Dear Enzo,
I don’t know how a year could have passed us by so quickly! From the moment you could smile you’ve been doing nothing but smiling then giggling then full-belly laughing. Your Dad and I can barely glance your way and you break out the most delightful ear-to-ear grin. No one can resist those smiles and you have been charming every person you cross paths with almost from day 1. You have been the happiest of babies from the time you were born. I remember your Nana and Tia Ellen saying to us early on not to “forget” about the baby. We could pretty much park you anywhere as an infant and you would just hang out and take it all in.
All this laid back, happy personality stuff makes you the life of the party. You hate missing out on ANYTHING and will rally and rally and rally if there is fun to be had. I can’t help but wonder if that trip to Las Vegas when you were 5 weeks old wore off on you in some profound way! Your easy-going nature does not mean, however, that you don’t have an opinion about things. You want what you want when you want it, thank you. You’re not super disagreeable, though, unless we ignore your request. At that point, watch out! Sleep is something you’ve never been so committed too. Dad and I often have to force the issue and let you “cry-it-out” for a few minutes before you’ll let go of all that fun you might be missing.
The most cherished person in your life is, without question, your brother, Diego. The moment you could look around for anyone, you were looking for Diego and your face lights up the room when you and he are together. Your very first belly laughs were when Diego was making faces at you. You’d laugh and he’d laugh back and pretty soon you were both in hysterics. The two of you laughing together is something that sustains me and gives me great strength and happiness. No matter how tired and overwhelmed I feel, the moment the two of you laugh, I am renewed. There is nothing in the world that makes me feel better.
One of the best parts of your first year has been your very close relationship with Elizabeth, who took care of you during your first year while Mom and Dad were at work. She couldn’t love you more and gave you a cozy, nurturing and supportive environment. Your best friend, Bode was with you at Elizabeth’s and you always wanted to be doing what Bode, who is 3 months older than you are, was doing. When Bode began to crawl, you had to crawl. You were unbelievably jealous when Bode began to walk and you would not rest until you, too were walking. This dedication made for some very precarious days since you are quite big for your age and didn’t really have the balance required to take your first steps when you did, at 10 ½ months old. It took another month before you were toddling reliably and Mom and Dad could rest a little easier.
You have always wanted to talk and were barely home from the hospital when you started trying to strike up conversation. You seem to pay attention to every small detail. I remember being astounded when you were about 9 months old and I told you not to play with one of the dog toys because it belonged to Baxter. You took one look at the toy and crawled over to Baxter and gave it to him. Wow. Your first words were, “no, no, nooooo,” which you said with a smile and a wag of your little finger. Not long after you began pointing at things and asking, “dat?” We’d answer and then you’d move on and ask, “dat?” pointing at something else nearby.
You are a cuddle bug and give hugs and big slobbery open-mouthed kisses freely, occasionally when the person on the receiving end isn’t so receptive. It’s hard to resist those hugs, though, and Dad and I cannot get enough! You love your many stuffed animals and your “boojie” and will smile joyously and burry your face in it if you stumble across one in the toy box as if you’ve just found a long-lost friend.
You are an unbelievably resilient little guy – you went on your first hardcore road trip to OR when you were under 2 months old. Even though you really didn’t like your infant car seat, you rallied the whole way. It was so impressive. You loved your Grammy DiDi and Chito from the second you met them. You were as content to sit with them as with Dad and I and seemed to really love the peaceful atmosphere of Sandy, OR in the winter. We headed out to Bend to see Wendy and Martin next and again, you adjusted to whatever we threw your way. We then took you to CO just 3 weeks later to meet your Grandpa Jim. Man, you were fantastic in the car at that point. Unbelievable! You loved meeting little Addie and Melissa, too. It was at that point that we knew that you were going to be as social as your Dad and Chito and make friends with everyone who crosses your path.
My favorite memories could fill a book so I’ll have to just recount some of the highlights:
Diego fed you your first solid food (rice cereal) when you were 4 months old and you didn’t hesitate for a minute to eat every last bite. After all, you’d been watching the rest of us eat for months, just biding your time until you got a little piece of the pie, so to speak. Since that day you have been incredibly opinionated about the food that goes into your mouth. You weren’t too fond of baby food, in general, so we had to keep rotating to keep you interested in anything. You started eating like a rock star the day we threw in the towel and let you have what you really wanted – REAL FOOD – although you prefer fruit and veggies over everything else. It’s unbelievable to me but you really aren’t that interested in bread/cereal/crackers or cheese. Is that even possible? Who ever met a baby who didn’t care much for crackers?
You have loved the beach from your first visit. My favorite beach trip was at Stinson Beach for your Tia Maria’s birthday. You had a blast playing in the sand and the waves with Diego and your cousins. It was truly the BEST family day and you and Diego wore yourselves out. After lunch you took a long nap under the umbrella and then were up again to play in the sun.
Your second OR road trip was early this Fall – we really had the very best trip. You and Diego spent hours playing outside in the grass at Chito and Grammy Didi’s house. You had your first corn-on-the-cob at a late night BBQ and you loved it! We then drove up to Snohomish to meet baby Abby. You seem to really love babies and were fascinated by her even though she was so small. You, Dad and Diego took a bike ride along a beautiful bike trail in Snohomish and you fell fast asleep in your Wee-Ride. What a perfect nap it was!
We went trick-or-treating in Curtis Park with Savannah and the gang and you were just barely walking reliably. You caught on to the Halloween thing in a flash and would toddle slowly and methodically up to each house to get your very own handful on pretty colorful packages even though you had no idea what candy was. You did, however, suck on the end of a Hershey bar long enough to get a little chocolate out of it. Jackpot!!! It was hilarious and charming and priceless.
This year has gone by all to fast and I wish I could have captured even more moments in this letter, on camera and in my memory. I can’t wait to spend your second year with you and know that our future adventures will eclipse those of our past. I love you, your brother and your Dad in more ways than I can express and I cannot imagine how my life was “full” without you in it. You, my son, are the icing on the cake. Happy Birthday!
I love you with all my heart. Always.
Love,
Mama
aka Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma