(This is going to be long, just so you know!)
On February 1st 2015, our little ray of sunshine turned 1 year old.
On Isaac's birthday, his bestest little friend and cousin, Alfred came to visit. We enjoyed a nippy trip to the park (where they enjoyed little competition for the swings!) and some fun playing at home. We had some other family visit us and we played pass the parcel and had some tasty food! It was a lovely day.
Because I am so late with this, Isaac is now 14 months old, so this will just be a little all round update about him and the things he's been doing at "around" the age of 1.
As Isaac grows, we see his personality shining through more and more. He is one of the sweetest characters I know. He is exceptionally affectionate and will, hundreds of times a day, stop what he is doing to come over, grab my cheeks and say "MmmmmmmAH! whilst planting open lips (and sometimes, teeth!) on my face. That's how he gives kisses. And, unlike a small sister of mine, that I might mention, he never "runs out of kisses". He has an endless supply and will give me huge ones whenever I ask and whenever he's passing my way on his rounds.
Isaac's snuggles are the best. He loves nothing more than coming in to bed with Mummy and Daddy and cuddling us. He, upon arrival into the bed, will have his arm under your neck and his other hand stroking (or pulling, as seen here....it's how he relaxes) your hair, often whilst you stroke his. It's a lovely thing to watch (as he especially loves cuddling Daddy like this), and it's precious to be a part of.
Along with his beautiful affection, Isaac is also the friendliest boy. He will smile and wave to everyone in a way that is as though he's known them forever. As a mother, it's a bittersweet thing to behold. Sometimes, he makes people's day by waving to them so enthusiastically. Other times, I watch his confusion when he waves at people and they don't wave back....(I could really lay it on thick and tell you that he often turns around in his push chair so he can keep waving at their retreating figures, as if they might suddenly turn around...but they never do. Yes, you may cry.)Isaac is also very, very gentle. A friend of mine has a beautiful baby girl. When Isaac first spent time with her properly, she was about 4 months old or so. He reached out his hand and stroked her hair so softly! I was amazed because we'd not ever been around a little baby before--how did he know? He's just amazing like that. He is so sweet natured and so kind. He's very good at sharing, be it toys or food and he loves being around other children.
Isaac is an excellent talker. There isn't anything that he won't at least TRY and say, and each day he will say something new or say something more clearly than the day before. Today, for example, "more" went from being "Ma" to "more"..like....properly. And he said "pepper" (Bebba), as he was holding a yellow bell pepper for me in the shop, and then told Daddy what it was later on! You tell him something once and he remembers.
Words
Yeah- YAH! (Like the lion- see below)- always accompanied by vigorous nodding (how we know he's not talking about Lions...which he often does.)
Mumma
Dadda
Teeth (Tsee) -always accompanied by touching his teeth.
Cheese (Tseets)
Duck (Du')
Bubble (Bubba)
Bird (Bir)- always accompanied by pointing in the air
Bear (Bear)
Dog (Doh)
Cat (Dad)
More
Pepper (bebba)
Bye-bye (bu-bah)
Jesus (Tseetsees)
Book (Bu)
Bath (Ba
Animal noises (his first ever "words")
Cow - Moo
Lion- YAH!
Monkey- Oo-oo-oo
Elephant - Raises arm into the air, like a trunk. (Noise TBC, coming soon to a blog post near you)
Not every day is perfect, even if he is pretty perfect. He screams in a very high pitched way when he doesn't get his way and he cries very dramatically if , after the scream, he STILL doesn't get his way. But I have a trick. He loves whispers and his Grandad (Ieu's Dad) does a special whispery thing in his ear, which Isaac loves (to the point that when he's with Grandad, he will put his ear to Grandad's mouth!), so when he's being loud and screechy, I whisper in his ear "Isaac?" (and he stops, or calms down) "It's OK to be sad, but it's NOT OK to be cross." (Which is something I think MY Mum used to say) "Now (still whispering)...would you like a cuddle?" And , in his little, tearful voice comes the reply "YAH!". How can I resist!!!!
Another little difficulty is eating (see rare image of food being consumed pre epiphany). We alternate between sausages and chicken for dinner every day. Sometimes he will have it with mash and veg or scrambled egg and veg. The veg never gets eaten. Before we decided to make meal times about what he will eat (advice given to me by my lovely friend Kathryn), rather than what he won't, meal times were very stressful for all of us and filled me with dread. We watched him lose weight before our eyes! Then, one day, we fed him the breaded chicken we were eating and he ate it all. I cried. I actually cried. Only someone who has experienced the hardship of having a fussy eater will appreciate the sheer elation and relief that comes when they finally find something they enjoy! Now, his diet isn't too varied but there are at least a few things in every food group that he will eat, so it's just a matter of alternating those things! I have every confidence that things will keep getting better, as we give him plenty of exposure to new things, but rely on his old favourites too!
Last week, on our 3 year anniversary, Isaac started properly walking. We thought it would happen, as we went away wi
th Ieuan's family and Isaac got to spend time with Alfred who is 3 months older and a real walking pro. It's been a long time coming, but he's finally done it and he LOVES it. He is so happy to be up and around. We bought him reins yesterday. He's still probably a bit unsure on his feet for reins but coupled with him holding the side of the pram, there's no stopping him. He was actually running away with me!
Isaac has never been a big Television watcher, and though he enjoys Thomas the Tank Engine, he won't sit and watch an episode. Music is his favourite thing. His favourite song is a percussion piece called "Fandango 13". I put it on when I have showers and things. He won't budge. I'm not even sure he blinks when it's on. He loves all kinds of music but, without a doubt, his very favourite things are percussion pieces.
He's very clever. Very like his Daddy in the way he plays. He's very methodical and focused and has always appeared to be a deep thinker. I remember when he would save his smiles for Ieuan and I only and we wondered if he would always be so aloof with other people. I could not have hoped for a more friendly, loving child. Already, I am seeing traits in him that I want to emulate. I wish I had the fearlessness to say hello to everyone who walks by me! I'm trying to be better at that.
Isaac is...the very best reason to be alive. Every day, at least once, I have a surreal experience where I watch this child, called Isaac, playing or reading and I think, "this is MY son. He's 14 months old. How did this even happen?" (No...you don't actually need to explain. Really.) And as I watch him go about his little business, I feel, from deep inside, a real sense of belonging. Being here, not 'here' as in, on this sofa, in this house, but being here, with my boys, being here to look after them, support them, care for them, love them....there could be nothing more important. I'm so excited for this year, and for all the things Isaac will achieve. I have 2 main hopes for him.Little Love, read and remember these.
1) I want you to always be the loving, kind, friendly person you are.
2) I want you to eat more than sausages, chicken nuggets and cheddar biscuits!
