Growing

 You are so tall! You are 98th percentile for height, which is amazing. Your smile is infectious, and there is no sound I love more in the world than your happy giggle. You have started to be impatient to get to school, which is nice to see. We go to a playground around the corner and you want to go down the big slide and play in the baby car and on the abandoned tricycles. When we go down the slide you sit on my lap and I count one.... two.... (on two I vibrate my legs like we are revving up our engine) and on THREE! we slide down, and you giggle, and I kiss your sweet baby cheeks.

I love your sweet baby cheeks. 

I usually say "may I smooch you?" before I do it, trying to respect your autonomy. I don't know why I use "kiss" as a noun and "smooch" as a verb, but that's how it shakes out. We give kisses, but we also smooch. 

You are learning words, but can't quite say them yet. You can point to my bellybutton when I ask you where it is, you point at Milo, you point at your toy apple, you point at the shower door. I'm so curious what-all is happening in your baby mind at any given time. 

You have been waking up unusually early - like 4:30, 5 am. And having your morning nap early too. I'm not sure what the deal is, as you seem tired and like you don't want to be awake. I have ordered you some special overnight diapers, on the theory that maybe you are wet and that is bothering you. We shall see. Dare I hope that an overnight diaper will carry you straight from 7 pm to 7 am, and it turns out we aren't taking a morning nap at all? 

You love books, and my old mushroom bell toy, and your grandparents are going to send up my tricycle for you, which I think you will like. My baby is a toddler now. I knew, intellectually, that babyhood didn't last all that long, but it's a different thing entirely to experience how brief it is in real time. 

I love you so much that sometimes I think I can't handle it.

And that is how things stand on this, a couple of weeks after your first birthday.