Dear Eleanor… One Year

Dear Eleanor,

And then…you were one. One! A year has passed with you in our life, it’s such a cliche but I honestly don’t remember how on Earth you have not been here all along?! But perhaps you have been. I know that you were always a little seed, tucked away in the back of my mind and heart, the little girl that I knew I would have. My daughter.

Now look at you! Growing into a proper little girl, but not too fast. You are bigger in terms of height and weight to other one year olds, but in a lot of ways I still see you as a little baby, mainly because of your dislike of standing. Other babies are beginning to walk, or pulling themselves up on things exploring the world. You have only just started to really pull up onto your knees, and you still refuse to put much weight on your little tiny feet. That’s quite alright though, Blossom. It doesn’t bother me at all, I know that, as always, you will do things in your own time, in your own way. I know that once you’re toddling about I will see you as a real little toddler, while you are contentedly crawling about under my chair right now I can happily still call you my baby.

You are still quiet and measured, our placid sweet blossom. You have just started to say ‘Tess’ with your funny little lisp. ‘T’ sounds are new, but I’m still trying to get you to say ‘ta’ when I pass you toys or food. You love to pass things, back and forth, back and forth. Daddy started eating food out of your hand when you’re in your highchair, now you offer every piece of food to everyone else first before we say “No thank you, you have it, it’s for Eleanor” and you seem to nod agreement and pop it in your mouth.

Your word association is really good now, although you don’t say much, you definitely understand. You duck your head when told to “be careful” and “watch your head, Fred!” You throw a ball for Tessa when Mummy says “big throw!” and still loving quickly grabbing your precious drink bottle when Mummy tells you to “have a drink” – like someone might take it away if you don’t hurry up!

Since learning to crawl at 10 months old you are very, very mobile. People told Mummy that you would be off and into everything once you learnt to crawl, but as always you aren’t like that, you can definitely get places quickly if you want to, but generally you just happily plod around our little farmhouse exploring as you go. You like to hang out in Mummy and Daddy’s room, banging on the full length mirror or if you’re lucky Mummy has left the wardrobe doors open and you can pull all Mummy’s shoes out! You love shoes! You sometimes play in your room, discovering the box of nappies or your shoes (again, shoes!) on your change table which you like to pull off. But you don’t get up to too much mischief generally. You do like to push the buttons on the DVD player, and know that you shouldn’t, you look to see if Mummy is looking before you start fiddling with it, then when Mummy catches you you start to play with the drawer handles which you know you’re allowed to play with. “Nothing to see here Mummy!” Cheeky chops.

Stacking and sorting and “packing up” are your favourite types of games. Your plastic stacking cups are your most used toy, stacking and packing, big and small. You like to put lots of things in a container of sorts – all your animals into the ark, all your blocks into the basket. You turn things over in your chubby little hands, looking at all the sides and contemplating if this shape will fit where you want it to go. You also love your books, you will sit for three times longer flipping the pages of your little board books than you will playing with a toy. Often Mummy will find you just sitting ‘reading’ your books, flipping and looking, back and forth, for a very long time for a one year old!

Sleeping is still an Olympic sport for you, and you would have a gold medal! You go to bed at 7pm most nights, 7.30 if Daddy is mucking about with you. He changes your nappy and puts you in your jammies every night before Mummy feeds you on the bed in your room, then tucks you into your cot with Carrots. Oh, how you love Carrots! We rarely give you Carrots when you’re not in bed, but if you ever see him you just beam and do a funny little shaky jig, kicking your legs and chortling. Then you grab him and hug him tight with a look of pure bliss on your beautiful little face. Carrots and Eleanor forever. You sleep soundly without a peep for 12+ hours a night, often Mummy won’t hear boo out of you until 9am or later! One morning you are still quiet in your cot until 10am when Mummy has to check on you, you are happily sitting in your cot with Carrots, who knows how long you’ve been awake but usually you are happy to sit quietly until Mummy discovers you! Funny little Blossom.

One Saturday morning, just before your birthday, Daddy goes into your room to get you up and calls out to Mummy that you are sitting up! You have always been so immobile in your cot, it’s for sleeping and sleeping only according to you, such a clever clogs you are. But now you have discovered you can sit up! We have to drop your cot level down finally, a lot of other babies are standing up in their cots by now, not you though Blossom.

People comment on just how quiet you are, our little mouse Eleanor. Mummy really struggles to hear you when you wake up, even in our little house, you are just so quiet. Quiet and measured and placid, that’s you. And we wouldn’t have you any other way. Mummy worries (silly Mummy) that you are not very determined about mastering skills, but you are you, nothing bothers you and you do things in your own way in your own time.

I can’t wait to see the little girl that you will become, I see glimpses here and there, watching the toddler Eleanor emerge and the baby Eleanor slip away. Not too fast though Blossom, just like everything you do. I can’t wait to see you walk, and explore, and talk more, and develop your funny little placid personality. You learn new things every day, although you are quiet, you are more knowing and aware than we probably realise.

With your rosy apple cheeks, wisps of dark blonde mousey hair and big blue eyes – you are just as I imagined a daughter of ours to be. And more. The little seed in the back of my mind and heart who grew into Eleanor Joy.

Keep blooming Blossom,
Mama