Haddon's 12 month letter

Dear Haddon,

I can't believe you are a year. Perhaps my denial is why it's taken me so long to actually write this post! (Also because I had to write it on my computer instead of my phone because the app kept crashing. I wonder what technology will be like when you are 35...)

Anyway, we had such a lovely day on your birthday! Over 30 people (I know. It was a bit overload.) came to celebrate and show their love to you. We had a winter theme and served all the things you can't have (chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate) and you didn't really even want your birthday cake although you were quite enamoured with the fondant snowman that Gramma made for the cake.

You are:
crawling really fast, still the wounded soldier style
cruising along furniture and with your birthday present, the walker!
babbling although not saying more than Dada and rarely Mama
eating most things though I still can't get you to eat cheese
not sleeping through the night.
sharing a room with your big brother Blaise and loving it! (thankfully he's a decent sleeper and not bothered by your frequent night wakes)
so happy to be with your brothers
sometimes found singing to yourself
able to hold your own with the noise factor
in love with your Daddy
sneaky and busy
a pretty good napper. I have no complaints. (Napping usually once a day, but sometimes twice.)
able to crawl up both sets of stairs in less than a minute
fascinated with balls
often found clinging to mine or your Daddy's legs wanting to be picked up
smart and put legos into your mouth as quickly as you can but then spit them out into my hand when I notice
generally quite happy and often dole out smiles pretty easily (usually).
adorable
chubby
wonderful
amazing
a part of our family and we love you so very much!

I can't remember what life was like before you and yet I remember your infancy days like they were yesterday. I could almost cry remembering how tiny you were and how much we both loved it when I wore you in the wrap and yet I know that each day gets better and better as I get to know you more and more. Your belly laugh is a day-maker and it's usually your brothers that can get one out of you.
You are a joy. You are a sweet, sweet blessing and I'm so thankful God gave us you.
I pray that you become strong and sweetly attuned to God's spirit. I pray you foster a love for your brothers and your family that is loyal and fierce. I pray that you stand up for those who are weaker than you. I pray that you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. I pray that you are a man who is characterized by compassion and your big heart. I pray you are strong enough to confront evil and sin and protect those who need protecting.
I love you, little mister Haddon. I pray all these things for you and so so so much more.

Happy birthday, buddy. The best is yet to come!

love
Mama

Haddon's 10 month letter

Dear Haddon,

Happy 10 months, sweet boy! About 4 days before you turned 10 months, you finally got a tooth! Your top right tooth finally cut through and the other top 3 are looking like they might push through within the next month as well. Needless to say, you are drooly and rosy-cheeked and perhaps not as smiley as you usually are but still generally good natured.
You've also fully embraced solids - woohoo! You love scrambled eggs and yogurt and apples and fruit in general as well as Cheerios and porridge.
You chase after balls like it's your mission and you are fairly self-entertained by them as you throw the ball and then chase after it. It's pretty cute.
Speaking of cute/hilarious, your crawl! It's HILARIOUS. It's like a seated, wounded soldier type crawl that's hard to explain but apparently it's quite efficient!
We are in full on baby-proofed mode (well, as baby-proofed as we get around these parts) with a gate and everything (since you already fell down the stairs!). You are obsessed with electrical outlets (insert unimpressed look here) and you are super duper fast at scooting around where you want to be.

Going...

going...

gone!

Also you are finally in your own room! Blaise is sharing temporarily with Noah and Jude while you get used to a new space and hopefully start sleeping a bit better (if the last few nights are any indication, I'm hopeful it will be soon! For my own personal record as I'll forget, you're currently waking around 9 or 10pm to nurse. Then sometimes around midnight. And then last night nothing between 1 & almost 7am! That's the most in a row I think I've slept since you've been born. Glory Hallelujah!). I think you're going to love sharing with Blaise and my hope is that it only serves to bond you two closer than ever!
You are still much adored by all your brothers and Noah continues to be quite paternal (?) with you, carrying you around and helping you whenever he can. Jude loves making you laugh and so does Blaise although he's been getting more frustrated with you since you can actually get into "his stuff"! :)
Oh and you are currently battling another head cold and have a crazy runny nose which was not helping you in the sleep department a few days ago, but you seem to have come through the worst of it (thank GOD!) and are more or less back to your usual, chill and happy self.
You are, however, entering into the phase where you notice when I'm gone or when I leave you and so putting you down for bed or naps now you'll usually cry out for a minute or when I leave the room or when I'm not paying attention to you, you're now more likely to crawl after me and climb up my leg (oh yes, you're pulling yourself up to standing now and can even stand on your own for a few seconds) and whine. Eek! How are we at that stage already, buddy? Even with the attachment stuff happening, you are still so happy and generally happy to go and hang out in other people's arms. The other day a friend came to drop something off and as we stood at the door and chatted, you decided you wanted her to hold you and you practically lurched out of my arms and into hers. It was so incredibly adorable and then you proceeded to smile and pat her hair and face. You are just so stinking adorable!
I'm so thankful for you and for your happy nature, how you love people and how your smile just lights up a room and I'm sure has made a day or two.
You are still a chubba chubba and I think you weigh around 26lbs although I'm not sure. But you're wearing between 12-18 mos and 18-24 mos clothing.
You are the sweet baby of the family and we are ever so glad God gave us you!

I love you mucho mucho baby!
xo
Mama

Haddon's 9 month letter

Dear Haddon,

Happy 9 monthiversary, baby!

We celebrated you by having a full-blown turkey dinner! Just kidding. It's Thanksgiving today! And you had the full monty; turkey, potatoes, squash, sweet potato and you loved it all! While you may have been slow to bloom in the solid food department, this last month you have taken off! You gobble down rice, oat or a mix of baby "cereal" in the mornings, you love chicken and apparently turkey too!  You will eat pretty much most things although you still give food the "back away" while you give it the "once over". For (still) having no teeth, you certainly are having your way with the big people food! I'm proud of you, buddy!

You are also crawling at warp speed 9 (which I assume is ridiculously fast) when you want to but often you are happy to play with whatever is around. Although, within the last couple weeks, you've started to become super interested in cords, outlets, the stairs, pretty much everything dangerous. So that's ... er ... busy. You also do a super funny/cute crawl that's part crawl, part scoot. If your Uncle Curt saw it, he would for sure call it a Croot. Or a Scrawl. Either works.

You love balls, water bottles, spoons, paper, and dogs. You say "Dada" now and you LOOK at your Daddy! Your first word! You also say "Dada" just to talk, but you definitely know who your Daddy is. :)

You are pretty good at sitting in the stroller for walks and often will fall asleep if it's been long enough.

You are still so so so chubby and I just love you squeezing you so much!

And you learned how to kiss! Right now it's these lovely, slobbery open-mouth kisses, but I'll take 'em!

You are such a smiley baby and will smile at just about anyone and everyone as long as they are paying attention to you!

You bop to music, wave/bat your right arm incessantly and love to bang your hand or an object and loudly make noise.

You still adore your brothers and your Daddy gets big smiles and lots of leg kicks when he comes home and you see him.

You are learning to sit at the table for dinner with us even though it's often a harder time of the day because you're tired.

(And even though I don't really like to obsess about your crappy sleep habits, I'll record it here so I can remember one day...)
You are napping twice a day and quite well at that! You generally will take a 1.5-2 hr nap and I do nurse you for a bit, but you aren't fully asleep when I put you down. Sometimes you perk up for a bit and I can hear you babbling over the monitor and sometimes you fall right to sleep. Sometimes you cry out a couple times but you fall asleep within minutes usually. You also nap pretty much anywhere you have a crib and a sound machine although you're great with napping in your carseat (if we've been driving long enough and you're tired enough) or in the stroller although both of those places will only get you about 30 minutes of sleep for some reason.
Your nighttime sleep is still atrocious. You're very much like your brother Blaise in that you fall to sleep really easily, but you wake up tons. So I'm still nursing you at night and on average you are up 3-4 times a night. Often more. But, just like your brothers, you will figure it out (this I keep telling myself so I don't collapse into a puddle of despair). On average you're down for bed by 7pm at the latest and then usually around 9:30 or 10 you'll wake up and I'll feed you then. Then it's anyone's guess about how the rest of the night goes. Often there will be a 12:30 or 1am wake up. And at least a couple more besides that. 7am is the beginning of our day and it usually begins with you pooping in your diaper. So...there's the sleep chronicle for this month.

I can't believe you're already 9 months! Time certainly has flown by. I love you to the moon and back and I'm trying so hard to soak up every gorgeous second of this time with you.

lots of love,
Mama

Haddon's 6 month letter

Oh Baby Boy,

Happy half year!!! I honestly can't believe you're 6 months old already! It seems like overnight you've learned to do things like sit on your own, babble "Dada" and starting to eat some foods! 

Seriously. How did that even happen?

You are still only napping for about 30 mins at a time although the other day you slept for 1.5 hrs! I was all 🙌! So you can do it, you're just not consistent although that's likely because you are the fourth child and we are often doing things these days. But you are usually chill enough to handle the lack of sleep oftentimes with a smile on your face. 

You love your brothers, your Daddy, me and people in general. You're pretty happy being around people. 

You're usually in bed by 7pm and up around 7am although lately you've been up at 6am but somehow I'm able to nurse you and you eventually fall back to sleep. You wake up several times a night. Usually it's 3 or 4 times on average. So no. You're not sleeping through the night but you will. This ain't my first rodeo so I know not to freak out about it. You'll get there. Whatevs. We're both over it. 

You've tried a few foods; banana, avocado, pear, cheese, an oatmeal pancake. You're interested in food but it's always slow going when it's not puréed. I'm lazy. So you'll get food and you'll be eating food one day like your brothers. 

I'm not sure exactly how much you weigh, but I'm guessing above or around 25lbs. You're wearing 12-18 month clothing and the rolls are here to stay. I wish. 

You are drooling BIG TIME these last few days. But at least the spit up has almost completely stopped. Huzzah!

You love gnawing on my baby-friendly necklaces and anyone's fingers/knuckles, your soother, blankets, your toes, pretty much anything you can get in your mouth. Teeth are coming but not immediately. 

You are a ham. A joy. A squishy, loveable baby and we are so glad you are a part of our family. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and my prayer for you these days is that, in the midst of this very broken, hurting, messed up world, may you be a light that shines brightly the love of Christ to those around you. May your heart be filled to overflowing with compassion for the hurting, the weak, the poor, the marginalized and may you have the guts and courage to step up and step out in faith to love those people and to lead others in justice and mercy. 

I love you so much, Haddon! 

xo 

Mama

1 year letter

Dear Blaise,

You are ONE year old! Oh how I love you my sweet blondie! {When did that happen? And how?}

You have had my heart from the moment I knew you existed and then tenfold when I laid eyes upon you for the first time. You are full of life and joy and laughter and I wouldn't trade a minute of this sleep-deprived year for anything!

{PS I'm sorry I didn't do a letter for you last month. We were moving and living like gyspies and life was crazy/busy/hard. You're the third child. I'm pretty proud of myself for doing 11 of 12 months of your first year!}

You are walking! You have four teeth! You are doing a bit better in the sleep department but I have yet to sleep through the night. You laugh when others are laughing and wave at anyone and everyone you see. At the grocery store you love smiling and charming the cashiers. I always hope they'll give me free food because of how cute you are. No such luck there, though.

You absolutely adore your brothers and I think you're quite bored during the days they are both in school. Noah and Jude are always greeted with big smiles and laughs when you see them in the morning and after school.

We haven't put you in the room with your brothers yet, but eventually you'll get there. You still wake up lots and so do they so it all works out this way for now anyway.

You LOVE balls. You will throw and catch a ball with anyone who will play with you. You will stand and throw a ball and then totter after it. Or you'll swat a ball and quickly chase after it on all fours. You love pounding anything with a stick.

Your favourites are still "Mamas Milk", blueberries, yogurt, anything the boys are snacking on {you recently snagged a Dorito off of Noah's plate and promptly broke out in a rash before I could get it all away from you} cheese, pasta, peas, avocado, etc. I do find that you're a lot pickier than I remember your brothers being and you'll tolerate certain foods for a bit and then start clearing your tray with large swipes. Or you'll just pick up the food and drop it off your tray.
You will drink cow's milk out of a sippy cup and sometimes water too, but often I'll find the sippy cup on the floor. Leaking.

You love doing things most one years do; opening and shutting cupboard doors, crawling up stairs as fast as you can, being with your family and rough-housing with your Daddy. You love causing destruction as much as you can before I can get to you whether it's opening drawers and pulling everything out, tipping over piles of folded laundry or dumping out the recycling bin.

Ah I love you. Your floppy, blonde hair and your mysterious eyes {although I think they are more brown than anything else} and your squishy body and your toothy smile and your infectious, full-bellied laugh.
I'm so glad you came into our family one year ago. Keep loving life and loving people and I pray for your life to spread passion and joy into everyone you meet and love.

I love you, baby.

Mama

Blaise's 10 month letter

Dear Blaise,

You are 10 months old and we've now been in Canada for almost one whole month!
You continue to charm and delight strangers when we're out, and make the rest of us laugh at your antics on the daily.

Right now you're sitting across from me in your high chair munching on pieces of turkey. You initially started swiping at the pieces on your tray before you even tasted them. I guess you didn't think they looked very good. But then I fed you a piece with my fingers and now you're happily munching away.

You've got 3 teeth fully through and one more on the way; two on the top and one on the bottom with its twin about to pop any day now.
This may explain for part of your overly sucky sleep habits as of late {oh hello six nursings last night!} but not fully as you've never been a great sleeper.

You are loving the finger foods and eat most things I give to you - when your feet start kicking we know it's a food you like.

You clearly say "Mama" now and babble and shout and "talk" quite a bit although it depends on your mood.

You started clapping the other day and I die pretty much every time you do it.

Right now we're living with your Auntie Tamsin and Uncle James and their little boy Henry who you love to smile and interact with. He's only 3 months younger than you and I know you guys are going to be best buds.

You are busy, busy, busy; standing, crawling, cruising, pulling stuff, ripping stuff, drooling like crazy and still laughing maniacally when you pull my hair.

I love you, little guy.

Love,
Mama

9 month letter

Dear Blaise,

You are 9 months. If I had to pick one word to describe your current phase it would be Busy. With a capital B. Scratch that, it would be BUSY! All in caps. With an exclamation point at the end.

Seriously. You are non-stop. You are crawling, cruising, screeching, laughing, hitting, scratching, mouthing, clinging. All the time. You head straight for cords, electrical outlets and electronics of all kinds. Almost as if you had a radar for them. You delight me and frustrate me.

Your favourite food? Breastmilk. My attempts to feed you solid food are not going as I planned, but at times I have to admit it's incredibly convenient when we go out and I don't have to really bring anything except myself. Most mornings you aren't super interested in food and I think this may have to do with the fact that you cut your first tooth last week. Our nights of many, many wake-ups and nursings are explained with the confirmation that you are indeed teething. Once we get back to Canada {we leave in 2 days!} I'll probably try and help you get more on this solid food train. But for now I'm just going with the flow and offering you food several times a day. Usually you'll take a few bites and then bat away the spoon or chunk of food I'm offering. And usually it makes a big mess. And usually I take a few deep breaths and try not to freak out. You're just a baby, afterall.

But you are obsessed with my hair. You'll crawl up behind me if I'm sitting on the ground, grab hold of my shirt or shoulder and then grab a fistful of hair and YANK as hard as you can. And then I yelp and you laugh an evil baby laugh.

You still love being around most people and will let them hold you. We went to the Life Ministry office {where Daddy's worked here in Uganda} for a good-bye lunch and you happily sat and played with several of the staff right until Mommy stood up to give a speech at which point you wailed like someone had hurt you.

You say "Mama!" Or often it just sounds like "MOM". You say it as you crawl to me or if someone else is holding you and you want me or if you see me coming to pick you up out of your crib. It's very cute and endearing. Your first word!

The other day your love of music was confirmed as you were being held by Daddy and he was singing out loud to a song and you joined in! We even got it on video. I wonder if you'll be our musical child?

In a few short days you will experience Canada for the first time. You will be held by your Aunties and Uncles and Nana and Popi for the first time. You will be reunited with your Gramma & Grandpa and another Uncle once again. You will never be lacking in arms to hold you and people to interact with.

You've now spent {almost} as much time out of the womb as you did in {since you were two weeks and two days over due!} and it feels like you've always been a part of our family. I'm so glad you were born. I'm so glad you're our little Ugandan baby and I can't wait to do the next 9 months of your life {and more!} as we start the Canadian chapter of your life.

I love you little man,

xo
Mama

See Blaise grow!

8 month letter

Dear Blaise,

Happy 8 months! Time is just flying by and I continue to be surprised by how old you are. Already.
Developmentally you are really taking on the world! In the past 2 months you've conquered sitting, crawling, pulling yourself up, standing on your own for a second {a few times} and I'm pretty sure you'll be cruising in the next week or two.

You are moving on from purees and can now eat mushy, lumpy food. Your current favourites are applesauce and butternut squash and you're not so much a fan of any "cereal" {so far rice and oatmeal} that I've made yet. But you certainly enjoy eating toast and yogurt so we've been doing a bit of that in the morning.
Oh and you like blowing raspberries when I'm trying to feed you. Which is awesome. And messy. And to commemorate your 8 month birthday, you fed yourself for the first time. With what food, you ask? Chapati. You are truly Ugandan. {And the third child. Obvs.}

No teeth yet. But there are two on the top and two on the bottom that are just ready to break through any day now.

I laughed at you a couple weeks ago as you sat on the ground, spotted an ant and started jabbing your finger at it, trying to touch it or grab it until it found the line of the tile and disappeared from your sight.

You are down to two naps a day getting up around 7am and going to bed for the night around 6:30 or 7pm. Nighttime sleep is still disjointed. But whatevs. You will sleep through the night eventually. I'm tired, but honestly? I'm over it. Moving on.

You are now babbling and will say "mah mah mum mum" if upset and sometimes "dah dah dah dah". It's cute. I like to think you are saying "Mum".

You giggle at funny things like me pushing the kiddie table along the ground or slapping the couch or Noah jumping up and down. Your brothers can ALWAYS make you smile.

You love being held by Ugandans. We think you prefer the darker skin colour. I'm not sure if that sounds racist or weird or something, but you adore our house helper {a familiar face}, our friend Uncle James who is an older Ugandan man {you rejected my arms for his!} and our night guard, Ronald. You also really love the two boys {Kevin & Roden} who have been coming here every day to help their mother with the cooking for the students' dinner. They will wave at you and make funny faces and you always stare and eventually smile at them.

Oh Blaise. I could cuddle and kiss you all day long. You are so squishy and cuddly and I just love you from the very depth of my being. You are rough and tumble and adorable and charming. You will tilt your head and smile at me from across the room and my heart melts in a nanosecond.

I am so glad you are a part of our family and I love you more each day.
You are deeply and fantastically loved. Never doubt that for a minute.

love,
Mama.

Watch Blaise grow!

7 months

Dear Blaise,

You are 7 months old! Amazing.

You continue to grow and change and learn new things all the time! You have entered the phase of learning to sit up on your own and have done so now many, many times. It started in your crib - I'd go in to get you up from a nap or in the middle of the night and you would be sitting up on your own! Then one day I actually saw you do it and it just continued. You get a very "I'm proud of myself" look on your face when you do it, even if you're crying in your crib when I see you.

You are learning to eat and like solids still. I admit, I haven't been very consistent with how often I feed you, but you eat rice porridge, mango {a very new favourite}, banana {not a fan}, avocado {used to like but now you very much DO NOT}, carrots, butternut squash and soon we'll try green beans and pumpkin.

You love the swing set outside. As soon as I go outside with you in my arms and walk toward the swings you start pumping your legs and breathing quickly in and out. It's very cute.

And you still love, love, love your brothers. They can both make you laugh like nobody else. It's SO adorable. Yesterday Noah was making you do the hugest belly laughs and I caught a bit of it on camera.

You love your Mama. You prefer me over pretty much anyone else except the other day when Uncle James {our lovely Ugandan friend} was here and you were completely happy and content in his arms even though it was your fussy time of the day. When I went to take you from Uncle James to feed you, you smiled and turned away back into his arms. You rejected me! I pretended to be offended, but really it was sweet that you love him so much. In fact, you are quite content with Ugandans holding you and interacting with you which they, of course, love and say it's because you are a true Ugandan.

You're still waking several times a night; sometimes to nurse, sometimes not. I don't get it. But your naps are usually pretty good. I can almost count on you taking two 1.5 hour naps a day. At least. So this is fantastic as you pretty much figured this out on your own. Now we just wait for you to get the nighttime sleeping down.

You are on the verge of crawling and will often get on your hands and knees and violently rock back and forth. You've only face-planted a couple of times and recover quickly.

Oh! And you've figured out how to pass things from one hand to the other which I think is adorable.

The other day I gave you mango and you LOVED it. When you had finished everything in the bowl, I said and signed to you, "All Done" and you wailed. So I thought I'd try to give you avocado if you were still hungry. When you got a spoonful in your mouth you started gagging and then you screamed and were really angry. Oh Blaise. You certainly know what you want.

This next month is going to be a fun one with lots of visitors and people in our home. I'm sure you'll love every minute of it as it will mean lots more attention for you and arms to hold you.

We love you, Blaise. I honestly can't imagine our family without you.

love
Mama

PS I am SO sad that your hair has officially "fallen". No more faux-hawk. No more Ugandan Crane hairdo. You're looking so much older and it was in your eyes so I attempted to give the front a bit of a trim. I'm not a fan of it, but then, I never am whenever any of my boys gets their hair cut.

watch Blaise grow!

6 month letter

Dear Blaise,

You are six months old. Half a year! You are amazing and I am just so in awe and in love with you, my little man. You've learned so much this month! The growth never ceases to amaze me.

There was one day when me and the boys were in the room with you. You were in your crib, happily playing. We were talking and laughing loudly. Jude left the room. I walked over to you in your crib and noticed you curled up in the corner of the crib. You had grabbed your giraffe and fallen asleep. Windows wide open. Noises abounding. You are definitely chilling out and can still fall asleep in my arms and on the go. Thankful for this.

You have the most adorable belly laugh. And you are laughing! lots! It melts my heart every single time.

You had your first taste of rice porridge (congee). NOT a fan. Not sure whether it was of the spoon or the actual rice that you didn't like.
Then I tried letting you gnaw on a whole banana a couple weeks later and you LOVED it. Literally attacked the banana and ate about an inch within a minute.
So far you've had oats {we're not going to try those again for awhile as you vomited twice after trying it}, banana, butternut squash, carrots, avocado and apple. You didn't really like the apple {you just got introduced to it} but we'll try again. You get solids sometimes once a day, maybe twice. I'm pretty random about it and just go by your mood and appetite for it.

You still tolerate others holding you - even those you don't know. Sometimes you're happy about and make fast friends, sometimes you're not so happy.

Still not sleeping.

You love your jumperoo and will usually stay in for anywhere from 10-25 minutes. It's a lifesaver for Mommy.

You are somewhere between 20-21lbs and ticklish when I pinch the inside of your upper thighs. Cutie.

You roll onto your belly and often in the night will cry because you either don't have room to roll back over or you won't roll back over. I couldn't recall either of your brothers doing this and it took me awhile but then I remembered: it's because they would actually sleep on their bellies. You will NOT. But during the day you roll around and rock back and forth on your hands and knees. You're getting close to actually becoming mobile.

You LOVE the bath now. Baths are so much easier now that you can sit on your own. You sit in the little red tub and splash and hold onto the edges and lean forward and sometimes flip yourself forward onto your belly. I laughed a lot while bathing you last night.

You'll watch tv with the boys sometimes - or maybe it's just that you want to see what keeps your brothers so preoccupied. It doesn't last long, but I think it's adorable to see you watching alongside your big bros.

I love you, little guy. I'm thankful for you and I love seeing your little personality coming out more and more every day.

I love you,
Mama

watch Blaise grow!

5 months

Dear Blaise,

Holy Wow! You are 5 months old! You have changed SO much in the past month and you've had many adventures already.

You've been rolling over {both ways} for quite some time now. It's only been in the past night that you've rolled onto your belly during the night and refused to roll back and cried for some help.

You've been reaching for our food and mimicking our mouths as we chew our food. You had your first taste of congee {homemade rice porridge} yesterday and you weren't really a fan. We'll keep trying, though and see if you get the hang of it.

You smile and laugh and absolutely ADORE your brothers. Noah can make you smile and laugh more than anyone else. You are obliging {if not happy} of being held by others. I left you with some lovely childcare workers when we were in Spain and although usually not for more than 2 hours at a time, you did well and gave Mama a bit of a break.

You still breastfeed every 2-3 hours {day and night!}. It's not ideal {for me}, but it seems to be what you need at this point so I'm just going with it. Perhaps when you get the hang of solid foods that will help you to be content for a bit longer.

You went on your first plane ride{s} as we all traveled to Spain! You did pretty well on the flights, nursing and sleeping in my arms. You giggled and smiled at strangers who would make funny faces at you and talk to you, charming just about everyone around you.

I'm hoping that this month is the month when you sleep a bit longer at night, but I'm not holding out for that to happen.

You can sit! And you're quite proud of yourself. I've brought the pack 'n play out to the living room to have a place for you to play where you won't roll of the couch or get smothered by your well-meaning brothers. You can usually last for anywhere from 5 minutes to sometimes 15 or 20.

And you're sick. A cough and a runny nose have plagued you since we were in Barcelona. I made your Daddy buy a too-expensive snot sucker {read: nasal aspirator} to help you to breathe better. I really hope this cold passes soon because it's no fun for any of us {and also I'm hoping you sleep longer once you're not sick}. I took you to the doctor because you were really tugging on your ear so I thought you might have an ear infection. You don't. Thankfully. But you were really good at the doctor's. You let her listen to your heart  and breathing/lungs and happily let the nurse measure your weight, length and head circumference. You are 18lbs5oz! Quite the chunker. Looks like those 2-3 hour feedings are paying off.

Oh and you are napping longer then 20 minutes which is fantastic even though I'm already getting used to your 45 minutes naps. Occasionally you'll take a longer nap lasting anywhere from 1-2 hours which is fantastic. Can you make a habit out of this, please?

Your hair is falling. No more spikey mohawk. I still love that you have so much hair.
And I love you. So very, very much.

love,
Mama

*watch Blaise grow!

4 months

Dear Blaise,

You are 4 months old! One third of a year old. How did that even happen?
As I type this, I have briefly rocked you but then put you down in your crib still awake, but sleepy. You are falling asleep on your own. Sometimes. Oh sleep. The theme of this month. The theme of every month.

We started {again} doing some sleep training trying to help you fall asleep on your own at night. You are doing pretty well but I am a far cry from the Mama of your older brother - strict and by the book. I go in to help you multiple times - usually just to pop the soother back in and shush you for a bit until you quiet down. Slowly-by-slowly you will get there. I know one day I will wake up and have slept more than 3.5 consecutive hours. Or maybe that's just a dream. Lately I've just given up and have nursed you whenever you've woken up which usually ends up being every 3ish hours. Whatevs.

Your hair is getting taller {longer?} and it stills garners the most comments from strangers when we do happen to go out and about.
You weigh 16lbs5oz and handled your immunizations yesterday like a champ. You are wearing 3-6 & 6 month onesies but 9 month sleepers! I think it's because you're so long. You're somehow a combination of your brothers - bulkier {husky as Old Navy calls it I think} like Noah was as a baby, but also still really long like Jude was.

You can roll both ways! You are always twisting around and rolling around in your crib - preferring to sleep on your left side {as we are now officially swaddle-free!}. I was reading a breastfeeding book and the fact that you prefer this and it brings you the most comfort, makes me wonder if you have a slight case of reflux. You are definitely a spitter. This morning was no exception {this picture was taken first thing and already, less than 2 hours later, you are wearing a different outfit. Much thanks goes out to my dear friend Jen Hill for the adorable bow tie.} but I make it a rule to always have a receiving blanket with me when I pick you up. But back to the rolling. You will be sitting up and then crawling and then walking before I know it. You are a mover, that much is clear. You LOVE being on your tummy and think it's play time when you're on your tummy despite me hoping that sleeping on your belly might help you sleep better. Oh well.

You are now reaching out for things and grabbing toys, bringing them to your mouth and gnawing away on them. You often will clasp your hands together and often do this when trying to soothe yourself to sleep. Sucking on your soother, hands clasped together in front of you. It's cute.

You are a soother baby. I think the soother is sticking around. It helps you fall asleep and while you like sticking your hands in your mouth, I think it's less soothing and more exploratory for you. I can't wait until you can reach around in your crib yourself and find it and stick it back in your mouth when it falls out.

You are already watching us as we put things in our mouths. Seriously. Already!?! You will be ready for solids in a couple months. I'll hold off until at least 6 months, but it might be tough with the way you watch us and mimic the way we move our mouths when we chew.

Your face lights up into a huge smile when you first glimpse your brothers. You love your brothers and are always trying to be in the best position to watch their crazy antics.

We are going to Spain in 1 week and I am so excited! I think you are going to LOVE it and love being pushed around in a stroller. I'm hoping for a smooth transition with the time difference {only an hour I think} not that you are sleeping through the night or giving me anything more than 3.5 hours at a time {really? Are you trying to kill me or something?}. It's a good thing you're so stinkin' cute.

You are babbling. I adore your babbles. And you love talking away to me on your change table while grabbing your toes. I love it when babies find their toes/feet and you are no exception. You will grab on and just chatter away. Adorbs.

You've recently gone {still going through?} through a growth spurt, wanting to nurse every 2-2.5 hours at points during the day. You, my little Blazer, are my most difficult baby but we are surviving. Your Daddy and I are becoming a stronger team as we have moved from man-to-man to zone defense. You and your brothers are giving us a run for our money, but we love you so so so much and can't imagine you  not in our family.

I love you.
Mama

watch Blaise grow!

3 months

Dear Blaise,

You are three months old today! It really does seem like you've been with us for so long - much longer than 3 months.

You are growing and changing so much these days. You coo and are starting to babble a bit. You are full of smiles - usually reserved mainly for family, but often a stranger can get a smile out of you.

Your core and neck strength is still unreal. I put you down on the couch the other day with a pillow behind you in a slightly reclined position. Seconds later, you were pulling yourself up using your neck/core muscles! Your balance is not quite there yet so you fell over, but you're definitely getting there!

We are back to swaddling you as we had briefly experimented with not swaddling. But you definitely need it. I have to admit, buddy, this last month has been rough. You are definitely my fussiest/most difficult baby yet. You aren't colicky, but you have a set of lungs and you know how to use them. And you also like to fight taking naps throughout the day or only take 25 minute cat naps. {Oooh, I hate the cat nap.} We thought we would try some sleep training last night but after two hours of you hollering and me going in to briefly soothe you, I decided you weren't quite ready and within a minute of rocking you, you were out cold. Poor guy. The good thing about having to hold and rock and bounce a 17+ lbs baby is that it sure does help with shedding the baby weight!

You do really well when we are out and about and you are almost always calmed down by being brought outside.
For now you are tolerating being held by other people. I hope this continues - especially when we're in Spain {where I hope to put you in childcare for a bit of each day}.

You are eating every 3 hours in the day and as of a few weeks ago, at night as well. At one point you were waking up every 4 hours throughout the night, but these days it's been 3 hours. I hope that changes soon. Mama's getting a bit sleep deprived.

I'm not sure how much you weigh - we're taking you for your 3 month appointment on Wednesday so we'll find out then - but I guess you're around 17 pounds, possibly more? You're also really tall and I need to put in you in at least 6 month sleepers {when I do put you in sleepers. It's been too hot around here for sleepers lately.} so your feet aren't too squished.

Your hair continues to grow and it also garners the most comments from strangers when we're out and about. It's on the cusp of being too long to stand up and is starting to fall over, especially at the front, but for the most part, you're our little Ugandan Crested Crane.

Your brothers really love you although the ways they show it is quite different. While Noah is sweet and gentle with you, Jude is usually all up in your face shouting "HI BLAISE!" and rocking you a bit too roughly. We're working on it, bud. But before we all know it, you'll be socking him in the arm just as hard as he can sock you.

Your Mommy and Daddy are quite tired these days, and often we have to remind each other that soon you'll be out of this phase, but we love you oh-so-much.

And speaking of the cat nap, I hear that you have completed yours.

I love you so much,

Mama

*see how Blaise grows!

2 months

dear blaise {aka "blazer", aka "smalls"}

you are 2 months old. amazing. it almost seems as if you change from hour to hour!

you are wearing 3-6 month and 6 month clothing. it would seem you are taking after your oldest brother in this regard. some of the clothes we were given didn't even get worn by you because you're growing so quickly!

speaking of clothes, how cute are you in your tuxedo onesie from your auntie bean? answer: SO CUTE.

you are at your smile-iest right after you've woken up and have had been fed {well, who wouldn't be?}. your smiles kill me and melt me right down into a puddle. wide, open-mouthed, gummy smiles.
your brothers fight to hold you {pretty much every morning} and you {for the most part} tolerate their over exuberance in hugs and kisses.

you will sit in your rocking chair for a bit, but you definitely prefer to be held. and by me. but whatevs. i know it's a short, short time and before i know it, you'll be tall and lanky like your brother noah. crazy.

you aren't really gassy anymore, {thank goodness!} but you do spit up after every feed but this only gives me an excuse to change you into another cute outfit.

and your hair! the number one thing people comment on is your hair. it just spikes up on its own! you also have developed the dreaded cradle cap. guh. i hate cradle cap. but i went to town on it after your last bath with a little comb and just combed as much of it off as i could. apparently you're like me in that you like your hair/scalp to be played with/combed/touched/etc. as you fell asleep shortly after i started.

you're doing swimmingly at sleeping at night. you generally go to sleep easily around 8pm and i'll dream feed you at 11pm and then you usually wake up to eat around 3 or 4am and then it's back to sleep until 6:30 or 7am. {sometimes later if i'm lucky.}

however with naps we've had to continue to work on and fight through. {why don't babies like to nap during the day? why?}
but you'll usually take a decent nap in the morning and then i have to be diligent in watching for sleepy signals in the afternoon but that last nap in the early evening is fought tooth and nail as you prefer to be held. {isn't that convenient?}.

your daddy and i often wonder what you'll be like as we've watched your two older brothers' personalities come through. you certainly seem to know what you want and aren't afraid to let us know. you have a smile that could melt the hardest heart and i think you'll be quite accomplished in the art of persuasion - using good old-fashioned charming methods, of course.

we love you oh-so-much and look forward to what the next months will hold.

i love you,
mama.

*see how blaise grows!

1 month

dear blaise,

how is it that you are one month old already? you've changed so much already and i can't believe it.
you've always had a really strong neck from day 1 - holding your head up and looking around and everyone and everything.
you are clearly chunking up quite nicely - at 3 weeks and 3 days old you were already 11lbs 12oz - that's a weight gain of almost 3 lbs in 3 weeks! i've had to put away all the newborn clothes and the 0-3 month clothing just fits and the 3 month clothing is waiting for you...

you have started smiling.

correction; you have started smiling at me. you smiled within a day or two of being born, but now you are looking at me and smiling these HUGE open mouth smiles that just melt me - even after being up from 4am and wanting to eat every hour. goodness.
you love your brothers and are so tolerant of their hand touching and in-your-face talking and i just know that you are going to look up to them in every way. it's only a matter of time before they are making you smile and giggle in ways that mommy and daddy probably won't be able to.

you have settled into a pattern of having a fairly fussy period at some point in the day and then having longer stretches of naps/sleeping. and when you're fussy, you.are.fussy. kid, you've got a set of lungs that just won't quit and you know what you want. which is usually da milks. but it's okay. it's only for a short time and apparently it's helping me shed some of this baby weight.

i adore your head of spiky hair. it tickles my neck as i hold you close and breathe you in. so soft and sweet.

you are a little grunter. i'm not always sure what it means, but you grunt.

sometimes when i look at you i see your oldest brother, noah. sometimes i see jude. but most times i see you. you are your own person, kiddo and i'm so glad you've come into our family.

we took you on vacation this week to jinja and it wasn't the most relaxing for us all to be in the same room, but we survived and you were pretty good at just chilling in someone's arms while we at our meals.

right now you're still in your little sleeping "box" {it's kinda like a moses basket} in between mommy and daddy but i have a feeling we'll be moving you to the pack 'n play bassinet very soon. we want our bed back! but also you're getting too long and big for the box and will soon outgrow it.

i had to re-introduce the swaddle and it did help you to sleep better as you had become a bit more spazzy with your arms. last night i even broke out the miracle blanket as you were cracking out of the receiving blanket i had swaddled you in.

blaise, you are adorable and i am so in love with you. you are surrounded by a family that loves you and is so happy you're here.
keep growing, little man!

love, mama

*see how blaise grows!

Jude's 12 month letter

Dear Jude,

You are ONE! My word. How time has flown. (Have I said that in nearly every monthly letter? I think I have. Nevertheless, it is still true.)

One year ago you were a few days old. I had spent the morning of July 31st outside labouring in our backyard. "Labour" isn't quite the right word. And I don't say that to boost myself up, you were just really easy on me, kiddo. I swayed when I felt a contraction come on and then back to walking around the garden, playing with Noah and sitting and chatting with the midwives.

Holy Hugeness, Batman! (Well, with you being 9lbs12oz of course I was huge!)

I had lunch and then we went upstairs so that you could be born (or as the midwives said, "To have a baby!"). They broke my water and after 4 minutes of pushing you were born. Puffy and swollen, but alive and healthy. You were mine.

This month has been amazing, hilarious, wonderful, sad, fun, challenging and simply splendrillescent knowing you and loving you.

Some of the big moments:

You saying some of your first words (all words so far are: car, "moo" Dada, Mama, go, kick, Kaka (our friend Kevin), and I think you say "ka" for ball as well). You also have learned to imitate words/sounds amazingly well in the last couple weeks.

You pull yourself up to standing. But you will.not.walk. And being a Mom of two, I am PERFECTLY FINE WITH THAT. (No rush. Take your time. Seriously.)

You are deciding what you will and will NOT eat. Please don't be picky!

I think you may slightly lactose intolerant. Lately cheese, yogurt and milk have all resulted in ... er, diarrhea. Sad. But true.

You rejected your only breastfeed tonight. I had cut out the morning feed while we were in BC and all we were left with was the before-bed feed. You didn't want it tonight. Are we done breastfeeding? Possibly. Will I try again tomorrow night? Mmm...maybe. It's always an inner battle for me when I stop breastfeeding my babies. On the one hand I'm happy to have that sense of "freedom" but on the other hand...it's just a closeness, a bond, something only we share that will end. So we'll see.

You absolutely LOVE playing with Noah's cars. And you know just what to do with them. You crawl right over, pick them up and start driving them on the ground saying "Bzzzzzz". I die every time you do it. So.Cute.

But all of those things don't add up to WHO YOU ARE. You are a ham. My second born. My son. I love you. I can't even put into words who you are because you are just amazing. You laugh and smile easily. You LOVE sucking your fingers. You kick your legs like I've never seen a kid kick! You are easy going, but love to be held (these days, anyway). You are squishable, loveable, wonderful you.

I have never been one of those Mothers who cry when their baby turns one or makes a major milestone or weep when they put away the 0-3 month clothes. Because I know that as you get older, I get to know you more. And as I get to know you more, I get to love you more. How awesome is that?

I can only pray that I train you up in the way you should go and that you love Jesus passionately and use your likeable, passionate spirit to lead others to love Him too.

I love you to the moon and back,

Mama

Jude's 11 month letter

Dear Spunky, Sweet Jude,

You, my little man, are 11 months old!

Wow. The things you've started doing this month!

Let's start with the most recent: signing! You've recently started signing "all done" and "more" and while they aren't exactly the right sign, it's enough that I know what you're telling me! It was really cute the first time you did it and even now I know you know what I'm asking from you ("Show Mama "more", Jude.) and sometimes you just refuse to sign. Oh you're so cheeky and you can be quite stubborn when you want to!

You had a month (or more) of amazing naps - long nap in the morning and/or afternoon! But recently you've been having shorter naps and just taking longer to settle down which I think may be due to teething or a cold that Noah passed on to you.

You are crawling like crazy and you are SUPER fast. Today Daddy opened the door into the garage and you crawled so fast and then actually took the dive down the single step. You were fine after a small cry, but we all learned to keep you away from stairs because you are FAST!

But you have no desire to walk. Even if I hold your fingers and pull you to a standing position you just whine and refuse to step forward. I'm not sure if this is cause for concern but for now I'm thinking it's NOT and that you'll take an interest on your own accord.

To be honest, I'm not sad you're not interested in cruising or walking because that's a whole other level of Jude-proofing we'll have to do. Because you are MISCHIEVOUS!

You are constantly going back to DVD player like a moth to a flame. You cannot resist the buttons and the little VCR flap. Oh my boy. Even when I say "No." firmly to you, you'll look up at me and then crack into a huge smile and go right back for it until I physically remove you from temptation.

You and your brother are still happily sharing a room and it's going well. You've both adjusted to each others' noises and sounds and usually sleep through any wake-ups that happen throughout the night.

You are eating pretty much everything we eat and are now drinking 2 sippy cups a day with half formula, half milk. I nurse you in the morning and before bed although this morning you refused the boob! Not sure what was up with that because you happily nursed after your morning nap but even though I know it wasn't anything personal it was hard not to take it personally. I know you are moving every day toward independence and this is a good thing...I guess sometimes when it's such a visible move, it's a bit shocking.

Oh and speaking of eating, you would eat dirt all day long if I let you. You are constantly shoving handfuls of sand, dirt, rocks, grass or any other piece of nature that you can cram into your mouth. And while I'm not opposed to a bit of dirt here and there, it's literally HANDFULS of dirt/sand. Handfuls! I think while we were at the beach you probably ate about 1/2 cup of sand. Yeah, we paid for that the next day.

You are smiley, friendly and make the most adorable facial expressions as you charm everyone who crosses your path. Your older brother is quite protective of you when strangers are talking to you and often says "NO!" or puts his arm in front of you or pulls the stroller umbrella down over your face. It's very cute and as a friend said tonight, "It's good to have a protective older brother."

I love you, my baby. While I'm amazed at how fast these last 11 months have gone by, I'm not sad. I love every day with you more and more and I look forward to the next 11 months, 11 years and beyond!

xo

Mama

Jude's 10 month letter

Dear Jude,

I can't believe you are 10 months old! You are getting so big so fast and while part of me feels like I want to shout out to time "SLOW DOWN!", the other part of me is loving all your latest discoveries and newfound abilities! It's so fun to watch you grow and learn and develop and continue to become even cheekier than you were last month.

You have become mobile this month! You can crawl. It's really more of a hop/crawl as you use one of your legs (in a sitting position) to boost your other leg and body forward. It's quite cute but it does the trick and gets you where you want to be. Which is usually wherever Noah and his toys are (much to Noah's chagrin). You aren't full-on exploring on your own, but you are definitely getting there. I often forget that you can get yourself around and sometimes quickly run to another room to do something but then have to come back because I remember you aren't just going to stay put anymore!

You also said your first word. (Can you guess?) Dada. You've been able to say "dada" for over a month now, but this month you say it whenever you see your Daddy for the first time (whether it's in the morning or after a nap, etc.). It's adorable and melts my heart when you start off just mouthing it, then whispering it and then often you escalate to a loud babble "DADA". Cutie pie.

Jude, my boy, you are a BOTTOMLESS PIT. Last night, for instance, we all went out to a restaurant and you ate an entire chicken breast (meant for your brother) and half of his potatoes. You can eat, and eat, and eat. You often eat more than Noah and while I know that this will likely change once you become a toddler it still seems crazy to me how much you can pack away! Your favourites are sweet potatoes, bananas, yogurt, toast, Mum Mums, and pretty much most fruit.

You are also still breastfeeding. Right now I'm nursing you 3 or 4 times a day plus you get one cup of formula in the afternoon. You also like to bite. Sigh. Not nice, Mister. But you're getting better. I figure around the time you turn 1 year, we'll completely wean you. Once I've finished this container of formula we'll move you straight to milk. Hopefully that takes.

You are still very much attached to me, but still do well with other people and I'm able to drop you off at both the church nursery and the play care center at the YMCA. You sometimes will cry briefly or whimper, but usually recover quite quickly.

You can be quite fussy when you want to, but you are still pretty happy and easy going. I think you just want and need the one-on-one attention and most people are happy to give it to you because of your big smiles and cheeky grins. Your belly laugh is also one of the most wonderful sounds ever - your Daddy is usually responsible for getting you to laugh like this.

You are still in the office - not in the same room as Noah and for now that is where you'll stay. You wake up almost every day at 6:30am so I nurse you and you fall back to sleep for at least another hour, often 2 more hours. I hesitate to put you and Noah in the same room for fear that Noah will wake up at stay up at 6:30 - which would not be good for anyone. But by the time you are one I'm hoping you two will share a bedroom. We'll see how that one goes...

But you are still sleeping through the night - down at 7pm and all the way through 'til 6:30 and then back down 'til usually 8:30am. I've got no complaints and am thankful you are finally consistently sleeping through the night.

You don't mind sitting on the grass, but so far you can't be convinced to crawl on it.

You LOVE the water and having baths in the big bath tub and so far don't mind it when Noah pours water on your head.

I'm looking forward to being outside this summer with you and watching you discover more new and exciting things!

I love you so much my little Jude...

love

Mama

Jude's 9 month letter

Jude, Jude, Jude...

My sweet Jude. You are 9 months old.

You are such a character, my boy. And such a people person. Smiling your big open-mouthed smile at whoever will look at you - and even those who AREN'T looking at you (which makes me want to tell them to look at you because you are so freakin' cute!).

Also, your smile is not so gummy anymore. That's right. We've got teeth, folks. Two on the bottom and your front top two teeth are coming to a mouth near you. Likely in the next month.

The up and coming teeth are causing some discomfort and general crankiness from you. Often this drives me a little crazy, but it'll soon be over.

Also, the teeth have caused some issues during breastfeeding. Yes. You BIT me, young man. And it hurt. And I hollered. And you cried. And then you didn't do it again. So I regret nothing.

Your sleep has gone down the drain lately. Actually just within the past week. The few weeks before you were sleeping completely through the night! It was heaven. And then it stopped. And I wanted to cry.

So after you woke up three times to nurse one night I called it quits. We're done* nursing at night. But it's good. Well, we're only on night 2 of this, but we'll see how it goes.

And oh! You are almost crawling! You can slide backwards and get up on all fours and rock out for a couple seconds, but then you deteriorate into a whining, crying ball of cuteness because you can't figure out how to move FORWARD. I predict you will be crawling within 2 weeks. And then we are in TROUBLE because you are curious and stubborn and single-minded in your determination to get what you want. And when you don't get it, plug your ears! You can holler with the best of them, kid.

And oh! You can sit up on your own now! As of...a few days ago. But actually today was the first time I walked in after a nap to see you sitting on your own. Well done, kiddo! I think you're pretty proud of yourself for this accomplishment.

You're also eating pretty much whatever we eat. And you're only 9 months! For some reason I get it my head that you are older than that...but you're not. And you're doing so well! You've eaten chicken, beef, fish, pork (as of tonight!), you still LOVE sweet potatoes and anything fruity. I don't give you pureed foods anymore (generally) as you can eat bits and bites of pretty much anything I give you.

You are a lip smacker of all lip smackers and it's HILARIOUS.

Lip Smacker! from Vanessa Strickland on Vimeo.

You've started taking baths with your brother and you LOVE to splash. It's definitely a wetter, messier business to bathe two boys than it is to bathe one! But you love it and you LOVE your brother.
It's really sweet to see you stare at Noah and give him "kisses" as you slobber all over him. Sure he grabs toys away from you, but you'll be able to defend yourself soon enough.

We all love you so much and I am so glad you're my baby...

kisses to you,

Mama

Jude's 8 month letter

Dear Jude,

You are 8 months old! Happy 8 months!

I am astounded at how quickly time has flown. And this month especially has gone by so fast as you have continued to grow and develop at such a rapid rate!

Your personality has really started to come through this month. You'll giggle and laugh and ham it up for me and pretty much anyone who will look at you. Your facial expressions, especially crack me up. You'll furrow your brow or raise your eyebrows or just give the most blank stare-down before cracking into the most heart-melting grin.

You have LOVED going for walks lately and the other day when we walked to the library, you flapped your arms and kicked your legs for the ENTIRE duration of the walk. You seem to love being outdoors and getting fresh air. I love it, too.

You have gone from eating pureed food to finger foods! You LOVE Cheerios and do really well when I've given you cubes of baked sweet potato. You also had cubes of pear the other day and of course you loved it!

And the biggest thing, we moved you and your brother into the same room.

What a transition! And it's still going on. You have rejected the room for the past 3 nights but tonight you fell asleep okay. You are still randomly waking up throughout the night and will eat twice a night (including the dream feed - which I hope to stop by the time you are 9 months). You went from sleeping through the night to waking up multiple times which is a bit frustrating, but right now we're just going with it to keep the peace. How can I let you cry it out when you're sharing a room with your brother?

Which brings me to your brother. You go from being frustrated with his constant desire to hold your hands to being absolutely enamored by him from the minute you hear his voice when you wake up in the morning. It melts my heart to see your smile as you look at him and hope for a glance from him in your direction. You two are going to give me trouble in a year or so (sooner?) but for now it's really sweet to see your adoration of him.

You are loving when someone holds your hands and pulls you up to standing and seem quite proud of yourself, but you have not really shown initiative to take steps forward in this position.

You are also not quite crawling but I think you are becoming interested in the idea and you can usually spin around while on your belly.

You have two bottom teeth sitting under your gums, just biding their time but wreaking havoc in the meantime. Rosy cheeks, a whiny disposition (sometimes) and incessant amounts of drool are making it clear to everyone that teeth are on the way!

Your cheeks still make me want to NOM on them every time I see them and blow raspberries on your chubby little belly. You are such a sweetie pie and while generally good natured, I already see a very independent/stubborn streak in you. While this may give us grief when we try and direct that stubbornness, I know that God can use this for HIS glory and I pray you seek to serve him with ALL your might.

love

Mama