One fast year

This time last year I was laying up in a hospital bed trying to catch up on some much needed sleep. You see, the night before I was up thinking about how our family was about to go from 3 humans to 4. Dallin was sort of an early christmas gift to our family last year and we have so enjoyed watching him grow and develop throughout 2009.

To date Dallin has 8 teeth. They all came up so fast its hard to even remember that he once had a gummy smile. Dallin has mastered the art of running and manouvering his way around the house in his walker. He can get through all the doorways and will find me if I call out to him from the other end of the house. Other means of transportation include rolling around on the floor and his signature crawl which is a combination of press-ups and yoga stretching. Its so cute to watch.

The little man is also a great little conversationalist. Once he's got your attention you'd better start talking or else he will squawk until you do. And you cant let him go until he decides he's over it. He is actually quite fun to talk to. He will mimic all the sounds you make and try to add a few of his own. He's usually quite generous with his smiles and hugs, provided he knows who you are. If you are a stranger, it might take at least 10 minutes for him to scope you out before you get any Dallin hugs.

Like other members of our family, Dallin is fascinated by the talking picture frame that is our tv, especially when childrens songs start to play, at which point he commences to bob up and down in excitement. He even kicks his little legs and raises his little arms to show he is physically commited to whatever show is on the box.

There are so many things I love about our little fella but the one thing I love the mostest is how close he is to his sister. Even at such a young age I can see the difference between my kids relationship and the relationship I had with my own younger brother when we were little. It was somewhat competitive so it meant we spent a lot of our childhood fighting over toys and trying to be better at sports than the other (I was such a tomboy). Somehow I cant see that happening with my kids, at least not to the same extent, since my little girl is very nurturing towards him and very much a girly girl, two things I was not as a girl.

So Dallin, its been an absolute pleasure helping you to get to know the world and people around you in your first year of life. A common theme at church lately has been that of the love of a parent for their child. When you have your first child, your heart is so full of love for them it is almost impossible to imagine you could expand your heart to love another. I worried about this before Dallin came along but once he came I can honestly say that my heart grew and I love him with all the love a parent has to give, and more! Happy 1st birthday my boy, love mamma. xox