Almost a toddler!

I’d meant to write a post yesterday about how that date (April 7th) was supposed to have been Reed’s due date last year, but life got in the way (as usual). Fortunately, my fantastic former colleague (who had her daughter a week before Reed was born) wrote about that day one year ago for me (and as I remember it now, I wrote about it too… just a year ago). While I appreciated the extra days to relax, those 9 “overdue” days before Reed was born were pretty frustrating, waiting and waiting and worrying that I might have to get a medical intervention. Fortunately, he decided to come on his own in the nick of time.

He can stand on his own!

It’s very hard for me to fathom that almost a year has gone by since Reed was born. Those first few months went so slowly and all of a sudden, as soon as being a parent became more natural and Reed became more interactive and fun, time really sped up! I look at pictures of him when he was eight months old and it feels like yesterday.

Reed has been taking so many big steps in his life over the past two months. On March 7th, he took his first unassisted steps and since then, he’s gotten so much better at standing up on his own and walking while holding just one of my hands. Just this past Sunday, he said his first word (dog) as a golden retriever walked by and I told Reed what he was. He even said it twice more that day when I was reading him a book and then when we saw the same dog again later! He also started saying “nana,” which means he wants a banana instead of the crappy food we’re giving him. He is obsessed with bananas.

Reed's first creemee!

Last week, when we were having beautiful weather, we took Reed to get his first creemee (for those outside of VT, that’s soft serve ice cream). Not surprisingly, he loved it. We’ve also started transitioning him to whole milk which he guzzles just like I did when I was little. This past weekend, he met and petted sheep, chicks and a calf, and went on a wagon ride at Billings Farm. Even though we know he goes outside at daycare too, we’ve made it a point to take him outside on every nice day we’ve had. He loves touching the grass and bushes, ripping up leaves, and trying to eat pine cones. He especially likes walking the block with his walker (see our last post for a video). He has a real joie de vivre and love of people, so it’s a pleasure to take him out and about. It’s fun to see the world through his eyes.

While Reed has had pneumonia and a cold since our last big update, he’s actually been doing exceptionally well, healthwise. Since we started taking him into the steamy shower with us every night, he hasn’t had a single ear infection. It’s been really helpful in getting all the gunk to drain out of his sinuses. Since he’s been doing so much better and eating so well at daycare, we finally felt comfortable cutting out the nighttime feedings and following the instructions in the Ferber book for getting him to sleep through the night. So far, he’s slept completely through the night three nights in a row, so hopefully he’s past the waking up multiple times thing (knock wood!).

I’m going to be away from Reed for the first time next week as I attend a conference in the D.C. area. I’ll be gone Sunday – Wednesday. Every time I think about it I get a knot in the pit of my stomach. I’m going to miss him so much! Fortunately, I’ll get lots of time with Reed the following week as we leave for a six-day trip to Chicago on the 17th (his birthday!!!). Reed is going to have a great birthday party that Sunday with Adam’s family, my parents, and some family friends. It’s going to be awesome and I’m sure he’ll have a ton of fun with his cousins.

While I can’t believe Reed’s nearly a toddler, in so many ways it already feels like he is one. He’s so independent, gutsy, stubborn, curious, and social. I couldn’t be more proud of him and everything he’s achieved in just 12 short months. I’m just crazy about him.