Gideon at 1

Can you believe it? I can't. He was so tiny and squishy, then he was so little and silly, and now he is enormous and ready to take on the world.



His 12 month stats, taken on his actual birthday, (along with his 12 month shots, poor little guy) are:

Wt: 25 pounds 8 ounces (85%)
Ht: 30 and 3/4 inches (80%)
Head: 18.8 inches around (85%)

So what else can I tell you about this one year old?

For starters, he loves to eat! His favorites are lima beans, cauliflower, mashed potatoes, meatballs, pancakes, muffins, pork tamales, dada's mushrooms, soy yogurt, refried beans, mexican rice, and lo mein. We are so proud of his eating habits; nothing makes me happier than watching him eat beets and turnips and I really hope he keeps this up.



Much to my relief he has taken to his sippy cup lately and spends a lot of time drinking water. He is like a fish. So much so that apparently he needs to keep his skin (scales?) wet. To this end he gets a big mouthful of water and lets it run down his chin, over his belly, and onto the floor.



He love his puppy Chloe. He loves taking her toys out of her mouth, he loves jamming toys in her face. He even loves giving her the occasional high kick to the face. Chloe loves him too.



He also loves his special friends Ellie and George. Ellie is a little elephant lovie his gramma CC got for him before he was even born. The kid LOVES her and does not sleep without her. There have been nights when I have gone to check on him and thought "oh no where is Ellie" only to discover he was sleeping on top of her. Every night we lay him down in his crib and hand him Ellie and he immediately hugs her and gives her kisses. It melts my heart and pretty much every other part of my body



We got George when we were helping my mother clean out her classroom after she retired last spring. I brought home lots of books and stuffed animals that day but he liked George the best and soon began carrying him around and snuggling with him. I was completely surprised because he had never shown interest in anything other than Ellie before. Not long after we discovered that George is the best way to soothe a crying Gideon.



He has a very deep love for cell phones and remotes. Especially wonderful is using my phone to take Giddy selfies. You see, my phone has a camera on the front and the back so you can actually see yourself taking a picture. Future photographer perhaps?



Another love? (this kid if full of love)T.V.

I am conflicted about this. I love T.V. too. I actually think we are in a new age of storytelling through quality programming. However, I think Gideon just likes the babies on commercials and interesting lights and sounds. So we watch the news together in the morning and in the evening. Sometimes we watch cooking shows. He often watches Sesame Street with George. As he gets older I am going to have to limit what he watches even more, for now I think we are doing okay.



Giddy can do several tricks these days. He walks easily with his walker, can climb in and out of his car like a breeze, pulls up to standing and and has even started standing without any help. Cruising? No problem. I even got him to take a couple of steps before falling into my arms for a snuggle. It is apparent that he CAN walk but he is very timid about it. I would be too, falling hurts!

I asked Mac to help me out because I knew I would forget something. Here are some of Dada's thoughts:

What do you think of when you think of Gideon?

"Giddy loves to be tossed in the air and play hide and seek (he is soooo good at hide and seek). He loves to be startled (thinks it is hilarious). He gets so excited he shakes and giggles when he catches you walking past his room (when he is supposed to be sleeping). How proud of himself he is when he figures out something new. How totally fearless he is (yet completely skeptical) about some things."

Gideon loves his daddy more than anything (he loves mama too for sure but there is something truly special about daddy). We are so excited every night when daddy walks through the door. Giddy's whole demeanor changes and his face lights up. I hope it is always that way. I hope a 30 year old man comes home for a visit and lights up when he sees his father.

Wow, this has gotten long. There is so much more to say, so many stories to tell. Gideon loves little leaves and one day filled his little car with them and brought them into the house. He licks our windows and adores bathtime. He loves his pediatrician and the nurse, Dixie. He likes wearing his shoes so much he tries to put them on by himself. He is extremely facially expressive all the time EXCEPT when he is in his car, there he has a blank and almost stern expression. Funny thing is he loves his car and never wants to leave it.

He is a complicated little soul. When I think of my boy I think of his giggles (frequent and boisterous), his hugs and snuggles (as plentiful as his laughs, we often spend the late afternoon before daddy comes home snuggling on the floor in our jammies), and his sweet face everytime I go to get him from his crib. I knew I would love him, I never knew this kind of love was possible and I had no idea that he would love me so much right back. It is bittersweet to watch him grow and change. How does the quote go? Deciding to have a child is deciding to keep your heart outside of your body for the rest of your life. It's true. At night when he cries (this is pretty much every night, have I mentioned reflux sucks?) Mac and I fight over who gets to go soothe him. True story. He actually threw up whole pieces of food into my hair one night and I cleaned it up all by myself and didn't freak out. Crazy.

So happy first birthday Gideon Mack Edwards. Mama and Dada love you and always will.