Smith(elli) Family: Wait, what? My baby is 1 today?!!

I am still having troubles coming to terms with it. It can't be...no...how...what? My baby boy is 1 year old today??!!

My feelings about him turning 1 are polarized. On one side, my heart is broken. I feel like time is zipping right past me; what happened to my infant boy that I birthed like...yesterday?

But then there is this other half of me - so excited to see what tomorrow brings. Each day with Nolan is more entertaining and exciting than the last. He is such a little character! I can barely put into words how amazing this little man is. Of course, I will try, though :)

Nolan is truly one of the most affectionate, sweet, loving children I have ever met. When you're sitting on the floor with him, he loves to just come over and smother you with a big hug and (if you're lucky) one of his signature open-mouth kisses on the cheek. When I lay on the floor playing with him, he will play with his toys for a bit, then come over and smother his face into your neck, chest, or lap. He will then return to his toys. A minute later, he will come over to you again to give some more love. What kid does that?? My kid, that's who.

At night is especially cuddly. You can just sit with him and cuddle together...for a bit (he is an almost-toddler, after all) . It's like you just melt together. What an amazing time.

He is such an easy-going, happy kid, too. He is generally always in good mood; as long as he can see that someone is around, he's a happy camper. He is not intimidated by new people, and absolutely LOVES other kids (especially his cousins, Robert and Connor).

When we go to restaurants, and he sits and eats his food and rarely fusses. We have never had to remove him from a restaurant due to a meltdown. Unheard of, right??

One of my favorite things Nolan does: throws himself right down in front of you to tickle him. It's the funniest thing! He'll lay down right in front of you with a little smirk and wait for you to tickle him. After he is done giggling and squirming, he'll crawl away, and a couple minutes later come over over for some more. And recently, when he sees Francis grab his little truck, he will lay down and wait for Francis to roll the truck all over his back. It is the cutest thing to watch!

Let's see...what are some of his big milestones, you ask? Here are some of the ones I can think of:

says "dada" and "mama", although I think he says "mama" moreso when he wants/needs something, and "dada" when he's generally excited about things
says "nana"
says "up"
said (once) "bye bye"
said (once) "no no no" (after Connor took his toothbrush away from him)
can put buckles together
can unlock an iPhone (why did we teach him that?!)
climbs up and down stairs
walks...with assistance (he took 2 steps on his own today, though!) He really doesn't need the assistance because he seems to have really good balance, but he will just stop moving the moment you take your finger away. I guess he's just building up his confidence. He'll get there, though. No rush.
feeds himself with a spoon
brushes his own hair
NOT ONE TOOTH yet. Not even peeking through.
a million other things I can't think of right now. Good god, the kid changes daily! :)

All I can say is that Nolan has brought such a purpose and contentment in my life. I AM SO EXCITED TO SPEND MY LIFE WITH THIS AMAZING BOY!!!!

Here are some pics from his first 12 months. I actually cried as I went through some of these older pics - I am brought back to all the emotion and joy from each of these moments with him.(sniffle) I'll be okay.

October'10: