12 months! Can It Be??

cannon, 12 months

Dear Sweet Cannon,

You have grown so much this month!  You have added a full inch to your height since your nine month doctor’s appointment, bringing you to 30.5” tall.  You have also gained four pounds in the last three months and now weigh a whopping 23lbs and 7oz.  My little 'string bean' baby of the past can now hold his own, especially if the situation requires mighty thighs or cheeks!  In height, weight and head circumference you are now in the 75^th percentile.  This is good news because it means all of your proportions are about equal and we now get more comments on how much darker your hair has become than on your beautifully large brain.  In the last couple of months you have developed a skin irritation mostly around your elbows and knees that the doctor believes to be a minor case of eczema, having something to do with our laundry detergent or dryer sheets.  I am going to wash your clothes with a milder detergent as well as eliminate dryer sheets and see if that helps.  The rash may clear up without much change once you start walking because your clothes won’t be rubbing on your knees as abrasively.  

Right now walking is not a top priority for you.  I think it has something to do with watching Tank on all fours, not having older kids around all the time, being a really good crawler, and lack of interest.  You did take three steps while we were visiting Memaw in Utah but you have not tried again since that night two weeks ago.  Since then you have shown readiness by doing a lot of cruising and sometimes crawling on your hands and feet, rather than knees.  I love watching you scramble around. 

Something that you picked up on our big trip to see grandparents is peek-a-boo.  You laugh SO hard when someone pops out and surprises you.  You also love to be chased and to play hide and seek.  Your favorite places to hide are under tables, behind furniture and in corners.  You are sure that there has never been anything funnier than when someone discovers Baby Cannon in hiding.  When you get excited you give a HUGE six-toothed smile, put your chin to your chest and kick your little legs as fast as they will go.  If tickling follows, you shrug and laugh so hard that everyone around you ends up laughing too.  Recently, excitement has started leading to hitting people in the face too so we are trying to harness that tendency as fast as possible.  Your most ticklish spots are your neck, your spine, the inside of your legs and your feet.  If I tickle your feet you kick and kick until I stop… then put your foot back in my hand for more.  You love to laugh.

At the beginning of this month, you and I went on a big trip to the west coast.  We spent a week in Utah with some of Daddy’s parents, Memaw and Pogo, and Uncle Brandon where we got to see their new house in Alpine, played A LOT, attended Auntie Savanna’s baby shower for your cousin Pierce who is supposed to arrive on April 1^st, spent time with Uncle Nick and Aunt Gabby, and had play dates with your Murdock cousins and Auntie Dani and her babies Sirri and Tanner.  You took a special liking to Pogo (Grandpa Craig) and wanted to stay in his arms for as long as possible.  You even let him give you a baby back massage in his home-based chiropractic office!  Toward the end of our trip Uncle Brandon taught you how to push a car rather than throw or scoot them along as you crawl; and how to hold and write with a pen.  Your favorite thing to do with Memaw was play chase.  You were thrilled that she was willing to get down on the floor and crawl after you until her pants and tops of feet were dirty.  The two of you laughed and chased and cuddled for hours and hours. 

After our Utah stop we caught a short flight to spend some time with Grandpa Chad and Momo (Daddy’s Dad and Step-Mom).  They loved to listen to all of your sounds and words.  You love to point and say oooh, Mama, Dada, what’s that, what’s this, or wow.  The weather was beautiful and they loved taking you outside to spend time in the sunshine and green grass.  Momo and I took you to feed the ducks and visit the horses at the park near their house.  Grandpa Chad loved capturing all of your different emotions and expressions as he took handsome pictures of you.  After a couple of days Daddy and lots of other family and friends came in town to celebrate your first birthday and Disneyland Day!  On Friday evening storm clouds rolled in so we decided to abandon the park and all join to celebrate at Lamppost Pizza.  You ate pizza, opened FUN presents, and covered yourself in the frosting from your cake.  I think that the only cake you actually ate were the three bites I spoon-fed you.  The rest of the time you just grabbed the frosting and tried to shake it off of your hands onto the ground… usually missing and getting it all over yourself.  We all had a great time socializing and celebrating the year of total joy you have brought into our lives.

The next day was our fourth annual family Disneyland Day!  Normally we have lots of kids at Disneyland Day but this year you were the ONLY ONE!  I think it is pretty safe to say that your feet didn’t touch the ground or the stroller one time that day, except when I laid you down after you fell asleep in my arms on Pirates of the Caribbean.  You loved every ride you went on and had wide eyes and a pointing finger every time I looked over at you.  You were the perfect Disneyland baby.   You love large groups of people, whether it is Mother Goose at the local library or a huge theme park.

The next day, you spent the day hunting for Easter eggs, decorating cookies and riding the Easter train with Grandpa Chad and Momo while Daddy and I spent another day at Disneyland.  They loved spending time with you and getting to know your sweet personality.  You are a very organized baby.  You like to sort things into piles, then pull your piles apart and sort everything into different piles.  You also like to stack anything with sides.  When you put your mind to a task you become VERY focused on your mission and rarely divert your attention until the task is complete.  I predict that this will later translate into both a ‘work-hard then play-hard’ mentality as well as some one-track-mindedness, but only time will tell.

Through all of our travels you have turned out to be quite the man’s man.  You love grandpas, uncles, and anyone else that likes to wrestle or talk about sports.  When you’re not with the boys, you like to be with Mama.  You have become a bit cuddlier lately and will lay your head on my shoulder or lap when you get tired or shy.  You also still love holding hands, especially while on your changing table or riding in a shopping cart.  I love holding your hand and hope you will keep holding my hand for years to come.

Cannon, this year has changed me.  You have softened my heart and opened my eyes to the most tender kind of love.  You have allowed me to mother you and comfort you, and as a result we have an incredibly strong connection.  I hope to always love and care for you with the purity of caring for an infant.  I love knowing you; I love watching you grow.  I am so grateful that you are my son and that you chose to come to Earth at this time.  I am sure Heavenly Father misses having you around but He watches over you all the time.  You can have the same kind of loving relationship with Him that you have with Daddy now if you keep His love in your heart and show that love in the things you do.  I love you and can’t wait for  you to wake up tomorrow.

I Love You Forever,

Mommy