Happy Birthday Sebastian!

I can't believe our little boy is one today. It seems like such a whirlwind, yet I remember it like it was yesterday, the day he came into our lives. He was almost 3 weeks early, and I was induced because of preeclampsia, but my body was ready for him to be born (and so was his). After just 8 1/2 hours of labor (I was amazed at how much more tolerable it was than I was expecting), a few scares because of a dropping heartrate, and a close-call with operation room (I was about a minute away from being taken in for a C-section when his heartrate went back up and all was well), Sebastian made his appearance.

Our lives are SO much richer, more fun, and more crazy because of him. We never thought we could live with so little sleep, so much noise, and so many little toys scattered all over the place, but here we are. And we love every day. I'm not going to say we don't have our moments...being a parent is the hardest thing either of us has ever done. But it's also the most rewarding, the most fun, and the most heart-swellingly fantastic. They say that you don't know love until you look into your child's eyes for the first time. They say that having children is like allowing your heart to walk around outside your body. And those seem like cheesy platitudes, but they're totally true. Sometimes I look at Sebastian and I feel like my heart is going to break just at the joy that fills me to think that he's here. When he smiles at me, all the problems in my life go away, if even just for that moment. When he reaches up and puts his arms around my neck (he's just starting to do this, and it's adorable), I melt.

So I thought I'd make a list, memorializing this time in his life, of all the little things that Sebastian does that amaze, fascinate, thrill, and delight me. He is such a wonder. Because I know from experience, now, how fast a year goes, and I want to remember him just as he is today, for the rest of my life. Just a sampling, of course, as I couldn't even begin to catalog EVERYTHING. It would take a book. Or twelve.

Sebastian, on this, your first birthday, here are some things I love about you:
*I love the way your smile can light up a room.
*I love your dimples and the way you scrunch up your nose when you're smiling really big.
*I love how you raise one eyebrow, just like Mummo, when you're checking things out.
*I love how you toddle around like a drunken sailor, and yet still maintain your balance, even when we think you're going to fall over.
*I love that even when you DO fall over, you just pick yourself up again like nothing happened.
*I love that you have such a hard head and barely ever cry when you bonk it.
*I love how you hold on to one of my fingers, sometimes, when we're walking, but sometimes you just want to do it on your own.
*I love the maniacal look of glee you get when you chase the dogs and cats around.
*I love the "ma-ma-ma" sound you make when you're hungry, and I love that it comes from your learning the word "milk."
*I love that you love nursing so much. A boob man through and through!
*I love how you settle down and lie (mostly) still while you nurse, and look up at me or close your eyes.
*I love how your little hands pat my boob sometimes, like you're trying to coax the milk out faster.
*I love how you throw your hands in the air and wiggle to show us "all done," and look SO proud of yourself.
*I love how, no matter how we try to show you the real sign for "more," you still insist on just banging on the table or your high chair tray, saying "ma-ma-ma!" and knowing that we understand.
*I love how you look so carefully at your tray and pick up the food you prefer, and eat that first. Sometimes, when that's gone, you won't even look at the other stuff, and just demand more of the things you like!
*I love that you've had the pincer grasp mastered for months, but still sometimes just grab a handful of something and shove your whole fist in your mouth.
*I love how much you love fresh fruit (though I wish you'd love vegetables as much). Blueberries and grapes are your favorite!
*I love how you want to "share" everything Daddy and I have, and come to us with your little mouth open, like a baby bird, saying "ma-ma-ma!" to get a taste.
*I love how you're starting to really pet the animals, and how you look up with joy all over your face when they stay put and you can run your fingers through their fur.
*I love how you sometimes say "DA!" for "dog" and "AHH!" for "cat." Lyra does not love it so much, though, and usually runs away as you trundle toward her, mouth open, arms outstretched, and giggling.
*I love that you try to put everything in your mouth, even enormous things that would NEVER fit. You just open your mouth extra wide and try.
*I love the little "O" your mouth makes when you're surprised by something (like yesterday when you turned your sippy cup over and it was leaking water on your leg...you were SO surprised at the water trickling on you, you just looked at us wide-eyed and open-mouthed).
*I love how inquisitive and smart you are. If you want to do something, but can't figure out how, you try and try until you get it. This is especially true with opening and closing doors, putting things in and taking things out of containers, and finding "hidden" items.
*I love (and am often infuriated by) how relentless you are. No matter how well we hide our iPhones or the TV remote, which you adore, you find them eventually, and don't give up until they are yours.
*I love how you dance by shaking your arms and wiggling, especially to the "Blue's Clues" song.
*I love the huge cowlicks you have on the nape of your neck, which make your hair part like an open curtain. I love the little curls that stick out behind your ears.
*I love that your hair, at least right now, is strawberry blonde. I get comments on it all the time.
*I love your big, blue eyes. More than anything else, that's what people notice about you. People say all the time how beautiful they are, and how alert and happy you seem.
*I love your laugh. It is infectious and the most lovely sound I've ever heard.
*I love the look on your face when you play peek-a-boo or run-and-hide with Daddy or me. I love that sometimes you change directions and intercept us, and then laugh and laugh at your own cleverness.
*I love your little mischievous smirk when you know you're not supposed to do something and you're checking to see if we're watching you.
*I love how you aren't afraid of the camera, and smile and pose when you see it, a lot of the time.
*I love how much you love your Mummo and Pappa. I love how excited you get when we walk up the steps to their house, and how your face lights up when you see them.
*I love how you take big bites of banana right out of the peel and then walk around while you chew. In fact, you do this with most food, if you can....eating on the run!
*I love how fascinated and interested you are when you see something new.
*I love what a "good baby" you are, though I suppose you're not so much a baby anymore, eh?
*I love your four (with two on the way) teeth, and how you grin and I can just start seeing the top ones.
*I love how you throw a ball amazingly well already, and are SO proud of yourself when you do.
*I love that you have such a distinct and fun personality already, and I can't wait to see you grow and develop it further.
*I love your little toes, especially when you curl them or stand up on them to make yourself taller.
*I love your soft, pale, sensitive skin, even if it DOES show every scratch and bump you get (and you get plenty).
*I love that you're such a daredevil (though it scares the crap out of me sometimes)! You love being thrown in the air, swinging on swings, and going down slides. The higher, the faster, the better!
*I love your sense of humor and your chutzpah. You are bold, daring, and audacious.
*I love that I could go on and on with this list, because I keep thinking of more things I love. Most of all, though,
*I love YOU.

Happy birthday, to my big boy. Not sure exactly when you morphed from the little baby we brought home to the precocious toddler you are now, but I'm amazed. You are SO special and your Daddy and I love you more than we can say.