Almost 13 months!

We are having a ball! There is so much to write! Elliot is a one year old with places to go and people to see. He is so social and just loves to stare and smile at strangers. Today we went to the park and rode the train. It was great to have the wind in our hair. Elliot loves to study the pebbles and attempts to taste test them quite frequently. I am told he will grow out of this...I can't wait.
He is really doing a lot of mimicking and definitely has words for things. After saying "dog" correctly twice, he has decided on either, "daaaaaahhh" or "god." That makes me laugh. I was trying to get him to say the g and now he says it at the beginning instead of the end!
He gives kisses, which MELTS MY HEART. You ask for a kiss and if you're lucky you get one--sometimes a wet one.
I find he is much more accepting of things dealing with sleep. We have more routine--though that's not to be confused with a schedule. We do things routinely, but not at the same time. I wish we could have more of this "schedule" but for now we play things by ear. Planning ahead of time is unheard of.
Yesterday James and I were impersonating Ed McMahon (had to look up the spelling) by saying, "Hay, Ohhh!" And Elliot says "aaaaa ooooo!" It was awesome!
I know I won't remember everything he does so I must go into a bit of list mode in order to get it down.

He CLIMBS! The fireplace is no longer safe. He was playing quietly with toys (standing at the fireplace) and I look away for one second and he is almost IN the fireplace. Yep, better come up with something here to "baby proof" for a true adventurer.
At least he knows, "feet first." My friend told me this phrase and after about and hour of working with Elliot, he now turns himself around on his belly and puts his feet to the floor when getting off of things. It's brilliant! He can now go up and down stairs quite well--not that we'd leave him alone to take that adventure.
He carries around my small lotion jars and fills them with whatever will fit. Today he stuffed one with toilet paper and handed it to me. I swear, it was like he sculpted a work of art, I was so proud.
He loves people. He knows when the attention is on him and he basks in it.
He loves to feed his finger foods to other people--and dogs (which we put a stop to when we realized Linus was getting fed about half of Elliot's meal on the sly). Those two are still best friends. I think Linus would save Elliot from a burning building, Lassie style. They are truly a sight.
Elliot loves to talk to himself and when he gets in his crib at night, talks for about 10-15 minutes. It's as if he's telling a story or holding a conference with his stuffed animals.
Babo and Jeero are his two favorite little stuffed monsters. Elliot loves to kiss them and to hold them to your face to kiss too. He is holding them, one in each hand EVERY time I go in to get him. He plays with them, making them bounce and dance.
Something miraculous is that now Elliot gently pushes out of my arms after we've cuddled so he can GET INTO HIS CRIB!!!! What?! This is fantastic!
He is so independent too, wanting to get down and explore everything.
Water remains a favorite. He loves the tub and shower. I know this summer will be so much fun.
I look back at this time last year. Elliot was about 3 weeks old. His eyes were always blue, his hair had yet to curl. He was aware, but helpless. We were both adjusting to our new world. I feel so comfortable now. It's like I've known him all my life.