Howie Has Just Turned One Year Old

We all celebrated Howie's one year birthday this past Sunday- I can't believe that he's 1 now! In some ways this past year has been very slow, particularly during the crisis times. For example, when Howie was spitting out his paci 8 times every night and waking up for it every time, it seemed like I had been a sleep-deprived parent forever. Or when he refused with all his strength to drink from a cup, I thought I had been nursing forever and would have to continue. Or when he screamed like a wild man through most feedings, I thought that I would lose my mind. But those are limited times. Most of the time I say, "Wow, I can't believe he's already 1!!" It's so funny how much he's changed in 12 months. Last night I was getting misty eyed watching some of his videos from when he was a newborn, and it was amazing to me how much he's changed. He's gone from being completely helpless and interacting minimally to laughing, walking obsessively with help, smiling almost non-stop, playing, etc. Some of the most rewarding moments are when he just looks at me and smiles (this usually happens when I'm putting him to bed or right after he's eaten), and then uses both of his hands to tap my shoulder on either side. It's kind of a strange little manuever, but in that moment, I know that he loves me.

Being the mom of a toddler is fun. It's definitely more challenging in some ways, such as having to avert disasters like Howie grabbing my parents' cat's face and yanking, or hitting his chin on a chair, but it's also just fun to see what he does. He makes me laugh a lot these days.

We're getting settled into our new apartment in St Louis. Howie's birthday present from Mama and Papa was a sandbox in the shape of a crab and a play lawn mower. The crab sandbox has already proven to be a hit, both with Howie and his little friends in neighboring apartments. We've felt very welcomed into the seminary community and Josh is getting through his Greek class. I'm having to learn about letting him study, which means not bothering him every 5 minutes with a stupid question or ideas about watching random TV shows with me. That's tough! After 2 years of unrestricted access, I'm having to learn about sharing Josh with his Greek books.

I keep talking about the oodles of pictures I have, and I still have them, but our computer decided to randomly go on strike for about 2 weeks, meaning it would not turn on, and then for some reason beyond our comprehension it decided to come back to the negotiating table and start working again. But it's currently dead and I don't have the power cord with me, so I'm going to have to say that the next post will have oodles of pictures of our big one year old boy and lots of other things.

Have a great day!