Letter to My 8 Month Old

Jules,

If you wonder why nearly every month I write you this letter and the pictures are of you sleeping - try to remember that the only time I have to sit down and work on it is when you are down for a nap!  The rest of my day is spent chasing you all over the house because you are rarely in one place for long.

I cannot believe that you are already this old.  Time has been flying by since you arrived, and as every month passes I look back, sometimes missing that tiny baby you once were, while at the same time being excited by how far you have come in such a short time. It's a blast and you seem more and more like a little boy than a baby every day. You are constantly learning something new, and challenging us with something new.  You help us see the world from a different angle, and you make us so happy.   Your Papa is especially excited by your rough-and-tumble-ness, and I am enamored with your smile and gregarious personality. 

Your schedule is very busy most weeks.  We make lots of time for play with your baby friends, library programs, walks around the neighborhood, trips to the beach, going to the dog park with Nico, and now spending a couple of days at work with me.  We went to your second concert with Uncle Kenny, Billy Joel, and you danced and smiled and ate cereal before passing out to sleep in the Inka.  You adapt well to new situations, and you're always willing to explore a new place.  Now when we get together with the other babies, rather than just laying there staring off into space - you are up and about and crawling all over each other!  It's a lot of fun to watch you interact and learn how to play, though your favorite activities so far seem to be pulling hair, grabbing cheeks, and stealing toys!  You are seriously fascinated with faces.

You've managed to cut 4 teeth in the latter half of the month - three on the bottom and one on top, with 2 more visible through your gums, and nearing emergence.  You also got your first virus.  It was pretty miserable, and we hated seeing your spirit dampened, but you've pulled through and are feeling better everyday.  

You are so mobile now - moving from room to room with ease, pulling up on anything within your reach, and getting onto anything not nailed down.  You love to crawl up and over us when we are cuddling in bed, over the dog, and onto the bottom book shelves.  You are so pleased with yourself when you get up on your feet, the fact that you haven't figured out how to get down is still pretty frustrating for you - but we are working on showing you how to do it yourself all the time.  

It is so much fun to play with you as you get older,  we laugh and act silly as much as possible every day.  Papa and I often look at each other and exclaim how much we love you!  Your cuteness is irresistible, and your smile could charm the pants off of anyone.  You are such a happy baby, so easy going, active, perfect in every way.  

We love you til we're nearly bursting, it just oozes out of us.  I never knew it was possible to love someone as much as I love you.  You are the center of our world.  I wake up every morning looking forward to seeing your smiling face, and no matter how little sleep I've had or how early you decide to get up I can't be anything but happy to start another day with you in my life.  

I love you little man, always and forever,

Mama

xoxo

Papa's Lullaby for Julian:

J is for Julian, the boy who we love

U is for Umbrella, rain from above

L is for Love, Family and Friends

I is for Ice Cream, it's summer time again

A is for Apples, doctor away

N is for November, Happy Birthday!