Catch!

Dear Stefan,
On this frigid Monday morning, we had a great game of catch. Our first game that lasted for quite some time and actually involved the ball relaying between the two of us. You would only play this with the rattle balls, of course. The silent tennis ball isn't nearly as exciting. The game evolved into you chasing the balls around the room, and finished up on the little rocking chair. Later this week, you'll play catch with Kelder, too.

I've been so proud of a ton of little cool things you've done recently. I don't think I can remember them all right now, though. We had a great conversation in the car on the way home from Choir School. It's nice to have someone to talk to on that hour ride...even if it is only screams and babbles we share. Every so often I told you to find Jingle Pontuse (the very first toy you ever played with, attached to your seats), and you shook him around.

You've learned to pet the cat so gently and now have been playing with him a little. Both of you like the same toys (pencils, nerf darts, and ribbons...well pretty much every toy can go baby or cat). He's so gentle with you, he's become a mini mommy's helper, entertaining you while I try to get things done. Both of you love rubbing heads together, and you try to follow the cats where ever they go.

You've become a great listener heeding my warnings not to do certain things. I can't get over this...you listen better than many of the middle school students I've taught. You know to leave the "yuckies" around the house alone, despite wanting to taste them.When I tell you to be careful, you cautiously continue what you were doing. Sometimes, when I call for you to come back in to a room, you do!

I love that you devoured curry the other night, with a spoon, and more than ever made it into your mouth. Now if we could get you that excited over the other food you eat...tacos have lost favor, oranges are still pretty great and grapes too, but you're more into their juice then their flesh. Oh and for the first time, you grabbed a cup of water and drank it, without Mom helping to tip it up and hold it steady!

You're so gentle with turning pages of your story books. You've started to point you fingers at the words, swirling it around the paragraphs while I read the other page. And you're becoming much more patient with the long winded books we've been reading. Curling up in a blanket in the rocking chair with you and a book is the perfect way to spend these snowy days.

All about the house, there are so many fun things to point at. Once only the fun strings, chimes, or switches demanded a finger. Now you understand when I ask what you want and point to whatever it is. You're "no" eyes are appreciated too. It is so nice to be able to communicate with you and not have to assume everything all the time. I wonder if all the fabulous babble stories mean anything in Stefanese, and what is this new word "ying" you have?

Morning calf raises at the tub side make me grin. You pop right up on your tip toes. Someday, when dad's out, I'll teach you some ballet moves, but that'll be our secret;). Finally, you've been relinquishing one hand as we stroll about the house, but only when you're in a good mood. You walked this way with Dad today, and then you started kicking a couple of rattle balls around as you went.

Some people may look at a baby and think it's just a dull lump. Some people have told me that it's no use to communicate with a baby under 3 (OK it was a bit of a strange bachelor person that made that obviously erroneous remark). But I can, and do, sit and watch all the little things you do all day, fascinated that only a year ago, you couldn't even hold your head up, 6 months ago, you couldn't sit, barely three months ago you couldn't crawl, and only recently have you started saying Mom and Dad with meaning and consistency. I can't wait to see what happens next!!

Love,
Mom

EDD December 6th

Listless snowflakes I've been enjoying the past few days.

Dear Stefan,
For many months I looked forward to this day. It now holds no special meaning, except as a shadow of the day I expected you. It's Santa's birthday, you could have shared it with him...you also chose to not share your birthday with my dad on the 10th, or my friend Jeanne on the 12th, though they were hoping. I bet you'll appreciate having it be your own day, though sharing Santa's birthday would have been the coolest!

Expected Due Dates are kind of evil...it gets everyone's hopes up, and makes the mommy's really cranky when they are passed. The kitties were getting tired of being surrogate babies...

"Don't even think about it!"

"Zzzzzzzz...."

These two weren't tortured by being dressed up in baby clothes. Though they were held a lot more before you came along.  Now they are a welcome armful, since they weight half as much as you and are much less demanding.

So you ring in you EDD with the corner of a new tooth. I'm so happy your in a better humor today. You were the yippiyuck. Today, smiles and giggles as we prepare for Monday night football...which means resting up now, since we have to get up early tomorrow. Maybe we'll play with all the birthday and Christmas toys we opened early:).

These days you're a crawling machine, you've started venturing on two feet holding on to only walls or with one hand. You're a pro in the Jonny Jump-up, and the cats are constantly on the run, or protecting their food dishes. You're still amazed by your hands, love peek-a-boo, light/fan strings, and chimes. You've only had one run in with the Christmas tree. You're sleeping well on your own.

Most exciting, last week you had the best Kindermusik class ever! I had to actually find you and bring you back to the circle. You were crawling everywhere, head butting other babies, and making a lot of new friends. You crawled through the scarf tunnel along with the other babies and were content to let Mom teach while you had fun on your own. After class, you chilled right out side the room, though you could hear class, I heard your attention was on watching the older children play. You don't know how wonderful Mom thinks that all is! I'm so proud of you, Monster!

I can't think of anything else to catch you up on right now and I had better hop on lunch before you wake. We'll catch up more later:).
Love,
Mommy

Good Morning, Friday!

"To Start Press Any Key". Where's the ANY key? I see Esk ["ESC"], Catarl ["CTRL"], and Pig-Up ["PGUP"]. There doesn't seem to be any ANY key. Woo! All this computer hacking is making me thirsty. I think I'll order a TAB." ~Homer

Dear Stefan,
Last night Daddy and I sat watching videos of you on mom's camera (the thing that constantly flashes you in the face)...funny how we put up with that tiny little viewer on the camera while wasting the acreage of the wide screen TV with preseason football. I was playing the vidoes and thinking, "Oh great, I'm one of those parents"...the ones that sit and stare at their children, rewatch videos they JUST took, blather on and on about how great their child is. But in retrospect, I get it now- the unexplainable it. And if that "it" wasn't enough, at the very least, Mom "worked" hard to get you into this world and in the last 8 months, we've invested a lot of time, effort, and wakeful hours to keep you healthy and happy. I DO love watching you play all day, but I'll have to say, I not just watching it because you're cute. Mommy loves observing children, how and what they are playing, what happens when "x" occurs and how the child responds, etc. It's what I've done for ten years with everyone else's children, I'm just so excited to finally do it with my own. AND I admitted to Daddy that I take so many videos of you because one day, we'll miss you being this small and cute, and we'll want to sit and watch anything of you that we can get our hands on.

So this very minute you're grooving on Mommy's lap, with a pen that seems perfect to tap on everything. This is keeping your little paws off the "ctrl" key. You really like to push this key while I scroll with the mouse which causes the browser to zoom out and really is very annoying. But if it isn't that key, it's another one, and I'm sure I'll miss moments like these, some day when were trying to extract information about your day in Jr. high and all you''ll say is, "Fine." For now, many times it's hard to get you to be quiet. You haven't found your indoor voice yet, but you're too cute to have that matter. I think you're anxious to leave this computer and start the day. It seems like a good time to get up, you're pen is now put away on the floor with everything else you've tossed down there. Love and Kisses, Monster!

Love,
Mommy