It is only by the sweet grace of Christ that our s

It is only by the sweet grace of Christ that our son, our precious baby boy, is now a year old! He has been a delight to his family, and more so as days pass on. Massimo is a smiley, enthusiastic, charming little man, who gives an easy smile, cheering for his Momma as I walk into the room, and joyously shouting "Hey, Dadda!" upon seeing his Daddy. His sisters can't restrain from heartily embracing him and slathering his person with excessive affection.

The day of his first birthday, little Mo added a new word to his repertoire, "tow truck." His first words of "all done", "pancake" and "hotdog" from 10 months?? have been joined by "Dadda"
Gigi
Sushi

Massimo started pulling himself up to walk at --- He is coasting around furniture with determination and is certain to begin walking soon as he has already made several attempts in the last two weeks with an occasional step. Massimo crawls with vigor and determination through a room, always looking for adventure by opening any door, climbing stairs, and hiding in crevices. He loves to play tag and hide and seek, coyly, with giggles and snorts whilst peering out from behind a chair to flash a smile before bolting to a new spot or going on the hunt for the next person.

I am sure Byron would agree that one of our little son's greatly athletic feats is seen in his gargantuan biceps... This little dude can throw! Our girls never showed real interest in such things, especially so early on, but Massimo can easily chuck a ball across a room. He loves playing ball games with his sisters, but has not taken the humble ground of being gracious to not annihilate them with his raw natural talent. Daddy is okay with that, and has registered Mo for some ball camps and hopes to get him in coaching soon. We are anxiously awaiting to see if Massimo is right or left handed as it will have a major play in how Daddy directs Mo's career.

At 12 months, Mojo has 8 teeth fully in and the ninth painfully breaking through. Sleep has been a challenge since January when the first began to truly irritate him, and all additions have painfully plagued him since. Between his tenth and eleventh month, Massi had what I believe was an infection in his gums over a tooth that has yet to bud, which caused him great distress. Because of his trials, my little buddy and I made it a habit of watching movies, snuggles and play for a couple hours near nightly up until our trip to Hatteras, when suddenly he slept two full nights in a row! It was a miraculous experience after so many months of deprivation.

Thanks to Massimo, I am a near expert on all things related to British period drama.

We may have passed another stretch of teething saga, as a molar is partway in without any complaint till last night. Such blessing for this to have come so far in with no complaint till last night!

Whenever Mo is tired, he reaches for my hair so he can weave it through his fingers, it is his security blanket. The right thumb plugs up his mouth and he nestles his sweet blonde head into the crook of my right arm, curling his body into a position for sleep. At nap time I rock him gently with a song for several moments before settling him into the crib with a light blanket. Nighttime includes nursing and long sleeves to keep him from habitually scratching his arm whilst sleeping.

I continue to cloth diaper and am sad I ever used anything else on the girls. With simple cotton, rashes are few and far between, and heal quickly in a change or two if properly addressed right away. I find my preference leaning more and more towards "natural" parenting as I struggle to find a balance in my own health, I don't want my kids to suffer as I have due to environmental contaminants.

I am daily amazed by this sweet and joyous addition to our family. My face lights up to mimic his and him grips my heart firmly.

On the day of his birthday, Massimo taught himself go blow kisses... He clicks his tongue, then bites his hand with a smile, and readily passes these treats out to us. He also is quick to greet his parents with a genuine kiss (accompanied with a click for the sake of sound effect) and a vigorous hug. Often this is paired with a wiggle, a shout of glee, and an applause. It's the perfect fanfare upon entering a room!