Eight

Dear Tadpole,

This week you turned eight months old.  People told us that time would fly by and we believed them, but did not fully understand how quickly things would change. It seems that everyday you do something we want to remember - to celebrate. As soon as we get around to doing so, however, it seems a new milestone is upon us.

The past four weeks have been busy ones.

I worked really hard on preparing for my final oral exams.  You and Daddy helped me study. To our relief, things went well and now we can get rid of our flashcards and focus on other things (like writing).

You and I have been sick for awhile now. I'm not sure which of us got an icky cold bug and brought it home. I think we're *finally* getting better now though, which is a good thing. I guess all of our cuddling and efforts to take it easy helped. I suspect that Daddy's efforts to take such good care of us helped too. I'm grateful that he did not get sick.

Despite  feeling a bit under the weather, you were still incredibly active this month. Of course, you maintained your crushes at the local coffee shop and kept the ladies entertained at school (Ms. P says that your class is like a harem for you, as you're the only boy there most of the time). You also made regular appearances at 'Blockwatch' with Daddy and had a few dates with Nana and Grandpa too. You'll go play with Aunt B tomorrow as well.

In addition to maintaining a busy social schedule, you're quite busy at home too.  While you're not particularly motivated to crawl quite yet, you often rock back and forth while up on all fours.  You sit independently now, which makes it much easier for you to explore your toys.  You seem to like most anything we put before you, but do have a strong affection for your noisy bee and anything else that makes sounds.  Your favorite stuffed animal is 'Monkey', which Ms. K gave to me at your baby shower. You like to sleep with monkey, take him out with you, and just say hello to him throughout the day too. You're also in to playing with your blocks now, which is neat, but you prefer that they stay horizontal rather than having them piled high. Of course, the jump-a-roo remains a favorite (you even take it to Nana and Grandpa's), but you like to spend time in your car as well. 

Your appetite is ginormous right now.  You drink more milk than I can produce and eat a ton of food, too.  You eat both fruits and vegetables as well as a variety of grains, too.  You are a quick eater, like your Daddy, and do not appreciate it when others mess with your food. You like to try most anything and are clear about what you like and do not (in fact, this applies to almost any area in your life).

You continue to love to read. Brown Bear, Brown Bear reigns supreme, but you've expanded your literary preferences to include a number of other authors besides Eric Carle.  You really like Feathers for Lunch, which Aunt B gave you several months ago.  Daddy and I try very hard to read with you every day and will sit there with you as long as you'll allow.  We've even made Goodnight Moon a staple in our bedtime routine.

You love to sing, which is awesome. Daddy likes to sing you horrible 80s songs as lullabies. I tend to sing you songs that I remember from when I was little. You and I now have dance parties as well during which we crank up the radio and bop around. I suspect we look ridiculous, but we have so much fun! You dance a bit on your own as well. Yesterday, Usher came on the radio and you began to move. I do not know how I feel about that.

You continue to be incredibly engaged and social.  You love it when people attend to you and always reward them with a sweet smile. You also wave like a champ as well. You're just starting to figure out how to high-five, which is fun.  You're tentative when you go to slap another person's hand, but think it is funny when people get excited when you do. You have the most incredible laugh and love to make people laugh with you.  You also now love the game peek-a-boo. It simply does not get old to you. You like to 'bonk' with others on the head and love to give kisses as well. Often, you'll grab my face and kiss me right on the mouth. You tend to forget to close your mouth when you do though and you also seem to hum at the same time.

At Christmas, you were showered with gifts. Due to that, you have a whole new wardrobe.  You have an animal sweatshirt for almost every day of the week. Thus, you may often be found wearing ears.  You also have a great suit for outside that Aunt T gave you. You laugh at yourself whenever you see it. I think this might be because you look like Brown Bear.

Every day, Daddy looks at you and asks me, "Isn't he awesome"? Sometimes he asks a few times.  My answer is always the same: "Yes, even more than I could have ever imagined".  We so adore having you in our lives. You're exhausting and maddening and so much fun.  You make us closer to the people that we want to be. We're so thankful and proud to have you in our lives.

Love,
Mama