Dear Benjamin,

This month you turned one. It is hard to believe that a whole year has passed since you were born. I am happy to say that the 12 month-old you is very pleasant. You have traded in your constant grump faces for copious smiles and laughs.

You are not really talking yet, or walking but you manage to both communicate clearly and get into everything. You say "ma" and "da" and everything else sounds like "unh" or "agh". You can sign "eat", "finished" and "more" when you choose to. Sometimes, you wave goodbye. Mostly you point, reach and grunt to convey your wants and needs. You have a walker (thank you Grandma and Grandpa!) that you love to push around the house. You are also a pro at pushing chairs across the room and then climbing on chairs to reach things you should not.
You broke mommy's favorite lamp this month.

You love balls. You can spend large amounts of time throwing and chasing down bouncy balls. You are surprisingly good at playing "catch" or "roll the ball" with Mommy and Daddy. Another thing you love is to hammer things with your toy hammers. Wooden spoons are also handy for banging. You hide things in the drawer under the oven in the kitchen no matter how hard I try to keep you out of there.

You have a sixth sense for unlocked cabinets and often empty them of their contents before I realize that it is unlocked and rectify the situation. You splash in the toilet whenever the opportunity presents itself, whether or not the toilet has been flushed. Since you have 3 potty-trained brothers who forget to close the bathroom door, this happens regrettably often.
You torment your brothers by constantly getting into their things, disassembling their puzzles and following them around like a lost puppy. They adore you anyway.

You are very very dramatic and throw impressive tantrums when you don't get your way. You scream, flop around like a dead fish and give betrayed looks. We try not to laugh. We are not always successful.
You are finally a good eater! You continue to prefer foods that are well seasoned. You love chili, curry and asian dishes heavy on the ginger.
You are a source of great comfort, snuggles and joy. Thank you for coming to our family little Jami. We sure love you, kiddo.