Turning one

It has been almost two months since I wrote anything here and as time has cantered by, you have waddled out of your first year and into toddler-hood.  You have been walking since the end of September but only last week decided it was time to let go of our fingers and the couch, and step out on your own.  You have four teeth.  You say ‘ta ta’ when you wave goodbye.  You say ‘oooh’ with excitement when you see something you like.  You make me laugh.  You are a little boy.

I couldn’t believe how quickly your 1st birthday came round.  I truly felt that the year had passed in the blink of an eye and all of a sudden there you were – opening presents, playing with the wrapping paper and envelopes, and pointing at balloons.  Your father was at work so you had a lunch-date with your little friend Evie at the Maltbarn Restaurant at Glenfiddich Distillery and then we were joined by your aunty, both grandmothers and grandpa David for lunch.  (I wonder how many 1 year olds mark their birthday at a distillery cafe…?).  You seemed to be aware that it was a special day and at the end of it all, once you were tucked up in bed dreaming, your father and I toasted our very first year as parents with a dram.  Two days later, you had a party with four friends.  We made you a train cake out of swiss rolls and laid out snacks on a mat on the floor for what resembled feeding time at the zoo.  You all wore party hats and tucked into the food while we looked on with big grins.

The day after your birthday party we went on holiday to southern Scotland – spending two nights at a lovely holiday cottage in the Borders, and three nights in a beautiful lodge in Dumfries and Galloway.   It was our first family holiday as a three and I loved every minute of it.  You saw red deer, wild goats and red kites in the Galloway Forest Park; you chased after pheasants in the grounds of Orroland Estate; you had your first picnic on a gloriously sunny autumn day; you crawled around a beach on the Colvend Coast and delighted in just spending time outside in the sunshine.

Your birthday and some time away made me reflect on the last twelve months.   One day we will tell you all about your first year and all the milestones – the opening chapter as we narrate the story of you.