Dear J,
For the most part, you have been an absolute joy this past month. It is clear that you are really understanding things. I taught you how to turn the lights off in the bathroom (this may have been a bad move because you are enamored like someone who has never seen electricity - you point at the lights and the switch every time we go in there). I also taught you to open up your mouth so I can "brush" your two little teeth. You don't keep your mouth open for long, though, because you seem to like biting the wet washcloth I am using. I've got to watch my fingers!
At the beginning of August, I read a baby email that mentioned that the things that you had started pointing at showed the things that you are interested in. Sure, you were pointing, and we sort of knew that the things that you were pointing at were interesting to you, but only on a subconscious level. After I read that and started thinking about it, I used all that pointing as a way of learning about you. We could see what you found interesting or what you wanted. After I shared that with Daddy, he sent me a picture from his phone with the words "things baby points at." The picture was a fun one - row after row of brightly-painted piggy banks. I'd point too! Then I noticed other things you point at. You pretty much love animals and point at them all the time. Over the past few days, you've even started pointing at the fish! I'm not sure you realized he was there before. In the mornings, laying in bed, we used to point to the chimes above our bed over and over. You would point and look at me cheerfully and I would point too, saying "chimes." But maybe they lost their novelty because we haven't done it in a week or two.
We went with my parents to Dewey Beach, DE and it was such a great vacation. You seemed delighted by everything there and the routine seemed to really suit you (aka you went to bed easily). I put your little feet in the water, thinking it would be too cold, but you seemed pleased. When the waves came in, I would pick you up a little so you could kick your feet. As they went out, I put you down and you got this strange pleased look on your face. I think you liked the way the water receding felt on your little feet and how they start to sink in the soft sand at that point. You crawled all over. I was amused at seeing what a crawling baby's "footprints" look like. Hard to explain here. You were just the greatest, happiest little beach baby. I put you in my carrier for the morning and evening dog beach walks and it felt serene. Daddy found a large (conch?) shell on that trip and when we put it up to your ear so you can hear the ocean, you get that same small, peculiar look of amusement and delight that you gave when the waves sunk your feet in the sand. Such a wonderful, wonderful trip.
Oh, you headstand too! I don't know where it came from, but from time to time you will stop crawling, put your bottom in the air, and look at the world upside-down. I haven't been fast enough to get a picture, but it is just so funny.
September 8th you did something that melted my heart. I was spending the morning with you, sharing a handful of puffs. You were taking them out of my palm, one at a time, and eating them. And then you took one and held it out to my mouth! I couldn't believe it. I opened my mouth and in you put it, smiling the whole time. I couldn't believe it - where did you learn that? We didn't overtly teach you that, and yet, there it was. Another glimpse in to your mind.
Oh, a funny thing food-related happened at a cookout we went to at a friends' house at church. I was really proud of you because I cut the food up in to small pieces and then placed the plate on a large tray on the floor with all the other kids. Your first experience of the kids' table! You were adorably munching away until I looked away and turned back to see you grab the top bun of the girl's hamburger next to you. The entire thing you just plucked off of her burger. It was funny, but I felt kind of bad for her too. Guess that's the next lesson.
Oh, you've added a new word to your repertoire - "wow." It happened right after the shore trip mentioned above, so maybe we said it a lot there. But it is funny to hear you exclaim it over all sorts of things.
In the interest of full disclosure of the good and the bad, I am having a hard time getting you to cooperate with diaper changes and with getting in your car seat. You wiggle and squirm and try to turn around. If I get out an interesting toy, sometimes that keeps you put long enough to get the job done. But sometimes it is so frustrating. Daddy does not seem to have this problem.
A couple days ago I tried to introduce you to the idea of Elimination Communication. Even if we didn't follow it all the time, I thought that knowing that you were going to the bathroom might help you once potty training came around. One of my friends mentioned bringing you to the toilet first thing in the morning. One day I did and you went in the potty!!! I made a "ssss" sound and cheered for you. It went well. The next day, the same thing. Only this time you seemed to look to me to cheer. And cheer I did. But I got too overzealous and brought you to the potty numerous times that day, none of which you went to the bathroom during and the ones later in which you tensed up and kind of whined/cried. And the next morning you tensed and cried again. Either you didn't have to go, or I overdid it. And I feel kind of bad because it was going so well. So we'll wait a couple days and try again. I was just kind of hoping to avoid the potty battle in the future.
I feel like I have been so very busy. But I wanted to write this before our trip to the Grand Canyon with my family in a few days. I'm sure that will have some more stories. And then once we get back, we have a week before YOUR FIRST BIRTHDAY?! When did THAT happen? I certainly don't feel like you've been here a year and, yet, I can't remember life before you.
You are generally an easy-going and mild-mannered kid. Every now and then you have a bit of a temper or stubborn streak, but, knowing your parents, that's not surprising. I love you so much and I'm so very happy to have you here.
Kisses and Hugs around the neck (and the bushel and the peck, etc),
Mom
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