming at you mouth open like he used to do.  And finally, Jonah is starting to show a preference far Mom in certain situations, but still no real signs of stranger anxiety (except for occasionally with Uncle Bob...but probably only because he makes lots of weird faces and strange noises).

Such a joy!