Dearest George,
Well, how do I put this? You're perfect. :) Your Dad and I just adore you. Every stage with you is my favorite...when you smiled at four months I thought, this is my favorite stage! Then you sat up at six months and I thought, okay this is it! And now here we are at 10 months and a day and I could just eat you up your cuteness is so delicious! This really is my favorite stage! ;)
Also, you are almost one and a toddler. Someone hold me.
You've been sick off and on for what has felt like months! But really it's just been a cough and cold that wouldn't go away. And then a high fever that stuck around for a few days. And then a sinus infection. Lord, have mercy. I am on a first name basis with the nurses at our pediatricians office. The last few weeks have been a blur! But, thankfully you're on the mend now. Praise the Lord!
You are into everything these days. E V E R Y T H I N G. Baby Proofing The House 2016 was in full effect a few weekends ago and we're still not done. You're opening bathroom cabinets, pulling out every last item of my makeup from under the sink, unrolling the toilet paper, chewing on shoelaces, opening and closing and opening doors, picking up pieces of lint and dust off the basement carpet...you keep your momma busy. I am in no rush whatsoever for you to walk! The crawling is about all I can keep up with these days!
You love bath time (still), and eating broccoli. You'd probably survive solely on a diet of Cheerios if I let you. We're still nursing and you're definitely a fan of that! You want to try every piece of food you see me eating (or drinking). You're especially fascinated with my HyrdroFlask and you love drinking sips of water from it. You love your books (which makes me so happy!). And you love music...especially when your Dad plays Buck Owens.
You are obsessed with Admiral Byrd. And his tail. And his bones. And his chew toys. And his water bowl. And his bed. And his crate.
You take two good naps a day (most of the time). But nighttime sleep is another story! I feel like I've read everything there is to read about nighttime sleep...and asked every friend for help...and we still haven't figured it out. We'll get there, bud, we'll get there!
You adore your Dad. And seeing the two of you together makes my heart all soft and mushy. I love both of you so much. And I feel so fiercely protective of both of you.
Things people say about you:
-He's a live wire! (YES.)
-He's so serious. (This usually from strangers.)
-He looks like a George.
-He's such a happy baby. (This usually from family members.)
-He looks just like Andrew. (Until they see a photo of your Uncle Josh...)
-He's really tall!
You survived (and we survived) your first stomach flu in February. Your Dad got to watch about 14 seconds of the 50th Super Bowl before it was all hands on deck with the flu. We missed the entire game, but those Broncos still won!
Last week we went to the park with some friends and you went in the swing for the first time. You visited the Pentagon for the first time on March 1st when we attended our neighbor's promotion ceremony to Colonel! And you celebrated your first Easter last week--what a joy that was! I could barely keep it together in church...my heart was so full and so very thankful.
You've been outside in the world longer than I carried you inside me! We passed that 40 week mark and I thought to myself, "Time, slow down!!!"
I read something on one of those blogs making the social media rounds the other day, and it just made me teary:
Being a little boy's mama means seeing the little boy in all men, and feeling more empathetic than you were before.
Being a little boy's mama will change you--harden you in some places, soften you in others--but will ultimately give the sweetest memories of when, for a brief period you were everything to a sticky-faced little man.I love being your mom, George. As exhausting as it is...as life-changing...as heart-wrenching...I wouldn't trade it for the world. You bring so much joy to your Dad and I. It's so cliche--all the things they say about being a parent...how you would do anything for your child, and how you experience God's love in a whole new way once becoming a parent, and how your love for this little person just becomes all-encompassing and so incredibly sacrificial...it sounds cliche--but it's true. Every bit of it. The love your Dad and I have for you, George--you may never fully understand it until you're a parent yourself. But, still, we hope you know it and experience and feel it from your earliest days...we pray you experience God's love in the same way.
We adore you, our sweet, sweet boy!
Your Momma and Dada