Eight Months

June 02, 2012

Seth,

The teeth just keep coming. You’re up to eight now, and using them to great advantage. From bananas to stars to animal crackers, feeding yourself is quite the activity. We’re enjoying watching you feed yourself, though the pieces end up all over the place sometimes. You can’t quite see over the edge of the high chair tray, either, so you have to pull yourself up a little bit to check the near edge of the tray for extra food. “All done” is also heard quite frequently now, whether in the high chair, the shopping cart, the car seat, or just on the floor. You know what it means and aren’t hesitant in telling us what you want. I guess the next thing to teach you will be patience. We’ve been working on it for 3 decades, we’ll see how it works out for you.

You’re getting yourself mobile. I’m watching you roll around all over the floor and squeal in the office as I type. It’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I’m pretty sure that you’re more active and excited than a barrel of monkeys, too. Your balance gets better each day, and it’s a toss-up if you’ll walk before you crawl. We fully expect to walk in some morning and find you standing in your crib, waiting for us to come and pick you up. Until then, we enjoy looking in on you at night to see what strange positions you’re sleeping in, from the corner of the crib to on your tummy with your legs tucked under you. Often after we put you down, you’ll roll around to get comfortable, and roll out of view of the monitor camera. Mommy and I say that you’re “down in the kitchen getting cookies”. Pretty soon, you might be…

Food is bringing all sorts of brand-new experiences this month. From sweet potatoes and mangoes to squash, Mommy is cooking up all sorts of new delicacies for you. Still, the staple is still oatmeal, and you’re dominating boxes of it morning and evening. Now that you can manipulate your food, you’re eating stars and animal crackers. The animal crackers we just give to you whole, since you’ve quite figured out how to use those teeth. There’s nothing so cute as when you turn and look at us with animal cracker and stars stuck in random places on your face and hands.

You are loved so very much. This month also marked the first mothers’s day with you as part of the family. Joanna loves you so very much and couldn’t think of anything better to do in the world than be your mommy. The love goes both ways, too. Not only do you show the biggest smiles when you see us, but it’s apparent that you miss us when we’re gone. A number of times you asked for “Daddy?” when I was gone this month traveling. It makes me quite sad to hear about that when I’m not there, but it makes it that much more special to come home.

Love you very much, little man. It’s a pleasure to watch you grow and learn.

-Daddy and Mommy