Month Nine

Dear Patrick,

(I realize this is a day early, but I wanted to post it before things got busy and I forgot.)

This month has been a super busy one for you.  The biggest change in our home is that I went back to work part-time, leaving you at home with your grandma for two days a week.  I think it's been tougher on me than you.  After all, your only concerns in life are getting changed, being fed, taking and occasional nap and playing, playing, and more playing.  On the two days I am working, I usually get home too late to put you to bed, but believe me, the first thing I do is rush upstairs to see you. It's the only time of the day when you are not in full swing.  Although I should correct that:  it's the only time of the day when you are *mostly* not in full swing.  You are twist and turn and roll over in your sleep, finding a comfortable spot and then you fall into your deep slumber.

This month, you started eating more and more.  At this point, you are demanding food.  Yogurt.  Carrots.  Applesauce.  Corn and sweet potatoes.  Turkey.  Chicken.  Bananas.  And so on.  It's great to see you eating because at first, you were very skeptical, only letting us feed you little bits at a time.  I finally gave you your first teething biscuit (even though you have no teeth), and you loved gumming it.  I wonder when you'll demand your first piece of fried chicken... tee hee hee.

You have learned how to sit up all on your own.  And now, on the nights when I put you to bed, I only place you in your crib and leave you alone.  At first, I would lay you down, only to turn my back and have you sit right up.  Now, I know better.  Your crib is full of some of your favorite toys:  a puppy, a monkey, a soft book.  And every evening, you sit and play with these toys until you fall asleep.  I assume you fall over when you are exhausted, since I walk in to see you lying across your crib or nestled in the corner.  I carefully move your toys out of your way.  But then in the morning, you wake up, sit yourself up and quietly play with your toys until someone comes in your room to help you greet the new day.

You are a very happy boy.  You are all smiles for every one you come across.  You love going out to Target, the grocery store, the mall, even the post office.  You always give folks your gummiest smile and love it when they speak to you and make faces at you.  You are a very social boy and you always manage to put a smile on people's faces. 

This month, we took you to your first minor league baseball game.  Unfortunately, I must have left my mind behind because I forgot to take the camera.  But I will tell you that you were awake for most of the game, falling asleep briefly for the eighth inning, then waking up to see the end of the game and watch your first round of fireworks.  You loved them!  I was expecting you to be frightened by their big boom, but no, you took it all in, loving every minute of it.

We also took you to your first community day in our town.  You loved spending time in the grass, showing up your latest moves.  You aren't crawling forward just yet.  Instead, you get on your hands and knees, rock back and forth and then, just as we think you are going to crawl toward us, you go backward.  We laugh and when you see us, you giggle as if you've just done the funniest thing in the whole world.

You are trying to communicate with us too.  You babble - BABABABABABABA - and make all kinds of noises.  Your most famous one (at least your dad's favorite) is when you blow air and let it flow on your lips, almost making a puff noise. 

You are spending time in your pack and play during the day:  you have an assortment of toys that you play with including a big stuffed monkey, various teething rings, a talking bear, and stacking cups.  You haven't quite figured out how to stack them, but for some reason, you love throwing them, then picking them up, putting one in your mouth and another on your big toy.  Don't ask me why you do it, Patrick, after all, it's *your* game.

You've outgrown your bouncy seat - we simply thought you would catapult out of it with your incessant bouncing.  Instead, you prefer your high chair and pack and play.  You also enjoy taking walks in your big boy stroller which lets you sit upright.  You love seeing all the action and have taking to touching all the clothes on the clothing racks when we go shopping.

As I mentioned before, you still are toothless.  You keep putting things in your mouth, though, including your fingers, so we figure it will be any day now. 

You continue to love bathtime, except now, you sit up and play with your bath toys as we wash you.  You love getting your hair washed and you know that as soon as you are finished in the bathtub, we will let you roll all over the bed as we get you ready for bed.

Patrick, there are only a few things in this world that I truly love.  And you are at the top of my list.

Until next month,

Momma