EWG is 1!

Elliott William Grooms, age 1. 18 Aug 2014

Boy loves his pacis. Stirling Castle, 26 July 

On his birthday in the Botanic Garden, one of his favorite spots

Beach/sand lover. Millport, 23 Aug. 

Common descriptions of Elliott: laid-back, content, gorgeous, charming, clever, happy, lovely

In general, he is a delight to all--smiling and waving to the old ladies that populate the buses we ride; playing with other wee ones at the parks we frequent; engaging with the grandparents on FaceTime; and generally livening up our household with his sweet smile, laughs and wobbly steps. He loves to clap and dance (bless his little white boy heart) and move around. He loves to snuggle and be held; to receive kisses and zoobers, especially from big sister, and generally is very affectionate. He is a laid back and contented little guy and I could not be more grateful for this quality. I credit some of this as his personality, and some to the fact that we are more laid back this time around.
He absolutely loves to read books (FINALLY, A CHILD I CAN READ WITH) and often crawls into our laps with a board book clutched in his chubby little hand. Melt my heart. This has also encouraged L to read more, which obviously delights me. He is trying hard to walk, and I think will be fully independent at this soon. He is excellent at crawling and standing and quite proficient at getting where he needs to go or obtaining what he desires. He attempts to pilfer L's breakfast pretty much every morning.
This is not to say that Elliott is a perfect baby! He routinely wakes up around 6:00 am and he has not slept through the night EVER. Not once. However, I do love the middle of the night cuddles and at this point, we are (mostly) down to one waking. Sometimes I'm less cheerful about this lifetime habit of his, but for the most part, I'm just grateful that he is a good napper.
 And living in a city  without a car, with a mobile-yet-not-walking baby, is challenging and dirty, to say the least. Sometimes I just close my eyes and actively choose not to think about the germs.
He is mostly weaned and I suspect will be fully weaned within the next couple of weeks. We had a good run, and I am grateful that he is such a good eater. One of his nicknames/hashtags is "Elliott Give Me All the Food" Grooms, and eating is definitely a favorite past time of his.
It is amazing to me to think about how different his life is than Lillian's was at one. He has ridden in countless elevators, subways, buses and trains. He has been in multiple countries. He is surrounded by other languages and accents that are different from ours. It does make me sad that he won't know his grandparents, aunts and uncles and our community group and other friends like Lillian did during this year, though knowing that this isn't a permanent move makes this knowledge easier. We hope and pray for both of our kids that this experience will have a positive impact on the course of their lives, though it is also strange to know that E won't remember one bit of our Scottish adventure.
All that to say, E is the kind of baby who makes us want to have 10 more (or maybe 2), and we can't wait to see how our little man grows and changes this year and always.

Happy first birthday, Elliott. You are a gift to us and so many others already, and we love you to pieces.