a mover & a shaker.

to my tiniest boyfriend,

you turned eight months old in the middle of november & since then our lives have been a whirlwind.

daylight savings turned out to be a little miracle under our roof because you started going to bed @ 6:30pm & it works fantastically for you. i will even go one step further & say, i think you quite enjoy it. for a few weeks you slept from 6:30pm to 6:30am & would go back down after nursing until around 9am. but per usual, a good thing cannot last long.

you must have known that you were a month older & wiser because on that very day when i walked into your room to retrieve you from your nap, there you were kneeling on the side of your crib grinning with pleasure. i had been waiting for this moment; the moment when i would start to worry about you leaping from your crib. that same day, i had your dad lower your mattress. now, my little adventure seeker, you have learned to stand up in your crib & i think you are quite confused with this new power. on the one hand, your daddy & i cheer you on as soon as you pull yourself up on the ottoman in the living room & we encourage you as you attempt to climb the stairs in the kitchen. on the other hand, while alone with your accomplishment in your crib, you cry & scream as you hold on tightly to the side-rails, absolutely petrified to let go. this has proven to be quite a challenge, as my once fabulous napper has turned into a boy that will not lay down in his crib. as hard as it has been on both of us, i could not be more proud as you learn more & more each day.

you love reading books. & by 'reading', i mean turning the pages. you have an affinity for two books in particular & i am not sure what it is about 'go dog go' & 'goodnight moon', but i have them both memorized now. beyond turning the pages you love hitting the book we are reading like a drum & then you often follow the hitting with a slobbery kiss on the pages. i hope that this hunger for books stays with you always because your daddy & i are in no way, shape or form "readers".

we do everything together. while i do my hair, you sit in the hall & watch me until you cannot stand it any longer and lurch forward to clammer up my leg. i have mastered the art of brushing my teeth & applying my makeup with one hand because you love being in my arms taking equal time to look at yourself in the mirror. we go shopping together & you sit so proudly in the shopping cart these days. we eat out together & you look forward to any scraps that i send your way. just last week i had to renew my costco card & got a new picture . . . with you in it. i can kiss you all day & you have recently learned to give daddy & i hugs on command. you, my littlest friend, are the boyfriend i never knew i was missing.

you have turned into a fabulous eater & although you would prefer a banana & applesauce day in & day out, you are tolerant of many things & have never put up a huge fight against anything we have given you. you are great at feeding yourself & would prefer it that way. you have gotten so good at this art of feeding yourself that even when a tiny morsel of banana or broccoli falls to your lap your tiny fingers scramble to save the scrap & bring it quickly to your mouth. this has proven to be messy most of the time, but i would not have it any other way. you relish in these small accomplishments, as do i.

now that you are sitting up so well, bath time has become on of your favorite pass times. you love being naked & bask in my undivided attention so on top of being able to splash in the warm running water i will dare say, bath time is your favorite time. you love holding your little hand under the faucet & have recently started putting your open mouth under the faucet like a thirsty little bird. your bath toys dont give you as much amusement as does the water around you, but you still splash in the water with caution. after the water has run cold & your feet & hands are sufficiently pruney i wrap you in a huge towel & you happily snuggle with me. you love, love, love being enveloped in the big towel & i love having my arms tightly around you.

your daddy & i love you to the moon & back and are so very proud to call your ours.

<3 mommy