Letter While You Sleep

Dearest Bear,

While I rocked you to sleep last night I thought how cool it was that Dada wrote you letter before you were born telling you all about things on the outside. I thought you might enjoy a letter from your mom retelling stories about life with you as a baby! Here it goes....

You are just a bit older than 8 months old. I cannot begin to explain the speed at which you have grown in front of my eyes. When I think of an 8 month old, I think of a big boy. These days when I look at you I see the foreshadowing of a big boy and it is incredible.

In some ways you are still very much a baby (which keeps mama very happy!). You don't have a single tooth yet but you have been "teething" for months. Although we try daily, you still do not love solid food. You would take a booby snack any day over real food! You love to nursy nurse and you get up at night just to do so. Dada and I have not really put any restrictions on you yet as far as sleeping. We keep thinking we will "train" you to sleep in your own bed but you let us know you are not ready for that. I think teeth, solid food, and sleeping in your own bed with a full belly! Until then, we enjoy when you join us in the middle of the night.

Much of the time you are proving to all around you that you are growing so fast and becoming so smart and talented! Just before Christmas 2010, at about 6 1/2 months old, you decided that you were going to conquer some milestones real quick like. You started sitting, crawling, pulling up to sitting, pulling up to standing in the span of about 2 weeks. You really kept us on our toes (Still do!)! You are amazingly fast when you have somewhere to go. Ruby and Willie move fast when they see you coming! You love your play room filled with your toys but would rather play with mama's water bottle or climb on the baby gate. You are very young to be standing on anything you can plant your hands and feet on which makes for lots of bumps and bruises and tears. I don't think you would be happy having it any other way.

You might wonder when you are older what you were like as a baby. You are very advanced! I say that a lot to people and I do it half joking half serious. You can see the wheels turning in your head when you look at most things. You love to figure out the way things work. Your hands are constantly reaching for nuts, bolts, hinges, locks, and handles. You are on a mission to figure out how things work. Granna thinks your gonna be a mechanical engineer like Papa Murphy.'

You say, "Dadadadadaadad" a lot! You used to say, "Mama" but have decided that Dada is the greatest word and say it for everything. Oh, and you grunt and squeal a lot. People often think you are screaming but then they see your face and realize you love the sound of your loud voice. When you grunt and growl it makes me think we gave you the right name!

Your latest amusement is your Dada's bongos and your new drum from Geord and Julie and your new Ukulele from Grandpa Dave (Mr. Silverman to you). I think your gonna be a musician whether you like it or not! You seem to LOVE it! You mimic Dada's strums on the guitar and you whack your drums with such intensity.

The best thing about you is how you show your love for your Mama and Dada! You are not a snuggler but you love to be near us and sometimes you grab the sides of our faces and give us a huge, slimy, open-mouthed kiss! You take a minute to warm up to strangers but then you give them smiles and let them play with you!

Well, in the time that I have been writing this, you have woken up from your nap and are playing in front of me. At this very moment you pulled yourself up to standing on the couch and when I look over and catch your eye you have the biggest gumby, pure smile that I have ever seen. Keep it up my boy and you will go far!

Love you forty skies and to infinity............. Your Mama