growing up—35 weeks

Dear Gideon,

On Saturday you turned 8 months old.
That week prior was a bang up week for you—literally. With your newfound skill of pulling yourself into a standing position comes the daunting task of getting back down. In the last few days your wobbly knees have connected with your brain and you've managed to sit back down without falling over. You haven't always been so lucky. We've had more than one occasion where you would lose your grip on the couch and hit your head on the floor when you crashed. Even though I repeatedly encouraged you to not stand up using the end table you refused to comprehend my pleas. The end table is now in the basement after a crash and burn last week that involved you smacking your face on the edge of the wooden table on your way down. That one hurt. So did the injury you incurred on Thanksgiving when your cousin Matthew hit you in the face with a wooden toy guitar. You cried. I was not happy. It left a big red mark between your eyes for the rest of the evening. It was an accident and I know your cousin felt bad—as soon as he realized what happened he went running and hid under Daddy's coat. After some coaxing by your Uncle, he apologized and gave you a very gentle hug. It was really cute. Through it all I've learned something about you—your a tough little guy. As Daddy said, hopefully you won't be brain damaged by the time you are walking.

November 24, 2007

You had your first Thanksgiving last week as well. This was a big deal for me because it was the first major holiday where we could share our traditions with you. We somehow got completely off schedule that day and even though you didn't nap well you were really well-spirited. The 20+ family members at your Great Grandma & Grandpa's that day didn't phase you one bit. If someone wanted to hold you, your arms were open. If you didn't know them you'd just look at them inquisitively before flashing a smile. That night I noticed a second tooth popping up just on the surface of your gums. Even that didn't cause your sunny disposition to waver. You are awesome.

Nap-time continues to be our biggest struggle of the day. You just don't want to go down without a fight. Daddy and I are trying our hardest to get you to nap without having to hold you until you fall asleep. We are still not successful in that venture. At times I don't mind because I know I'll only be able to hold you in my arms for so long before you are too big. Other times I'm cursing Grandma under my breath for continuing to hold you the entire time you nap. We are still lucky to get more than 30–45 minutes of sleep out of you at one time. We hung sheets up in your windows to block out the some of the daylight. That seems to help a bit and if I ever get to the fabric store I will make you curtains that don't send out such a trashy vibe. Until then, red and blue sheets will continue to hang in your room.

It is really cool to see you learning so much about the world around you. I swear that yesterday you communicated with me about your lunch. We were nearing the end of your cereal & veggies and I asked you if you wanted more (as I always do). I put the spoon close to your mouth and asked (and signed), "More?" You scrunched up your face and went, "uhhh". Then I pulled the bowl close to me and asked (and signed), "All done?". To which you responded with a big smile and a "Ahh-ahh!" It was almost like, "Yes woman. That's what I was saying. Thanks for understanding.". It was great. We can talk without real words. It's our own secret language. You also just started saying, "Na, na" which I'm pretty sure it "nap". At least it seems like you say it when you are tired and you want your binky and Buddy. When you are hungry and I ask and sign "milk?" you smile and laugh reassuringly. We are both benefiting so much from this new skill. Now if I could just get you to understand that 5 a.m. is not an acceptable waking time, Daddy and I would be ecstatic.

Love,
Mommy