Soak it Up

I took this picture 6 days before Grady was born (and it happens to be the outfit I was wearing when my water broke) Looks like he was about to fall out from under the shirt!

Incredible what happens in a year!

I didn't expect to be so emotional at the eve of his first birthday.

It's like my body has hormonal memory or something! I tear up just looking at him.

He's zips around on his hands and knees now and tries to climb every chance he gets. He'll walk holding one hand and look up at you with a big proud smile. Yesterday I turned around and he was standing up next to my knee holding on with one hand. I was dumbfounded. It seems like all I've said all year is, "Where's that little baby we brought home?"

Dad. Dog. Duck. These are his favorite words. Go figure. He surprises us by copying other words we say, but then he clams up and won't repeat it.

He really surprised Dad & I yesterday by cursing me when I tried to adjust him in his swing. I swear - he swore! I can't repeat it here because that wouldn't be proper, (OK, it was G.D.I. and he said it with gusto!) Dad & I both stopped and looked at each other and Dad said, 'did you hear that?" Then we both just cracked up!

Oh, we're in for a ride!

So, tomorrow is his first birthday! Time is such a strange creature. Right now it is easy to say, "that went sooo fast!" But, during each stage there was this blissful sense of time standing still. Holding him for the first time, his first smile, the sweet sound of his laughter, the first word, watching him discover something new...all of those moments where nothing else in the world mattered and time paused if even for an instant.