february 2010

To My Hayes,

Eleven. Months. Old! You are into ev-er-y-thing. I've tried to baby proof as much of the house as possible, yet the messes seem to follow you everywhere. You're crawl is speedy, that little right leg of yours still hangs out, we figured for traction on our slippery wood floors. You spend most of your day standing, when you reach for things you get up on your tippy toes and it's the cutest thing. You have a little walk & push toy that you make some serious ground with, I can't imagine you walking, but I'm sure the day is close. Our biggest challenge is your sleeping habits, thankfully you've started sleeping 12 hours at night, and you (and we) are so much happier! Our next hurdle is to get you from three naps (1-30 minute nap and 2-1 hour naps) to two long ones. After six days of experimenting, I haven't made any progress on the situation. Being a parent is hard work! Most of the time it feels like a trick question - the answer seems obvious, but am I ever right? Probably not.

thrifted tee

You got your first tooth (your front bottom right) last month and it is razor sharp and so so cute. I was a little worried that teething might be a big to-do with you since the Beach House Teething Incident of June 2010, but I had no idea you got it until I caught a glimpse of it while you were laughing one day. It makes me happy to know that maybe teething won't be so bad after all. Your love affair with baby food is coming to an end. Your usual two jars per meal has shrunk to half of one. You love fresh fruit and anything we're eating. Sometimes I feel like all I do is feed you, or think about what I could feed you next. I can't wait to get you off formula and onto milk, formula reeks. And your formula burps reek even worse.

You are getting really good at picking up words and actions. You'll sign "more" and love to do the actions to the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Patty Cake. You say mama, dada, baba, pooh (both for your stuffed Pooh Bear, and if I ask you if you pooped.) You say boo! and "buh" for book. Everything you see or do is accompanied by a very surprised face, raised eyebrows and "ooooh!!" You pull that same face while you're dancing and it reminds us of Reuben Feffer's salsa solo on the movie Along Came Polly. Look it up sometime, it's spot on!

You are an iPhone addict.  I have to keep it out of sight or you throw a fit until I pull up pictures of you. Your favorite thing is to watch your own videos and even after hundreds of plays, you still laugh and beam at yourself. It's my own fault, when I don't feel very good, I know that will keep you entertained... it depresses me that you have to watch a video of me playing peek-a-boo with you.

Carrying you in my belly felt like an eternity, and eleven months with you here with us have screamed by. Speaking of babies in bellies, the secret's out! You're going to be a big brother at the end of the Summer! Good work for keeping it on the down low for so long, I knew I could count on you. Hayes, this whole new baby thing has thrown me for a loop and I'll tell you why... You have been nothing short of an absolute angel baby since the moment you were born. This is no lie: you cried a total of 20 minutes for the first whole 6 months of your life. You are content, you are happy, you are curious and friendly, you are loving and sensitive. And the thought of my time being split between you and your sibling still brings me to tears. You deserve it all. Everything I could ever give you, you've earned, and yet the logistics of life may put you in second place sometimes. Realizing that you will have to learn that harsh reality in a mere six months breaks my heart.  Can't I keep you in our little bubble forever? I feel like I'm your advocate and protector in this life, and I never had to accept it until now - I am going to be the one that lets you down sometimes.

As I've talked with other families that have had babies close together like you will be with your brother or sister, the apprehension I feel is outweighed by excitement and gratitude. You know what they all say? This brother or sister of yours is going to be your best friend in the world. Your sidekick, your admirer, your supporter, your mate for life. And I get to bring them here, and reunite you again. That makes me happy. I can't wait to see you two together!

I hope you know just how much you are loved Hayes. Your dad kisses your head every night and says "your the best boy in the world" no matter how long his day at work has been, he always has a burst of energy and happiness at the sight of your face, no one can turn his frown upside down like you! I'm just lucky I get to hang out with you all day everyday.

The world is yours, Hayes.

Love,

Mom