One - turns out its not a lonely number at all

I love one-year-olds. Its such a cool age.


Don't get me wrong.... I tend to adore whatever ages my kids are currently at. There's neat stuff that comes with every age -- like Travis going to school, developing a love of reading, learning how things work, advancing his critical thinking skills. For instance, last night I was playing "Word Warp" on the iTouch. Travis said, "you couldn't play word warp with just one letter, because its called word warp -- and you can't warp just one letter!" I loved the fact that not only did he of course determine what was necessary for the mechanics of the game, but that he even related it to the name of the game. He's one sharp cookie.


And Noah, at nearly-three - its awesome to watch his burgeoning sense of humor, his greater understanding of relationships, cause & effect, and the like. There's something really fascinating about the two and three year old age, because they're so dependent and independent at the same time.


No, I love where the boys are at, and I would never want them to go back to those days when I counted their ages in months instead of years.


But I do think the one-year stage is my favorite.


Having seen the boys go through this age, I know that this is indeed a precursor to what Sophie's personality will eventually develop into -- her stubbornness and sense of purpose are not likely to recede. But she's not yet at the place where she is willfully defiant or testing boundaries -- like Noah, for instance, who knows just how to push everyone's buttons, or Travis, who gets moody and sullen when he doesn't get his way. No, Sophie is just pure and honest in her agenda and her motivations. Happy when she gets what she wants, sad when she doesn't -- but not begrudging, not bitter. She's thrilled with simple joys, like Canada licking at her toes while she sits at the dinner table; she delights in silly games and peek-a-boo; she screams when she gets reprimanded for playing with the dog food bowl, she cries when Noah won't let her play Wii Sports Resort, but a kiss and a cuddle are all it takes to cheer her up. She wakes up loving life, a smile on her face, ready to take on whatever comes her way.


Aaah, my sweet Sophie.