Nine whole months (and a few days) have gone by with you on the outside. You’ve spent longer on the outside now
than on the inside. You’ve been a part of our lives for over a year and
a half. It’s truly amazing how much life can change in 18 short
months…how your Daddy and I can go from a young married couple who had
no clue about raising a baby to veteran parents who can change diapers,
soothe cries, and tickle like pros. It’s amazing how much you’ve changed
in 18 months, sweet boy. How you went from a cluster of cells to YOU. I
am blown away by our Creator – he is magnificent and awe-inspiring.
That He chose you, formed you, and allowed us to raise you is just
amazing to me. I’m so lucky to be your Mom, Will. So, so, so lucky!
You are quite the little boy. You’re up and down and all around the
house these days. You crawl anywhere and everywhere, stopping to examine
things that I’d never take the time to notice. You give special
attention to the leaf that has blown in the front door, the crumb on the
edge of your high chair tray, the strand of hair that’s escaped from my
ponytail, and the pine needle that’s fallen off our Christmas tree. You
love to inspect the (covered and safe!) outlets and my running shoes
that have failed to make their way to my closet. You’re really starting
to learn how to interact with your environment, whether it’s a loud
grunt/yell to get my attention (a new favorite of yours) or “playing”
with Riley and taking her ball out of her mouth. Gran and CP got you a
walker for Christmas and you love it. You will push it everywhere and
you will not let go of the handle until you’re good and ready! Last
night, Daddy and I watched you learn how to push it to the toys you
wanted to play with. You’d push it over to your toy, sit down and play
for awhile, then stand back up and push it to the next toy. Watching you
make these little discoveries is fascinating!
You’re a total ham and one of the happiest babies I’ve met. And I’m
not just saying that because I’m your Mommy! It doesn’t take much to get
a smile out of you. Some of your favorite things are Riley jumping in
the air for her ball, me or Daddy imitating your grunts/squeals/yells,
smushing your face up against the shower door while I’m in the shower,
getting your fingers “bitten” by me or Daddy, and walking around naked
before your bath. Your favorite toys are your lion walker, your Fisher
Price musical table, your Tonka toy trucks, and your Melissa and Dough
puzzles (all of which were Christmas presents). Your first Christmas was
so much fun! We didn’t do anything incredibly special – we stayed home
in the morning and opened presents as a new family of 3 and then went to
see Gran, CP, and Uncle Matt. But it was so nice to spend time with
you, to watch you discover bows and wrapping paper and Christmas trees
and gifts. You weren’t all that into the actual opening of the presents –
you enjoyed playing with the toys wrapped in the paper! Once we got you
started playing with a toy it was pretty hard to tear you away to open another. Always so focused :)
You weigh 19 pounds 10 ounces (25th percentile) and are 28 1/2 inches
tall (50th percentile). You’re wearing size 3 diapers, 6-12 month
clothing, and 12-18 month footed sleepers.
You’re still not anywhere close to sleeping through the night – you
usually wake around 11pm when Daddy rocks you back to sleep and anywhere
from 1am – 5am when you come into bed with us. Many, many, many people
have told me that you should be sleeping through the night and that we
should just let you cry…but that’s not for us. I don’t mind the snuggle
time in bed all that much either :) You’re
taking 2 solid naps a day with one catnap in the late afternoon or
early evening. As pathetic as your nighttime sleeping is, you actually
nap pretty well! You love your “doggie” from Gran. I didn’t realize how
attached to it you were until you cried and cried one nap time when I
tried to rock you to sleep without it (it was in the washing machine).
You’re still a paci fanatic, though you’ve learned how to take it out if
you just want to cry! You’re now completely off of purees and only
eating table food. Some of your favorites are yogurt, kiwi, bananas,
sweet potato bites, peas, scrambled eggs with cheese, fish, blueberries,
raspberries, nectarines, and mangoes. You do not like refried beans and
if I try to give them to you spread on a tortilla, you will promptly
throw them off your tray to the dogs. I’m not sure where you learned
that nasty little trick, but Mommy does NOT like it! You’re very big on
feeding yourself and aren’t too keen to have Mommy or Daddy feed you
anymore. We still feed you messy things, like yogurt, or foods that are
hard to pick up, like bananas and kiwi, but for the most part, you feed
yourself. You adore your bathtime and you frequently will lounge on the
side of your duck tub with your feet propped on the sides. You’ve also
become quite the Momma’s boy, which I don’t mind a bit. I figure that
when you’re 17, you’re not going to want to cuddle with your Mommy
anymore, so there’s no harm in cuddling you and hugging you as much as I
want.
I really wish there was a way for me to capture all those little
every day things with you, sweet baby boy. You make my heart swell with
love and there is so much joy in our house. It is so wonderful to watch
you learn…to watch you make connections, to pick up on things we do
(like waving), or to learn things all on your own. You started dancing a
few weeks ago and it is absolutely adorable. You sway your head back
and forth (a little bit reminiscent of A Night at the Roxbury)
and grin. In the past few days, you’ve even added a little bit of a hip
wiggle to your dance! It’s the little things like that which make
living with you such a blessing.
I am so, so thankful to be your Mommy
and I’m so proud of you!
Love,
Mommy
