Hello again my sweet, sweet boy. It’s Momma and I’m a bit late on your letter this month. Again. Forgive me. You turned seven months old on the seventeenth and we decided to take you all over creation in the days after, leaving Mommy zero computer time. It was all worth it, of course, but that’s why this is a little tardy.
Instead of a letter in paragraph form, I decided to try a different layout this time. I hope you don’t mind. In fact, when I read these to you in a few years, I bet you’ll like this alphabet version better.
A - You continue to be one of the most alert babies I’ve ever met. When a door opens, your head whips around. If we’re snuggling and you hear Griffin walking around, you contort your body to follow the nails clicking on the hardwoods. When we’re rocking on the front porch, your eyes follow each and every car that goes down the road.
B - Although they looked questionable for months, I’m fairly certain you’ll be rocking brown peepers for the rest of your life. At first, I loved the idea of your eyes staying gray like mine, but I’ve since changed my opinion on the matter. I love looking into those brown eyes and seeing the same color that drew me to Daddy’s eyes eight years ago.
C - Sometimes, you can be quite the clown. When we went to visit Bubby in New Haven, you had her (and the whole diner!) cracking up with your bubble-blowing.
D - It’s not all silliness all the time. You have a dramatic streak, too. When you’re having your last bottle before bed, your right hand continuously smacks my cheek and you put the back of your left hand on your forehead in a damsel-in-distress/fainting gesture. It’s hysterical but I hope you’re not a drama king. Daddy has enough drama for the three of us. ;)
E - You’re starting to show more and more that you’re capable of entertaining yourself. I love this about you and I hope it’s an early indication that you’ll be a strong, independent boy that knows how to make his own fun. e.g.. While I cleaned out the porch planters, you sat in your big boy chair in the trunk of the car with the hatch up just playing with your toys and alternating your gaze from me to the passing cars.
F - One of your newest activities is flying on the swings. Okay… maybe not flying per se, but you love the gentle swings and sways as you stare at the ground and squeal with delight. Mommy and Daddy love watching you take part in such a quintessential childhood activity as we look forward to countless future swing pushes.
G - You’ve always loved your puppy and as the relationship continues to evolve, we’ve added a new obsession as far as Griffin is concerned: dog tags. This picture? I die.
H - Hiking continues to be one of our favorite activities. I strap you in the carrier and off we go. Fresh air for you, exercise for me. I don’t feel comfortable taking you once the ground is covered in snow, so I’m soaking up each opportunity now. Next Spring you’ll probably be walking on your own and you definitely won’t fit in the carrier.
I - Remember how I mentioned how alert you are in the first line of this “letter?” Well, you’re especially alert when we’re eating. You reeeeaaallly seem to hone in on ice cream and really, who can blame you?
J - If you’re wondering if you still love to jump, the answer is an emphatic yes. Yes, yes, yes. You easily spend 60+ minutes/day jumping and babbling in the Jumperoo and strengthening those leg muscles.
K - You absolutely loooove other kids. You’re amazed by other kids. You watch other kids and you break into wide smiles. I don’t blame you. For the most part, they’re way more engaging and energetic than Mommy and Daddy.
L - You are laughing at so much more than you did last month. You have definitive tickle spots and any crazy sound makes you chuckle. Kissing sounds, mouth raspberries and musical scales that Mommy sings in an operatic voice seem to be among your favorites. Keep laughing, my boy. It’s far and wide the most wonderful sound that’s ever passed by my ears.
M - Mealtime continues to be a really fun time for you and me. I put on the “Alan Menken” Pandora station and I belt out songs from movies that I loved growing up. You sit your chair and smile at me as I serenade you with any and every song from Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid. I’m not sure who enjoys this ritual more. We’re three months in and I’m still making all of your food from scratch. I enjoy doing it because I know you’re getting the absolute best. Lately, you’ve been loving pear-broccoli and apple-spinach. You dislike very little, but among your favorites are carrots, sweet potatoes and anything mixed with apple.
N - Every day with you is a gift (sorry for the corny, trite and oh-so-typical Mommy line…) but some days are definitely better than others. The days that rock are the days that you have your big morning nap. Not only do I get a breather but you wake up refreshed, over-the-moon happy and ready to tackle anything. If you don’t get this crucial morning nap, you’re just slightly crankier than usual. Don’t get me wrong… your “cranky” is still easy-going, chill and sweet… but without sleeping for an hour or more, you’re just 100% awesome instead of 110% awesome. The afternoon nap is a bit more elusive simply because we’re out of the house. You make it a point to grab a snoozer anyway and most days, it’s in the car or the stroller.
O - I can’t handle you in overalls. That picture at the beginning of this post? Come on. You have a few pairs and they’re one of my favorite outfits in which to dress you up.
P - Last month, you had your very first playdate and you looooved it. We had a few of your friends over and since then, you’ve been to a few more playdates. Being around other babies is so good for you and the baby love affairs that you seem to have with your friends are too much to handle.
Q - You’re constantly on the quest for all of our stuff. Beer bottle, water glass, cell phone, sweatshirt cords… Whatever it is, you want it. The water glass is the only thing from that list that I let you play with… with my help. You’re showing signs you’re ready for a “big boy cup” soon, so that’ll be coming up this month for ya.
R - You are rolling like a mad man. A serious mad man. Back, forth. Forth, back. I left you in the middle of the living room one afternoon while I ran to the bathroom and came out moments later to find you off the carpet and onto the hardwoods. You may not be anywhere near crawling, but boy do you get where you need to go. Just remember, it’s not nice to roll onto your new friends.
S - For a 18-24 hour period last month, you were not yourself at all. I kept saying you were sick, but the visit to the doctor proved otherwise. Maybe you were upset that Mommy went away for the night? Either way, you had Daddy and I terrified and your poor father was up with you all. night. long. Never again, you hear? Never again.
T - Teeth. As in… where are they!? You’ve been drooling like an animal since you were fifteen weeks old and chomping on everything in sight… let’s get this going and over with already!
U - We have UV light on lockdown with your four pairs of sunglasses. We love seeing you in each and every pair. You’re already so much cooler than Mommy and Daddy.
V - You’re getting very sturdy on your arms. You do countless baby push-ups each day and while we thought you had strong legs from all of your jumping, (See letter “J” above…) it looks like your arm strength is catching up quickly. You’re at the very beginning stages of pushing up onto your knees, so we’re working on that more each day. Whenever you decide to crawl, we’ll be cheering you on all the way.
W - We’re going to end with “W” since I’m having trouble coming up with words for “X,” “Y,” and “Z.” Besides, this is one of my absolute favorite pictures from the last month - what better way to go out? One of your favorite morning activities is to sit on our bed and gaze out the window. Daddy lays down behind you and the two of you spot different birds, leaves and trees. Daddy points out shapes and colors and you listen contentedly while smacking and/or salivating on the sill. All joking aside, it’s a special moment that I could observe for hours on end.
So there you are - Harrison from A-W over the last month. You’re cracking us up more than you ever have and we can’t wait to see what the next month holds. Keep smiling, learning, observing and (thank the good God!) sleeping.
We love you more than we could ever put into words or alphabets,
Mommy & Daddy
