Now that Michael is one, I would rather not chronicle his life by month: I’d like to record the moments and milestones as they come. I’ll be posting updates on our little hobbit as the pictures and life skills accumulate (most likely more than once per month, knowing me).

Michael’s favorite book currently is Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton. He anticipates each animal sound before we turn the page and joins in BOW WOW WOW with gusto. We all have it memorized by now.

His baby babble has become much more sophisticated: Mama, Dada, yes and no, eyes, nose, ball, and “num” (food) are all regular parts of his vocabulary. He mirrors back to us words we’re saying, and he talks to himself constantly while playing — I know he’s getting into something he’s not supposed to when the babble ceases.

We transitioned from a crib to a floor bed, hoping it would help him sleep longer. So far it hasn’t improved much, but it’s easier for Jake and me to put him down and soothe him back to sleep, so I’m calling it a win. I need all the wins I can get, especially now that he’s down to one nap.

His favorite game is Bonk, which is exactly what it sounds like. He gently (and sometimes not so gently) bonks his forehead against ours and giggles uproariously when we proclaim bonk! (Or sometimes ouch). He also adores opening and closing cabinets. It keeps him quite busy at church during the homily.

He’s officially walking everywhere, and prefers walking to crawling. We hear little padding footsteps followed by a loud splat as he loses his balance, often a frustrated screech, then footsteps once more as he gets up and tries again.

Grandpa and our cat Chai are tied for his best friend. Grandpa likes Michael a lot more than Chai does, but she’s tolerant of him and allows him to pet her. He’s remarkably gentle with pets for his age. He also enjoys chasing her with his toy mop (a behavior we’re trying to discourage).

He continues to love music, just as he did in the womb and as an infant. We often listen to music in the afternoons together while playing in his room. Whenever our washer or dryer plays the ditty that announces the cycle is finished, he often pauses and bounces in place along with the beat. He’s especially enjoying Nickel Creek and Chris Thile. Maybe he’ll play fiddle or mandolin when he grows up.

His frustration tolerance is low — if he gets stuck or something is in his way, he displays an impressive lung capacity. My favorite quote from Moby Dick often comes to mind: a bellow “like that of a heart-stricken moose” (Ch 36, for those interested). We’re slowly and surely helping him learn patience. He might be impatient, but he’s resolute and has all the virtues that come with stubbornness.

Being outside in the garden is one of his favorite pastimes. I have to keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn’t eat the compost or behead one of my seedlings with his trowel, but he loves playing in the dirt with his garden tools. He helped Jake plant a tree, and helped me plant some blackberries.

Currently, he’s a ridiculously adventurous eater. Anything I’m eating, he wants to eat it too. To name a few, he’s eaten kimchi, kombucha, wasabi pea chips, and sauerkraut (and come back for second, third, and fourth bites)

He is a very loved little boy: GG and PaPaw dote on him, as do his grandparents. Living in community has its difficulties, but seeing Michael grow up surrounded by so many who love him is one of the brightest parts.

I watch him grow with a bittersweetness: this walking, talking toddler was my tiny baby not that long ago. I feel like I blinked and he became a little boy.

Even in the midst of the sleeplessness and other challenges motherhood brings, I cherish these beautiful moments and collect them in my photos and in my heart.