A Year Old!

My most wonderful Evelyn,
You are currently laying beside me on the bed, holding your feet in the air and shouting "Bah!" over and over, occasionally straightening your whole body in a mad flex. You smile at me when I make eye contact. Your goofy grin lights up my whole world.
This last year has been such a wild ride. You're ONE! Not only did you just live an entire 365 days but I was a large part of keeping you alive! You have been relatively healthy for most of it with the exception of your recent illnesses, which were to be expected once I started watching H. With extra kids comes extra germs.
You've made leaps and bounds over the last 12 months and it makes me giggle to think that the things I was so amazed by in the beginning are so commonplace now. You roll over with ease, sitting up effortlessly and even standing now. You've taken a couple steps, to my delight, towards your Daddy. For all that he has had to miss from working, I think he was glad that he "got" this one. I didn't mind. I got to set you off towards him.
You've realized I'm typing, now and are desperately trying to add your own twist to the blog post. Perhaps I should add a very long string of P's?
52 weeks. I can't remember when I stopped aging you in weeks. It must have been around 16 or so. Then you were months old. I only get about 6 more months before I have to start going with years or face getting eye-rolls at the grocery store.
Do you know what my favorite things about you are? I'm going to tell you, so that we will both never forget.
I love waking up beside you in the mornings. Either I have to work and you lay peacefully in bed while I get ready, waiting til the last minute to put you in the car so you get the most uninterrupted sleep possible, or I have the day off and we both sleep in so late that when you do wake me up, the sun is shining brightly through the shades and you greet me with a smile.
You have this adorable habit of reaching your arms up when you want to be held or taken from the carseat. You reach so high and look so desperate but in the sweetest, most excited way. If for some reason I can't or don't pick you up, you sadly lower your arms, but go about playing. It kind of breaks my heart.
The way you interact and share moments with your daddy is the most heartwarming thing. He likes to sweep you up off the ground and lift you high into the air, giggles escaping wildly from your wide open smile. He dips you backwards swiftly but gently and your eyes roll back in excitement. You prowl around him when he has food, even if you won't eat it. You want to try it, anyway. At night before bed when he reads you stories, you cuddle up against him and poke at his tattoos and pull at his beard while he tries to catch your attention with funny voices and gestures. When he goes to slather you up with the lavender-scented bedtime lotion, you let out a crazy squeal, hinting that no mere lotion can settle your wild heart.
When I ask you questions, now, you have answers for me. For a long time, it was always a head shaking, "no" but now you've mastered "yes" too. I'm not 100% sure you know what you're saying, but you still try. And sometimes those "no"s are accompanied by a sassy smirk. "Can I wipe your nose?" *Smirk, headshake*
Speaking of wiping your nose, you can do that. You put the tissue to your nose and press it so hard while fake sniffing and sometimes you do it so hard that your whole body shakes with the power of it. You shake when you do other things too. That's really adorable.
You clap when you hear applause. On cheesy shows that I watch when its just the two of us, the laugh track plays and you perk up and clap or laugh along. You also mock cough, something you picked up from Granny.

*3 days later*

I couldn't finish the post before we had to go to sleep. I still don't know if I have it in me to relive all the memories I have over the past year. Suffice it to say that you are an incredible little person and you make me so proud. Look in the next post for your first adventures as a one-year-old! <3
Mommy