Happy Birthday Sam

It's my nephew's first birthday today! My sister had Sam a year ago today. I was in England at the time, so it was the perfect reason to go out to the pubs and have a few pints of beer (like you really need a reason). When I returned home and met him, it was an amazing experience. He was the first newborn I really felt compelled to get to know, to hold and to talk to. I also had the honor of being the first person to get him drunk: I fed him drops of wine during the Bris (the Jewish circumcision ritual).
I've seen him several more times since then, but always a few months apart, as I don't live that close to my sister. When I first returned in september, he was incredibly expressive. He laughed, he giggled, he crawled, he even gnawed at my hair and glasses.
Then, over thanksgiving, he was pulling himself up and standing while holding supports. He was getting into everything. If you brought out a box of his toys, he'd pull all the toys out of the box and play with the box. Boxes were particularly fun if they have things he shouldn't get into in them: cd's, tapes, dvds, etc... Anything he could he hold on to, or get near his mouth.
The most amazing thing, of course, was seeing him laugh and smile. If you made a silly face, or tickled him, or he saw a cat walking by, he'd just break out into this heartbreaking grin. He couldn't speak words, but his face could say so much.
I never thought I could relate to children this young. My nephew proved me dead wrong.
Happy Birthday.