So one big milestone for Jake at his 1st birthday is that we were able to turn his carseat around so that he is now forward-facing! (Babies have to reach both 20lbs and 1 year of age before you can do this, so small babies have to wait a little longer... but we didn't have that issue!)
It is so funny to be able to watch him now when we drive. He just loves to look out over the dashboard (his carseat is in the middle of the back seat, so he can see out between the two front seats) and check out everything that's ahead of us. From his perspective, I'm sure it's a huge improvement from facing backwards, where all he could really look at were his own feet and the back seat!
I must admit, too, that I love peeking at him in the rear-view mirror, especially b/c he doesn't know I'm watching him. He still makes lots of funny faces and is very expressive, so I guess that must just be his personality!
Here Jake shares the forward-facing, back seat experience with Giles, who came to visit just after his birthday.