A Letter to my Son on his 9 Month Birthday!

Dear Decker,

9 Months Happy!  3/4 of your year of firsts is now behind us and as fast as it all has gone it seems impossible that last holiday season I hadn't even met you yet.  This time last year I had no idea that your name would be Decker, or that your eyes would be blue, or that your smile is infectious, as is your laugh.  12 months ago I was still anticipating the shape of your face, and the curve of your mouth.  It does seem impossible that this time last year I hadn't met you yet because now it  feels like I've always known you, as if you were always in our life, making each day brighter, sunnier, happier. 

You may be only 9 months old, but your physical abilities seem to indicate otherwise. Though you are not yet walking (and barely cruising) it is no matter because the ease and agility with which you perform "stunts" is awe inspiring. You can climb.  The steps were where you learned to climb up but everything else is your base for climbing out and down. The high chair. The exersaucer. Your car-seat carrier.   I am hoping the crib is still a while off.

You've finally gotten more teeth. The four top teeth came in all that same time along with a third bottom tooth. That fourth bottom tooth is working on it but seems to be a bit slower than the rest. 

Now, with a mouth full of teeth, you can chew and prefer to eat table food. As a result your diet is far less healthy than it was when you were eating puréed fruits and vegetables. You've also mastered your pincer grasp and can self feed most small pieces that are put in front of you. Of course, once you grasp the food, you can also chuck it across the room with strange accuracy 

We celebrated Thanksgiving, which was fantastic. Aunt Bonnie visited from Florida and was so delighted to see you and be with you, her little DJ. You are extra special in her heart, being that you were named for Jamie, and both the honor of his name that you represent and the absolute wonder that you are fill her with so much joy, as they do all of us. 

Over Thanksgiving break we also went to Maryland for the day to celebrate Uncle Bunny's 90th birthday.  It was so nice to see all of the Citrenbaums, together in one room, and celebrate such a milestone. I was thrilled to have you be a part of it and to have so many people meet you. Although neither you nor Bunny will remember the day it is a remarkable valuable moment for me, and for Pop-Pop, to know you were a part of something so special.

Celebrating Bunny's 90th

You are all over the place and constantly on the move.  And, though you can play nicely by yourself, you are in constant motion, which is evidence that you are a Tovsky brother.  You have mastered climbing up the stairs and are attempting to climb up everything from me, to the bookshelves, to the beds.  You also like to put all the wrong things in your mouth.  If we don't watch you, you will have a nice steady meal of lego pieces.

When you're given a bottle we hold it for you.  Truthfully, none of us mind, and knowing that the time is going to soon end, I do want to give you as many bottles as possible.  However, you act like you are unable to hold your own bottle.  Then, one day, I walk into your room at daycare to find you giving yourself your bottle.  You little stinker!!  Now that we know the truth we still give it to you, but when we need to, if we place your hands on the bottle you will hold it up yourself.

Holding your own at Daycare

You took your first school picture.  The class photo is funny as it is just you and little Phoebe and Ms. Cheryl.  Your individual picture came out quite good. I call you my Superman in the picture because your hair is darker than normal, your eyes are bluer than normal, and you have the Superman curl.

Superman

You still love the guitar, the phone, your brothers, and the bath.  When I sing the Decker song, sung to the tune of B-I-N-G-O, you laugh and pay close attention trying to follow along.  You love that song!  You're still a pretty serious baby, taking in everything around you, studying the world preparing to master it, but you've learned to be silly, to laugh, and to have fun.  And, we all laugh with you. You have been a gift to all of us for the last 9 months and you will continue to be so for all of the days to come.

                                          

I love you so very much, happy 9 months, baby boy!

Mommy

xoxo

reflecting

Turner at 9 months

Chase and Ryder at 9 months

A Letter to my Son on his Fifth Month Birthday!

Dear Decker,

Happy 5 months, 5 months happy. That's what you are, really, 5 months happy. Always. Smiles, giggles, a sparkle in your eye- a true breath of fresh air. 

At 5 months you weigh 15.4 lbs, are 26 inches long, and have a head and chest that are 17 inches. You have two teeth, you hair is growing thicker, and, your eyes are, still, very blue.  Every morning when I get you out of your crib it is the first thing I look at....if your eyes are still blue. 

You are calm, easy going, and so much fun to be around because you instantly make me, everyone, smile. 

You eat well, sleep well, and go with the flow, well. You're rolling all around, have your arms and legs in constant motion, and are working on sitting up.  You have had two teeth, the bottom, pop through and must have more coming because you constantly have a shirt wet from drool and fingers in your mouth.

You are ticklish and will get a very pleased looked on your face with every tickle. And, when you laugh, you giggle hard with your mouth wide open!  When I stroke your face with a finger you half close your eyes, half smile, and sit back and enjoy the calming sensation.

You love the exersaucer, your brothers, and to make adorable coo sounds that beg to be imitated. You love to have your toes touch your nose and to have your hands clapped together.

In 5 months you have been to a number of soccer fields, more baseball fields than I can actually count, and a whole lot of parties.  This summer we spend most days parked under a tree at the swim club. You and I sit, shaded, and hang out, while your brothers run wild.  Our tree is a constant detour for all of the kids.  They want to see you, hold you, play with you.  It is wonderful to see all kids, particularly the flock of 9 year old boys, adore you like they do.

 

I love you so,
Mommy

Turner at 5 months

A Few ZZZ's and a Bag of Chips.

I do not think I am alone when I say I love to snuggle with my kids. I love the way they smell as the back of their head is at my nose. I love the way their little bodies fit snuggly within my bent body. I love that they love to snuggle with their mommy.

Of course, loving this has altered my proper parental judgment and has me lying next to them at bedtime when I should be making lunches. Or, worse, opening my arms and blanket to a sleepy boy in the middle of the night. I know I shouldn't. I know I should take them, any of them, all of them, back to their rooms teaching them that their own beds is where they belong. But, I don't! Not often anyway.  I'd like to say that sharing a bed with them is all snuggles and warmth.  A cozy family bed of bonding and love.  But, it's not.  And, yet, I let them in anyway.

No, with Chase, what starts out as a snuggle ends up with an elbow to the forehead and a fight for the blanket.  But, yes, I still love snuggling with him.  Who needs to sleep well?

Ryder, is another whole story.  Ryder is an awesome snuggler and in many ways I want to sleep the night with my son in my arms. But, I can't.  It is just not possible.

He grinds his teeth terribly.  His mouth is amped, it must be, because the awful sounds of enamel scraping enamel is louder than anything I have ever heard.  The other night I am pretty sure the Richboro Fire Department went into action.

I can be sleeping soundly, comfortably and dreaming of wildflowers dancing softly in the wind.   Or, more likely, my recurring dream of being unprepared, yet again, for the big exam.  Whatever dream it is, I will be rudely awakened by a picnic in the bed.  A picnic of potato chips.  BIG.  STALE.  Very, very stale potato chips being chomped on in my ear.  My startle reflex has me jumping wondered if I ordered a bag of chips with my zzz's, only to realize it's Ryder and the teeth he is slowly widdling away to nothing.

Just for the record: We have been to the dentist who says teeth grinding is normal in children, (I can assure this is not normal, not at this volume), and that his teeth really are ok.  For now!

Unfortunately, Turner seems to have the same nasty habit.  He only has four teeth in his mouth yet I can hear it.  All too well.