G2: The Year in Review

Today, my second child completes his first trip around the sun. He's traveled 585 million miles through space, yet traveled to only three states (and the District of Columbia). His worldview is limited to what he can hold or shove in his mouth, but, like the rest of us, he's hurtling through an inconceivably large universe, one body in a sea of near infinite possibility. And that's just his first 12 months. What's he going to do for an encore?

As we do around here, I'm recapping G2's first year in pictures. By a rough count, we took 8,986 pictures this year (compared to 5,024 for LG's first year). The major difference? Hollie has an iPhone now.

Reminder: each of these pictures was taken on or around the 29th of the month.

Here's where we started, one year ago today. We were presented with the customary baby burrito, grande, in this case.

Who you callin' grande?

Even in his first month, he showed signs of the very expressive person he would become. This first month was pretty good. At this stage, he was a better sleeper than his sister. We thought we had hit the easy baby jackpot.

April: See? Even tummy time isn't so bad.

As we cleared month number two, he was starting to play, though this picture doesn't really show that so much.

May: As soon as I get some arm strength, that frog is mine.

June came and went, and he started to class up the joint. Right around this time, he decided he'd had enough of being an easy baby, and it was time to cause some trouble. We have never been as tired as we were in June.

June: Note the rakish angle of my tie, suggested the devil-may-care way I approach life.

Hey, he's four months old! Time for solid food! Maybe he'll sleep better when he's got some rice cereal in his belly!

July: Naaaaaah!

This is far from G2's first smile, but it shows just how happy he can be, even when he's a pain in the butt.

August: I am a joy to be around! And don't you forget it!

Never had a child so resembled a pumpkin at the appropriate time of year.

September: The hat helps.

As the product of a Bucknell union, we feel compelled to point out other, similar unions.

October: Orange is their color.

I know it may seem like we are a month off with these pictures, what with the November picture featuring a Santa hat, but since his birthday is the 29th, he's practically in the next month every time we take one of these pictures.

November: Is there something on my head?

See? A December picture, and there are Christmas decorations! Sometimes the timing works.

December: And you thought I was trouble before. Watch out, sister!

Since this was the winter of never-melting snow, he spent far more time in the white stuff than his sister did in her first year. Crucially, he didn't typically mind, despite being stuffed into his snow pants like Randy in A Christmas Story.

January: A smile, or has my face frozen this way?

Full disclosure: this next picture is definitely the first day or two of March. But to be fair, February only had 28 days this year.

February-ish: But it's a rocking chicken! Surely we are forgiven.

And on the morning of his first birthday, he sat at my computer and... good God, what is he doing?

March 2014: This is what I have wrought, father. And, lo, I was super pleased with myself.

Bonus pic from DC vacation!

Hop in, Dad. I'ma fly us outta here!