11 months

Dear Ell,

Today you turned 11 months old. Which means two things- first, we are almost finished with the winter, the snow, and therefore snowsuits. Second-you will be one year old the next time I write you a letter, something that blows my mind since I feel like the time you have been here has felt like forever on ultra fast forward. That probably makes no sense, but I can't imagine my world without you now, and at the same time-weren't you too small for newborn sized clothes and incapable of smiling on your own five minutes ago?

This month you have figured out a little baby sign language. I've been trying to show you some practical signs to help you communicate with us, and maybe a few vain ones too (Momma? Please? Sign Momma?! Okay fine, sign Daddy? Something?) but until the last few weeks you seemed to not really get it. Then one day I figured out that since you hadn't quite grasped putting your hands together to clap, you'd bang one arm on whatever the nearest surface was. This was how you responded to music, and how you indicated you'd like more. It's also how you indicate "all done", which is confusing. More? No, since you threw those crackers the banging must mean you're finished. Ah- now we're communicating!

You've also figured out waving (which looks identical to your sign for milk), and you wave all the time. At strangers in the supermarket or at restaurants, to Daddy or our friends when they leave our house, and anytime I go near the stairs or to take you to bed. You are a waving fool. You're trying hard to walk, and get a little closer each day. You love music and dance all the time. You fake cry when you are tired, and think someone sneezing is the most hilarious thing you've ever seen.

You probably won't remember him, but you lost your first pet this month. I bought Jack the summer before your Dad and I got married, and he was a great dog. He seemed alarmed when we brought you home from the hospital and cried, and would run to the crib and then to us like "Um, that thing in the bedroom is broken! What do we do?!" Then you started to crawl around after him and pull his fur, and so he stayed clear of you. But when you got to finger foods, he stayed close by your side to snag the treats you at first accidentally dropped, but then later would drop on purpose and watch him scarf up. Although he occasionally went to the diaper pail and pulled your diapers out (never tearing them up, just carefully taking out and then placing on the floor), we couldn't have asked for a better dog.

You are becoming more of a little boy every day. One who makes noises like a bear and makes car sounds as you roll them (ahem, knock them) across the floor. A little boy who likes books and music and people. Who hates snow suits and mittens and being told no. Don't worry guy. The snow usually goes away by April.

Love,

Momma

Month 10

Dear Elliott,

This first month of 2010 has been fun, and you are a busy little boy. You are practicing lots of skills, like standing, walking with push toys, and screaming. Not crying-screaming, just yelling as loud as you can to signal that you want FOOD! or TOYS! or ATTENTION! or hey, it's kind of peaceful and quiet. STOP THAT! You are making Daddy a little crazy with the screaming, but I guess you are just testing out your sounds or something. I've tried to show you how to sign for what you want, and you look at me like, "Yeah, or I could just go AAAAGHHH! That works too."

We are in the dead of winter, and although it hasn't been that snowy here, it is really cold. So I've tried to bundle you up when we leave the house, and nothing seems to tick you off more than a snowsuit and mittens. But if I try to just use a coat, you will dramatically chatter to let me know you are cold- a trait that you have definitely inherited from me. You still only have two teeth, but you make them work just fine and eat anything you get your hands on- especially if I am trying to eat it.

Other new tricks and games you like to play are peek-a-boo (now you will cover your own face), giving a toy to me and then taking it back (the Thank You game), feeding goldfish crackers and other finger foods to me, and giving kisses. They are still open mouthed, but you don't give as much tongue- which I am grateful for. You are also a pro at giving Jack any food that you don't want. You drape your arm over the chair and offer your snack, and Jack will wait until you drop it and then scarf it down.

I'll end this with some videos we took last month.

No is a funny word from Nicki Ingram on Vimeo.

I think this move was in Grease... from Nicki Ingram on Vimeo.

Walking with a push toy from Nicki Ingram on Vimeo.

Briefly standing on his own. from Nicki Ingram on Vimeo.

Love,

Mama

Month 9

Dear Elliott,

Okay, again with the late newsletter, but I've never been great with punctuality. You, however, seem to be one of those early people. You were born early, and crawled early, and are apparently trying to add walking to this list. And I am trying to thwart those efforts.

Okay, not really, but it is equal parts thrilling and TOTAL BUMMER to watch you pull up on the couch next to me, let go for a few seconds, and raise your hands in total victory. "I am big! You are heartbroken! Booyah!"

This month was a big one for our family, because we celebrated your first Christmas and you took your first trip to Arkansas. In fact, it was also your first trip to Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana, because we decided to tempt fate with a 16 hour car trip with a baby and a dog. You did pretty well, considering you were completely off of anything resembling a schedule and were trying hard to cut your top teeth, but there were a few incidents along the way. You woke approximately 32 times per night, leaving your father and me completely wrecked while I tried to keep you quiet. You managed not to catch the awful, awful stomach virus that Daddy and I caught on our anniversary and then passed around to everyone in Benton, but then we took you Granny's house for New Years Eve so we could recover and you apparently slept for 45 minutes the whole night. This was your Granny's idea- and while she says she did it so you would sleep for us, I know she really just wanted to squeeze every second out of the night that she could. I can't say I blame her.

You met all of your grandparents, Great-Grandparents, and your Great Great Grandmother, who unfortunately passed just after we left town. She was going to turn 109 this month, and she was a really lovely lady. I wish I would have been able to talk to her a little about all the things she's seen in the last century- about how different (or similar) a place the world has become, and how she is directly responsible for the two people I love more than anything in the world.

Now you have spent as much time on the outside as you did on the inside, and in this time have blossomed into this dancing, grinning, attention-magnet little boy with blondish hair and blue eyes and rosy chubby cheeks. I know I am going to turn around soon and you will walk over to me, ask me questions, and develop interests in things other than laptop cords and remote controls. Happy New Year, Ellybelly. You are adored.

Love,

Momma

eight months

Dear Elliott,

Geez, little guy- I looked up and it is December already, and somehow you are eight months old. Between teetering from panic (Aaaagh- if he's eight months old he should be huge, 'cause that's pretty old. He's not eating enough and underweight I'mnotagoodmom-aaaah!) to um, well, other forms of panic (How are you already standing up in your crib and eating everything in sight is that paper in your mouth gimmethat gimmeTHAT!) I've managed to let go a little bit this last month.

A tooth sprouted in the bottom of your mouth on November 2nd, and then another came along the day after my birthday. You were kindof whiny and punkish right before they popped through, but not bad compared to horror stories I've heard from other moms. Well, until a week ago, when you up and decided to become a BITER. I tried firm talks, which went over as well as I imagine a trigonometry lesson would at this age. So I went on strike for a couple of days and only gave you bottles (which don't scream when you bite them), and then I googled ways to get you to stop and I'm sincerely hoping that we've fixed that problem. Because after a couple more times of that, I am going to hand you a pork chop and call it a day.

I also decided to go to Chicago for a weekend with some of my friends, which was really hard considering the longest I have been without you has been about four hours. So I left a schedule with your Daddy and took off, and being the emotional blob that I am totally cried when I left- right after I sniffed all of your blankets and stuffed animals. I probably annoyed the living daylights out of your father, calling and texting every hour and just waiting for the world to fall apart. Apparently you didn't even notice I left though, and you and Daddy had a weekend with no major catastrophes or incidents. My weekend in Chicago was a different story- although it was fun, it involved getting caught in the middle of Michigan avenue in some ENORMOUS crazy parade, an unfortunate purchase of the most uncomfortable, adorable shoes, and a seriously weird cab ride. Oh, and finding appropriate times and locations to pump- 'cause there aren't any.

We hosted your first Thanksgiving here, and you (finally) got to try food with seasonings and meat and marshmallows! You also discovered that making a disgusted face and gagging makes people laugh, and so you did that every time I gave you a bite to eat. You seemed a little bewildered by all the people in our house, but shrugged it off afterward and decided the crowd was worth it if it meant sweet potato casserole.

The next day we broke out the Christmas decorations, and while you have yet to figure out that I have plopped a tree in the middle of the living room, you have discovered the toy nativity scene I bought a while back and have discovered the true meaning of the holiday. Tasty, tasty baby Jesus.

Love,

Momma

Seven Months

Dear Elliott,

This Halloween marked your seven month birthday. October was a pretty packed month, mostly because I was trying to cram in as much activity as possible before Michigan magically transforms into the North Pole. We started out by taking you to your first Texas A&M alumni gathering. Unfortunately, this also happened to be a renewed rivalry game between the Aggies (where mommy and daddy both went to college) and University of Arkansas, our home state. The Aggies lost, which gave all of our friends a reason to call or text us and laugh at the outcome of the game. A low blow, really, when you consider the people you are taunting now live in Michigan.

We are also coming up on your first holiday season (which, by the way, is complete CHAOS in our family due to the number of relatives we have, how far away we are from them, and the amount of things I feel compelled to cram into the week that we go home), so I decided to try to start new family traditions. Ann Arbor is all about apple orchards and pumpkin patches, so we ventured out to the closest one.

Unfortunately for Daddy, it was also the most crowded and crazy one, with a country fair and petting zoo and karaoke (really, really bad karaoke). You seemed pretty uninterested and were a little doped up on Infant Motrin since you were cutting teeth, so in reality the trip was mostly for me. But next year, I'll show you how to feed the creepy llamas and cute little baby goats. Or I'll have Daddy show you, since he informed me that I was doing it wrong.

As far as milestones, you had your first cold, started teething, and learned to sit up. And your crawling abilities are pretty amazing too, which means I have to constantly watch you to make sure you aren't splashing in Jack's water bowl or cramming Dad's laptop charger in your mouth or trying to crawl down the stairs. You try to eat shoes and steal your friends' pacifiers and if I don't watch you with Jack you WILL lick his back. Which, by the way, is so GROSS- and even though Jack runs away when he sees you I think he likes when you do this because you always manage to lick the spot he can't reach.

Once we got home with some pumpkins, I decided to let you in on the experience by bringing you outside when we carved them. I dressed you in play clothes and put you on a blanket while we sat up, and you promptly crawled off of it and proceeded to try to eat all the leaves around you.

I let you touch the pumpkin guts, which were freezing, and you were interested for half a second and then started trying to eat leaves again. I finally put you in a chair beside the pumpkin guts and let you put your hand in the bowl, and proceeded to watch you shove raw pumpkin in your mouth, cringe, and then repeat. You obviously did not like how it tasted, but kept putting it in your mouth until I finally pulled the bowl away so that you would stop eating the stuff.

I made your halloween costume the week before Halloween. It was not my best effort, but I was glad that I didn't spend money on a costume that two people would have seen you wear. Next year, when you are walking around we will beg for candy from our neighbors in a much better costume. And I will not buy 5 bags of candy either, because I have had Snickers and KitKats for lunch everyday so far this week.

You have started to show preferences for things in the last month, too. You have a favorite food- Blueberry fruit puffs, a favorite person- Daddy, and a favorite toy-Nesting cups. You want to drink from a cup by yourself. When I go get you in the morning you are always peeking over your crib bumpers, waiting for me to pick you up and smiling and kicking in delight when you see me. You think that sticking your tongue out is the way to greet Daddy, because he has done it for the last few months to get you to laugh. You hate when I take away things you aren't supposed to have, when I feed you peas, and when I throw you into the air (most kids love this! I think you suspect my lack of coordination). I love watching you unfold into a little boy.

Love,

Momma

5 and 6 Months

Dear Elliott,

This month you get two newsletters in one, because momma has been seriously busy lately. August went by fast, because we got to spend ten awesome days with your Auntie Nicki, who swears she taught you to roll over. Then I started trying to figure out packing our house, and before I knew it, August was already over and our house needed to be moved across town in three days. So we called some friends and they did most of the work for me. We moved into our new apartment and you got your own bedroom and have slept pretty well since that, and then your Grandma Peggy and Aunt Sissa came to visit us.

They did a lot of the unpacking for us and helped make our house look like our home in record time, because apparently they are physically incapable of sitting still. They are champions of getting stuff done, and one of these days I'm going to have to try to copy them so that I can keep up with you.

You started to get up on your hands and knees that week, and I had to fight the urge to tip you over so that you couldn't figure out that you were thisclose to figuring out how to crawl. Then I watched you practice every day, watched you turn red and start yelling at the toy that your fingers just couldn't quite grasp that got pushed further and further away from you, until one day I noticed you had developed a technique. You would get on all fours, wait a second, and then fall forward an inch or two, then repeat until you managed to get close enough to whatever you were going for that your flailing hands could knock it toward your mouth.

And so now, I guess, you are kind of a big boy. A six-month-old, who can get into the toybox and pull the dog's hair and charm people's socks off by grinning a big, gummy grin. And I have managed to survive the first six months of being a mother. I am learning the fine art of respecting nap- and bedtimes but being flexible enough to not become a total anti-social hermit. I am thinking of traditions that I want our family to have since Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all speeding our way. I am trying to figure out how to babyproof our apartment and have it still be a good place for adults to live, too.

While it is sad to see you outgrowing tee-tiny baby things and getting closer and closer to being independent and not needing me for everything, it is also pretty exciting to watch you growing and learning and opening up into a little boy.

Love, Momma

Four Months

Dear Elliott,

Today you turned four months old. We went to the pediatrician for a well-child checkup and vaccinations, and I learned a lot of what my gut had already told me. I figured that you waking up twice a night was pretty normal, but there were several books saying you should be sleeping through the night by now, so we started "sleep training"- which is synonymous with torture, I think. You haven't slept through the night yet, but I think the more scheduled day is doing us both some good. You are right on track for most things, and the pediatrician gave me the go-ahead to try cereal if I wanted.

This month had a few unexpected twists. We were back at Peachtree for a little over a month, and my boss decided that I should be home with you rather than back at work. I was really worried there for a while, but new doors are opening up and luckily your Daddy is amazing when it comes to rolling with the punches. Therefore, the two of us have spent a lot of quiet time at home, and the rest of that time I toted you around to various places with other mom's from our play group.

We went to the annual summer art festival with another mommy and baby and had to get creative when the only changing table on the block had a line that wrapped around the building and teenagers loitered in the only convenient places to nurse you.

We went to the Ypsilanti Beer Festival and laughed as Daddy's friends used you to get free beers (this did not work for mommy's friends. Ladies tend to get dirty looks when asking for beer with a baby on their hip).

We went to Borders' story hour with our play group and took up half the store with our strollers.

We went to swanky baby boutiques and took over their play areas too. We've even made friends with several of the moms and their babies, which has been great for me as I try to figure out what I am doing.

You have gotten very strong and prefer to stand instead of sitting or laying in someone's arms. You talk to everyone, shove whatever you can get ahold of in your mouth, and focus on your toys and pictures and people. You have even rolled from tummy to back a couple of times, although I don't think it was on purpose so I haven't recorded it in your baby book yet.

Having you has been a little like stepping into a time warp, where days whiz by so fast that I have to think really hard to figure out what month it is. I remember being younger, waiting until I was FINALLY 10, 13, 16, 18, 21 years old, and then time picked up a little bit after that. But the day I gave birth to you someone pressed fast forward, and I am scrambling a little to keep up. I just seem to think, really? You've outgrown those shoes?! You can handle solid foods? You can support your weight? I'll see enormous pregnant women and try to meet their stares to empathize with being THAT pregnant in the summer, and they just see a normal lady with a chubby baby and I know they must not realize what's coming. That those clothes they haven't even taken the tags off of will be packed away after only being worn twice. That the baby who sends them to the bathroom 15 times a night and kicks them in the ribs is going to be consumed by his jowls and double chins before they know it.

Love,

Momma

Three Months

Dear Elliott,

You turned 13 weeks old today, and since this is a month without a 31st, we'll call that three months instead. This month we went (back) to Peachtree Montessori Preschool- I went as a teacher and you went as my joey (that's a baby kangaroo, in case you didn't know). That was one of the perks/stipulations of my return, and no one else can really touch you at this point. I mostly wear a sling and stuff you in it, but a few days in I petitioned for a crib to put you in since you immediately fall asleep in the sling. Not only are you a toasty little accessory, but it's crazy hard to pick up a flailing, screaming two-year old with you strapped to me. I'd like to rave about the stimulation you get, but I'd be lying. The only time you seem to be awake while I work is when you wake up to eat (10 am and 12 pm). Then you are out again.Feeding you has been interesting, since you are still exclusively breastfed and since I'm right there we have no need for bottles and pumps. However, the children that are in your school are very curious and pretty much all of them have lifted up your nursing cover and either asked what you were doing or stated proudly "He's eating you." It's a little weird-I won't lie. But it would also be weird to treat them like they had walked in on me in the bathroom, so I just calmly ask them to "Give Elliott space, please" or "Don't throw toys at us" or "He doesn't like when you put your fingers in his eyes/ears/nose/mouth". I'm growing in patience more every day.
We had a couple of adventures this month too. I had a couple of friends watch you for a couple of hours so I could get out of the house, although it was pretty hard to leave you for even a little while. I also decided in a moment of utter stupidity that I would go downtown with you to meet some friends and took the stroller rather than the car. We walked over 2 miles each way, and I kept you out too late. We got home sore, exhausted, and I'm pretty sure your Daddy thought I'd lost my mind. Maybe I had, but I found it about a mile into the walk again, and I assure you that we will have wheels beneath us if we venture more than 5 blocks away from home.
We've watched you hit some pretty fun milestones, like smiling, laughing, and cooing. You love to be talked to, played with, and sung to. You tolerate tummy time like a champ and charm everyone that meets you. You seem to have an awesome disposition most of the time and are such a cute, chubby, happy little boy. You wake up smiling and go to sleep smiling- but you occasionally lose it and need a little help getting settled. I do realize that I'm the same way- so I'm happy to help you out when you need it.
Love,
Momma

2 months

Dear Elliott,

Yesterday you officially turned two months old, and it seems like you've both been with me forever and yet only two months. This month I've watched you slowly unfolding into a smiling baby boy, getting more alert and developing a little more personality. Early on this month you started to wake up around 10:30 or so and didn't want to immediately go back to sleep. I placed you on an activity mat in the floor and you made fast friends with the toys that hung over your head, and a few weeks later started to talk and coo to your reflection. Who knew that a toothless smile from your awake baby could make someone so proud. I thought I knew, but I had no clue.
You have officially been introduced to our social scene, and have gone on several outings to meet up with friends around town. I knew you would charm the ladies, but the boys seem to enjoy seeing you just as much, and have nicknamed you E.T. Everyone picked up on this much quicker than I had hoped, but I'm hopeful that your classmates will be slower to call you this, considering the movie it refers to will be over 30 years old at that point. If not, however, please cut us some slack, as we picked your name 15 minutes after the most amazing, shocking, scary time your father and I have probably ever gone through. Lovable aliens just weren't in our radar.
While I have enjoyed watching you grow this month little man, it has been equally interesting to see the changes I've undergone since your arrival. I've always been around kids and have leapt at the opportunity to learn and play and work with them my whole life. So when I figured out that it doesn't matter how many siblings you've had or babysitting gigs you've done- you will still absolutely wig out about the most everyday things- I was considerably humbled. Vaccines, even for someone with a community health background, are scary and make your baby cry like someone sucker-punched him. No parent likes that, and most parents want to cry, too. All babies surprise you with their ability to wriggle out of something you didn't expect them to be able to wriggle out of. When that happens, you will feel like a moron. And even the best babies (that includes you, love) will wake up from their nap right as mom dozes off, and due to her sleep deprivation, she will think "What is wrong with this kid?" I am also apparently now a woman who can get spit up on and will see if it is noticable before I go change. I will try to nurse you while grocery shopping if I can do it discretely enough. And even though I hate pacifiers, if you start crying 10 minutes into the outing I spent 2 hours getting us ready for, I will try to stick one in your mouth. Then you will gag on it and spit it in the floor.
This is the month you outgrew your newborn sized diapers, then your newborn sized onesies, and then your newborn-sized everything else. About a week after I realized this, I relented and put you in bigger diapers and onesies and everything else. This is the month I took a deep breath and left you alone with your dad, then your grandma, granddaddy, uncle, and aunt, and just a few days ago I left you with a good friend and went to a movie with your daddy and tried really hard not to talk about you non-stop and call and check on you every five minutes. I kept checking the backseat and feeling like I had left behind something I really needed with me. It's the month I have managed to cook dinner, do laundry, type blog posts, attend meetings, and get ready with one arm. I think we are starting to get the hang of this, sweet little guy. Please be a late crawler.
Love,
Momma