Letter to My 10 Month Old

Dear Julian, 

Happy 10 months baby boy!  You have come so very far these last few months, with new skills and interests emerging every day.  You're clapping, waving, kissing, and high-fiving all day long, and you seem so proud of yourself.  You're babbling like crazy, and shrieking - sometimes so loud and high-pitched there almost is no sound.  You even said your first word:  Kisses.  Could there be a better first word?  I don't think so, it just shows how much love is heaped on you every day!

This last month has been a very busy one.  Your Auntie Claire and Auntie Tessa came to visit for 2 weeks and that was a ton of fun.  We spent many hours at the beach playing in the sand, and splashing in the water.  It was so much fun to see you guys interact and get to know each other better.  You even got to stay and hang out with them on your own for awhile so that Mama and Papa could go out by themselves!  They have a webcam at home, so we've been chatting with them over the internet so that you don't forget who they are before they get a chance to come back for another visit, and that is really fun.  You love to wave and smile at them, and perk up whenever you hear their voices.

Right after they left to head home to Indiana, your Uncle Jack and Auntie Lily came down from Philly to visit for a week.  We spent even more time at the beach, and by the end of their trip you had stopped eating the sand and started throwing it instead.  You also got very comfortable crawling through the low surf and swimming in the waves with your Papa.  We built sand castles, had picnics, and played a lot while they were here.  It was awesome, and we can't wait to have them down again to spend more time with you.  

You seem more and more a little boy, leaving a little bit of your babyhood behind as we pass through the days.  When you cruise around on the furniture or throw your soccer ball around you seem so much like a toddler.  And you are aware of so much that is going on, and often surprise me with how much you understand.  You now know many words when I ask you about them:  Papa, Mama, ball, clap, throw, bite, nurses, kisses.  

The amount of food you can put down in a meal is astounding.  You love all things dairy:  mozzarella, cottage cheese, and yogurt.  Fruit is highly favored, especially peaches and plums, but blueberries and bananas are pretty high ranking as well.  Carbs are up there on the list, especially your Joe's O's and pasta.  I am not sure there has been a food that has passed your lips that you have not enjoyed, even lemons are licked with a puckered face and a smile (blame your Aunties for that one!).   You are very independent, and often won't eat anything off a spoon, unless it's the treasured yogurt, so I've had to be creative in making finger food you can eat yourself that meets all of your dietary needs.  You still drink water out of a bottle for some naps, but more often than not your able to use one of your sippy cups.  It's not as easy, but you're a determined little guy.

Sleep has much improved over this last month.  Right at the beginning of August you gave us our first taste of sleeping through the night, and as we've solidified your bedtime routine things have gotten better. 

It goes like this most nights:  

Big dinner

Bath if your really gross, wipe down if not

New diaper and PJs

Nursing while Mama reads two books (BabyCakes and Good Night Moon)

Lights out

Nursing during Songs (J is for Julian, You are My Sunshine, Hey Jude, Hush Little Baby) 

Kisses from everyone

Sound machine on

Bottle of water and laid down for the night.   

9 times out of 10 you're out like a light until somewhere between 6:30 and 8AM, and it is heavenly.  Teething still seems to disrupt some nights, as well as Papa working nights and missing bedtime, so you wake up to nurse around 3 for comfort and security.  It's so nice to know you have found your way with sleep, and I am glad that we have been able to help you learn to sooth yourself, not to mention how much better I am feeling now that I am not so sleep deprived!

Papa has been home a lot this month, between some leave he took for visitors and the way his schedule has been working lately with mid-shifts he's been here a lot during your waking hours.  It has really fostered a close bond between the two of you, and I can see it in how you follow him around and reach for him when he's not close enough to you.  Together you eat meals, take Nico for long walks, and play ball in the living room every day, not just on the weekends, and we feel really blessed for that.  We still fight down the hall to the nursery to see who can get to you first when we hear you wake from your naps, because the smile that is on your face when you see us is priceless.  He loves to spend time with you, especially now that you have become so interactive and playful, and he can make you laugh and giggle like no one else, not even me.

Soon we are going to start planning your birthday party, but hopefully that day will take it's time getting here.  I plan on enjoying these last two months of you as a baby as much as I can.  You are such a joy to be with, and such a treasure to your Papa and I.  I hope you always know how much love we each have for you.

Always,

Mama

xoxoxo