Dear Boogie,
This has been a very busy month for all of us, especially you!
The list of your accomplishments this month is extensive:
- you got 2, almost 3, teeth
- you finally learned to crawl
- you answer to your name
- you can go from a sitting position to a crawling position on your own
- you can clap
- you drink out of a sippy cup with a straw
- you sit in a high chair when we eat out
- you have favorite people that you recognize
- you reach out for people to hold you
All of these things happened in the midst of chaos in our house, as we were finally getting to remodel our kitchen. The old adage "when it rains, it pours" definitely rang true for us this month!We went from a relatively simple, laid back existence, to quite the opposite. We had no kitchen for most of the month,which meant that the rest of the house was in complete upheaval with the computer room functioning as our makeshift kitchen, and our little living room also functioning as a dining room (which basically means our couch and kitchen table were crammed into the same room!). Phone calls, quotes, planning, scheduling and letting in work crews took up a lot more time than we were expecting, and on top of everything else, the first two weeks of the month had conferences which meant Mama had to be at school everyday too! Even in the midst of the chaos, it was fun to have Justin, Kelly and Miller here one weekend, and Grammy and Grandpa for the whole week of Thanksgiving.
You were so funny during this whole process. When we first had workers in the house, you were very surprised and seemed to wonder why there were strange men and noises in our house. By the end of the month, you stopped noticing all of it, and even went about your business as usual. It didn't seem odd to you that new people were in our house. I took a video at one point, because you were sleeping soundly during the super loud grinding sounds done by the guys installing the counter. I am actually really happy about this, and I think it was good for you to be able to adjust to different situations.
I am kind of random in this month's letter, but I think it is because so much happened that my mind is all over the place!
You crawled officially in a straight line for the first time for your Aunt Kell and Miller. It is sweet because Miller officially crawled at our house for the first time. Now that you can crawl, you are all over the place and into everything. You do kind of an army man crawl, where you reach and pull with your arms, and push up with your toes. Sometimes you get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but when you want to move, you are flat on your belly. You also look like you are doing the Downward Dog yoga position sometimes when you balance on your fingers and your toes and try to lift your booty up in the air. You really like the new floor in our living room and kitchen, because it is easy for you to scoot across. You are getting too fast!
Since you can crawl, I can't really leave you on our bed anymore. I am happy to say that you like to play by yourself in the living room or in your crib. It has been nice to be able to leave you playing in your crib while I get in the shower. You like to play with your Little People tractor and farmer, a variety of rattles and an old remote with no batteries that I broke down and gave you. Sometimes you even wake up in the dark and play by yourself for a while. Daddy and I will wake up and hear you saying "dadadada" and playing with your toys. You are a classic crawling kid, though, who only likes to go for the things he shouldn't, like cords, shoe laces, outlets, brooms, crumbs and remotes. You crawl right past your awesome toys to get to them! Where did you learn that grown up things are more fun?
Your little toofies are adorable, and I am proud to say that the process of them coming in didn't bother you too much. It didn't seem to affect your sleeping, and there were only a few times that you acted like you didn't want to eat. Your 2 bottom teeth are visible when you smile, and your top teeth are all bulgy like they are going to pop through any minute.
I didn't get to try many new foods with you this month, since we had no kitchen. It was easiest this month to thaw out what was already prepped (plums, sweet potatoes) or to cut up an avocado or open a can of pumpkin. I always order you some avocado if we are eating out at a place that has it, and you are getting good at sitting in the high chair. The only thing that you have shown that you didn't like was kale. I was so hoping that you would show that you have an amazing palate, but that was the first thing that you did not act interested in. You didn't cry or spit it out, you just didn't gobble it up like you have everything else. I will keep trying it, maybe mixing into other things. Can't wait to start spices and more food combinations now that you are bigger and we have a real kitchen!
Probably my favorite thing from this month is that you know your name. Daddy and I have tested it on you in different ways, and you always respond the same way. The first time, we were sitting across the couch from each other and you were looking away from me. I called out a bunch of names and words, all in the same tone of voice, and you didn't move your head. As soon as I called out "Owen!" (in the same tone and volume as the other words) you turned your head right around! We repeated the experiment with me holding you and Daddy calling out your name. Even better? You had the same reaction to being called "Boogie" and "Boogin" like they are just as much your name as Owen. I love this more than I can say, because I never would have known that this would have become your nickname, it just stuck naturally.
The d sound continues to be your favorite, but in this month you alternated your vowel sounds. One morning in bed you went from dadadadada to dihdihdihdihdihdih to dehdehdehdehdeh. My favorite is the totally random bwab bwab bwab. :) It really seems like you know who Dada is, and sometimes that you are calling out his name. I am not sure if it is a coincidence or not, but when you have been alone for too long, or you are hungry, or we are not paying enough attention to you, the sound that inevitably comes out is a super whiny Ma Ma Ma Ma. Dada gets the happy sounds and Mama gets the whines. :) You have so much to say that you will stop drinking your bottle to talk, and then go back to drinking. You also experiment with volume, like you know that you need a louder voice when someone is in a different room.
You reach out for Mama and Dada, you always laugh at Gramma and love to cuddle with Aunt Denise. You expect Pops to take you somewhere fun and show you something new, and like to pull Delaney's hair. You watch all of the kids at church and in Bible class. You were perfectly friendly to Grammy and Grandpa when they came, but at first a little reserved. Once you recognized them, you were so happy to wake up and see them in the morning, and to spend time with them. You liked to untie Grandpa's slippers and pull on Grammy's necklaces.
You are back to sleeping great. Most nights you sleep from about 9 to about 6. You usually go back to sleep at 6, and on Mama's days off, it's my favorite feeling in the world when we both go back to sleep after your first bottle. It is the hardest thing in the world to get out of bed at this time when I have to work! You still don't love taking naps during the day, but you have gotten where you will sleep more than an hour when you finally do fall asleep. Sometimes you fall right to sleep and sometimes you fight it. Sometimes you want me to rock you, and sometimes you want me to leave you alone. It was also hard to have any kind of nap time routine with workers and being in an out all the time, and having visitors. You have handled it really well, and still seem to be pretty happy even when you don't sleep much during the day, so I am not to worried about it.
Everyone talks about how happy and calm you are, and I am always torn about how to handle this. Do I say "Yes, he is," and run the risk of sounding like you are perfect and have no issues? Or do I say "Oh, you aren't seeing the real him" and run the risk of being one of those awful moms who sells their kid's flaws out to everyone else? I guess I should just smile and say "Thank you, I love him a lot." I don't really worry about taking you anywhere, since you love being outside, and around people, and with lots to look at. Since this pretty much includes everywhere we would want to go, we don't have much of a problem with you. I want to enjoy this as long as it lasts. Strangers stop and admire your eyes and you always smile at them. You sleep through worship services, and are doing pretty good and looking at books and sitting quietly during the moments that you are awake. You endured countless trips to Home Depot this month, and always did great. You even slept through our whole pedicure when we went with Grammy and Gramma!
Wow. This was a lot. What is surprising, though, is that this month did not fly by like the others. I think because we were so caught up in the minutiae of kitchen details and scheduling new jobs and just wanting it all to be DONE! that it feels like forever ago that I was taking your 7 month pictures! I am glad that the month that you accomplished a lot feels like it went by a bit slower so I was able to appreciate it more.
I will finish by saying that I held a newborn the other day, and it was the oddest feeling. I realized that I am not a new mom anymore (obviously I am still newer than a lot of moms I know) with a tiny bit of experience under my belt that knows that the newborn part gets better and easier, and that things will change really quickly.
It made me realize that I have a super fun baby kid that I love to hang out with, as opposed to a little, non responsive baby bundle that I have to take care of.
I feel like you are my buddy, and we are on an adventure every time we wake up.
As I have said many times before:
Thanks for that.
Love,
Mama
No comments:
Post a Comment