12 Months - Happy Birthday, Tree Faerie!

Dear Tree Faerie,

It is so hard to believe that an entire year has gone by since the day of your birth. We made it! One of your daddy’s favorite stories to tell is of being discharged from the hospital with you. I don’t think he believed the nurse when she first told him he could take you home. We were nervous and scared yet excited and overjoyed. I cried all the way home because all the cars were entirely too close to us. Your disapproval of your first car ride was not helping matters any. When we finally got you home, I unbuckled you from the seat as quickly as possible so I could hold you close, comforting us both. I am sometimes still surprised by how much love I have for you. It doesn’t seem possible for one person to contain this much love (which may be why I feel on the verge of exploding sometimes)!

You finally got to meet your Aunt T, Uncle M, and your two cousins, CRK (2.5 years old) and CSK (2.5 months old). You and CRK had a great time playing together, though you are exhibiting signs of being a bully. You kept forcefully taking CRK’s pacifier away. The first time I saw you do it, I had a plate of food in my hands and was sitting next to your Nana. Your Nana just sat there and laughed while watching you try to take CRK’s pacifier while he tried to gently prevent you from doing so. I must admit that it was kind of cute, but I really don’t want you to grow up and be a bully. You can’t always have things just because you want them.

We do a great job of spoiling you, though. You came away like a bandit for Yule and Christmas. Tearing paper is now one of your favorite pastimes. There are more toys than I know what to do with. I’m still feeling a little overwhelmed about that right now, but I’ll have it figured out soon. You love having your choice of which toy to play with, so you certainly don’t mind the abundance.

One of your favorites is Lavender, the purple hippo you and Nana built at Build-A-Bear. It’s so cute to watch you hug and kiss Lavender. You even hug her close and pat her back, just like I do to you. Another favorite is your push-buggy shaped like a VW Bug. When you’re not being pushed in it, you like to push it yourself. Grams got you a gift that clearly shows what we have to look forward to in the future. She got you a cell phone toy that talks and plays music. It’s absolutely adorable to watch you walk around with the phone up to your ear and hear you just jabbering away – or at least it’s adorable at the moment. When you’re 14 it may not be so adorable…

You’ve completed your transition period into the toddler room and have now been in the toddler room a whole week! The teachers just love you, of course. I’m amazed by how well you follow directions and behave! I must be too lenient on you, because you don’t mind what I say as well as you do for your teachers. Even so, you’re a great kid at home, too. I have no real complaints.

Your First Birthday was this past Sunday, and Grams and Papaw drove up to spend it with you. I’m glad they decided to drive up the night before so they could be here when you woke up, because you had a surprise for us all after you woke up on your First Birthday. You took your First Steps! Not just one, but 4 or 5! You were standing up in front of Grams and you just toddled right to me! Daddy missed the first time, so of course I had to go get him up. When I told him, I could tell that he thought I was exaggerating, so after he got up I stood you in front of him. He held out his hands and you toddled to him. The look on his face was priceless! You’ve practiced off and on ever since then, but only if you’re not wearing shoes. If you’re wearing shoes, you still prefer to hold on to a finger.

Grams and I installed your new car seat while you were napping. The weather was perfect for it – 70 degrees and breezy. For January, that is unusual weather! We couldn’t get the seat installed rear-facing, which is how I would have preferred to install it for just a little while longer. Instead, we installed it forward-facing. The only thing that kept us from testing it out right then was you being asleep.

Later that afternoon, Nana came for our little party. We had fish sticks with macaroni and cheese because you LOVE macaroni and cheese. Then we opened presents, which of course means more toys, including a piano, a Mickey Mouse, and a pull-along puppy. Finally, we were ready for your first cupcake experience. I stuck a “1” candle on top of your cupcake and lit it. We turned out the lights and sang Happy Birthday to you, then I helped you blow out the candle. When I set the cupcake in front of you, you had a confused look on your face. I finally convinced you that it was okay to play with it, so you proceeded to remove all the icing and squish it. You finally put your fingers in your mouth and immediately decided you did not like icing and tried to wipe it off your tongue with the other hand, which also happened to be covered in icing. Thankfully you didn’t throw a fit, but the look on your face clearly said, “I am not thrilled with this!” You continued to play with the frosting and tried tasting it a time or two more, but you still weren’t crazy about the taste and refused to try the actual cake part.

After you put the icing in your hair, I gave you a bath, and then we saw Grams and Papaw off. You’ll get to see them again in a couple of weeks when we go visit Grams for her 50th birthday. I’m really glad they came up to see you for yours.

This past year has gone by so quickly, and you weren’t the only one growing. You have brought about a lot of good changes in me. Thank you for being so wonderful, Tree Faerie. I look forward to what the next year will bring.

Hugs, Kisses, and Lots of Love,

Mama