Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Month 9: Dear Owen,

Month NINE. How did this happen? Please explain to me. And then explain how in just a few days (er, tomorrow) you are going to be TEN months. All of a sudden you are almost as old OUTSIDE of me as you were INSIDE of me and that is something I just need to wrap my head around for a few seconds. Or minutes. Without blinking because if I blink then you are going to be FORTY years old. Holy crap.

 
I remember when you were one month old and it seemed like every day I was just glad I hadn't managed to kill you and you'd been with us SO LONG (perhaps this is what being awake 24-7 does to you?) But, really, you hadn't. Even now, I hear a newborn's cry and I think, ohmygosh, when did we get out of THAT stage? Because now you have an actual little boy cry along with little boy actions and well, everything else. You are no longer our little baby newborn. 


Month 2.

 
Month 3.


 
Month 4.




Month 5.

 
Month 6.


 
Month 7.


 
Month 8.


 
And the big NINE.






 
Love this last photo. It is totally YOU. If month 9 symbolizes anything in your journey, it (to me) symbolizes the true emergence of your personality. We've picked up on it since day 1 but it's becoming more and more prevalent now. You are so happy. And fiercely independent. You want what you want when you want it. This is sort of a baby thing (IE: hungry = scream, tired = scream) but this has now morphed from baby to more toddler as in, "that toy must be mine NOW." You are also VERY stubborn. I am sorry to your future spouse. I hope to god you find someone as patient as your father is with me because, as much as you look like me, your little personality is also a lot like mine (also, karma, HI). You are such a big boy now (I say now, as if you haven't always been. HA). We had your 9 month check up and you were once again off the charts in everything except for weight. You remain tall and skinny. You wear 18 month clothes for the length but don't fill them out width wise. You are someday going to tower over your mama, that's for sure.  Speaking of mama, can you PLEASE for the love of god SAY IT? Where all of your friends have uttered "mama" for months, I think we are going to hit every consonant of the alphabet till we land on M. Are you doing this because we call you so many different names other than Owen? (Oeo, Ochee, mochers, Ocheemo, mocheemo, OE, turtle...") It's fine, we have a lot of years to say Mama, but now I think you're just toying with me. It's a little funny. We say, "Owen, say mama" and you look at us, smirk, and say "a-dah, a-dah, a-dah." Then laugh. Little poophead, you know exactly what you're doing.

 
We spent one morning in your 9th month catching up with some of your buddies. Carter, who is 2 months younger than you and Olivia (center) who is 2 weeks older than you. It was so much fun to watch all of you interact this time now that you're a little bit older.


Of COURSE, the mean moms had to do the couch shot where Liv decided to make it known that she is NOT A FAN, which you would have think we would have learned last time as she let us know then, too. Everyone else seemed pretty content....



But, as Liv started to calm down,


The entire group also started to lose it....including you.


Enter: meltdown baby shot (wherein the mean moms continued to take pictures).

 
We also had lunch with your little girlfriend Stella who is one day younger than you. You two had fun eating and playing together, next time we have to get you on the floor together so you can REALLY play.

 
Speaking of playing, you are OBSESSED with balls. It's your new thing this month. I knew when I was told I was having a son that I would be throwing a lot of balls over the next few (18) years. I just did not know that these catch games would start at 9 months. You could play for HOURS (and do). You actually have really good hand/eye coordination and really enjoy "throwing" (rolling) the ball back and forth to whoever will play with you. It's pretty adorable. But not so adorable when you scream because we've stopped.Maybe we need a dog...you could entertain each other (win-win?!) 

 
You also got to go for a ride in your new little bike cart for the first time. You were a little unsure but I think you'll grow to love it.


Another thing you love? Being outside. I took you on your first picnic this month as we actually hit 80 degrees in Seattle (IN MAY!) and you were just in awe. You were outside, in the grass, and eating. Oh yes, eating. You now eat pretty much everything. You're still nursing just as much, but you now eat 3-4 "solid" meals a day. You usually eat quinoa or oatmeal in the morning (or a piece of gluten free toast if your mom is running late) with some fruit, then you'll eat whatever we're eating for lunch/dinner with some veggies/fruits, etc thrown in. You are a GREAT eater. You'll eat anything and everything and I've only seen you pull a "yuck" face once (avocado). I think right now food is just so new that you really don't care what we put in your mouth as long as something is there. I hope that continues!


We also took you to the park a few times this month which you also LOVE. You look like such a big boy in the swing now.




Pretty much as long as we're outside, you are happy (as if we needed any further proof you're our child)...

 
Your ninth month also coincided with my 31st birthday. We went on a walk a day or so before and picked my favorite birthday flowers, lilacs.



And we spent the day of my birthday together. It was a little lame as I woke up feeling like CRAP. As in food poisoning, I want to die, fever of 102, total crap. But, thanks for being such a sport and being my little cuddle buddy all day.


Of course you and your dad also gave me lots of sweet surprises. Even though I couldn't eat some of them until a couple of days later.

 
You are trying to crawl. You want to SO badly but you just haven't quite gotten there with your coordination (and, foreshadowing, you are now, in your tenth month crawling and WOW. Thank you for not crawling sooner...we knew once you were on the move, you'd REALLY be on the move and we were right).
 
 
Although you aren't crawling yet, you have developed a "foot scoot" wherein you use your feet to scoot you backwards to move around. It is HILARIOUS. Your dad showed me your new found skill one day and I don't know that either of us were able to stop laughing for at least a half an hour. Maybe you were just trying to entertain us. If so, well done.


Luckily, all of these new adventures have led to SLEEP. You are SUCH a good sleeper now. When did this happen?! It was as if all of a sudden a month or so ago you decided a) you love your crib b) you love naps and c) you love sleeping 11 hours at night. COOL! You still occasionally wake up once a night but I'll take it. I've also continued to "dream feed" you before I go to bed, which seems to help. Whatever the case, I'll take it. I will say: all bets are off when teething. I know you probably hate teething but I REALLY hate teething. You are absolutely inconsolable for hours and you scream the pain scream which is the WORST. EVER. There's nothing we can do but hold you. In fact, the picture above is from our trip to Kansas City when you were cutting teeth the last day (hours before our flight) and had screamed inconsolably all morning. I finally got you to conk out on me for an hour, but then you resumed screaming. We actually ended up taking you to urgent care just to make sure it wasn't your ears (it wasn't, as expected). I should have known you were cutting your teeth as you decided to bite my nipple and draw blood as a nice little first mother's day present two days prior. Next year you might want to put in some more thought into what you give me. That wasn't the best gift. Also: please let's not do that anymore, it really sucks!


This month, we spent more time at your favorite place. It's really great now because you get a workout too! Our time of just plopping you down is limited though as you're starting to figure out how to move.





 
Like I said earlier, we went to Kansas City for a week in mid-may. I was anxious for a week prior thinking of you on a plane now that you aren't just a baby that sleeps all the time. But, you did GREAT on the plane rides, even the one where you'd screamed all morning prior to the flight due to those silly teeth. You didn't cry on either flight- it was seriously awesome. You are the greatest little traveler.

 
Your grandma spoiled you relentlessly again. It's a good thing you have her too, otherwise you would have been wearing the same shorts and shirt all week since your poppy forgot our suitcase full of all of our clothes for the week. WHOOPS! (I think he just wanted us to have a shopping spree).


We were able to see your great aunt, second cousin, uncle, and auntie margot, too! They all got to go on a shopping spree to get you (and your mama) some clothes.

 
Also at grandma and grandpa's was your own little scooter which you LOVED. You scooted all around their house, squealing the whole time.

 
One day your grandpa, dad and I came home from the golf course to this. Really. You were in heaven.



You also got to play and play with your grandpa, which you loved.


And for mother's day after your biting present to your mama, we all went out to brunch.
 


Where you tried your teeth out on more appropriate items.



 
A few days later, we went and visited your grandpa at work and got to meet all of his coworkers. I think he was pretty proud of you. Don't tell anyone but we are too.


 


 
This month has been full of new things and we are on the brink of even greater things- like mobility, intentional words (which I think MIGHT someday include saying mama). You are such a good combination of your dad and I. You are easy going, yet amazingly observant, you are funny, you are serious. You seem to have some weird sort of insight as to what we best need- whether we need a laugh or a hug or a cuddle- even if the cuddle is only for 3 seconds.




This month I celebrated my first mothers day and we were lucky enough to be with my mom on that day.


My only hope for you is that I am able to be just as good of a mom to you as she has been to me. I hope you know that I will do anything for you without question. We may always be evolving and growing and learning new things together, but the one constant is that I am your mama. That is one gift that you have given me since the day I took that little pregnancy test that is quite possibly the best gift I've ever been given. As I get to know you more every day and see your personality emerge, I am even more grateful to be able to hold you, kiss you, tickle you, and play with you every day of your life. I wipe your tears away, I give you what you need (and sometimes make you scream by not giving you what you want), and I love you with every piece of me every second of every day. I never really understood what this "mother" thing meant prior to you, but now I get it. I get what my mom feels, and has felt, for my brother and I and it's pretty awesome.... I imagine it's similar to anyone who has ever held that privileged title of "mom."  Thank you for that.

 
Almost as good as that is the addition that you've been to OUR family. You complete us, you make us laugh, and you bring us together in ways that we haven't been brought together before. You are such a good kid and no less than a few times a week your dad and I look at each other and just reiterate out loud to each other that fact alone ("Dang, O-chee-mo is SUCH a great kid"), how much we love you and how happy we are that we have you as part of our lives. We knew life would be different once you came along but I don't know that either one of us could have imagined it would be THIS much different...this much better.

Love,
Mama
(or perhaps I should sign off as a-dah, a-dah as you affectionately refer to me).

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