Friday, April 12, 2013

8 months

Dear Caleb,

It seemed a huge surprise to me that you turned 8 months old. It completely blindsided me! What happened to the past month? Where did it go??? Shoot - where did the past 8 months go? You are one fast moving army crawler! You are extremely curious and are into everything. Everything. EVERYTHING! One day you got the dog's water bowl and flipped it over onto your head. I had only stepped away for a second to check the washer and you managed to get soaked! Then you pulled all the DVDs off the shelf. Then you spit up on all of the DVDs. All before 9am! :- ) You are a boy on the move!
 
It didn't take long this month for you to pull Pooh into your lap...
 
And you're off! You never stay in one place for long!


Right now, you weigh in at a staggering 21 pounds, 7 ounces! You've officially grown out of your 6-9 month clothes and you're now in 9-12 month clothes. Although, I've found several 18 month outfits that fit you. It makes me just a little sad when I see little baby clothes in the store. You're not a little baby anymore.


This month you had a major nursing strike that scared me to death. You went an entire day without nursing unless you were sound asleep. When all was said and done, I decided that I'd hurt your sweet little feelings when I yelled after you bit me during a nursing session. The nurse at your pediatrician was less than helpful (she said to give you fruit juice) but the lactation consultant from the hospital was wonderful as we figured out how to work through it. Ultimately, your strike ended as I prayed over you through every session. It was a wonderful time to just love on your and pray blessings over your life. That week and a half taught me a lot about letting things go and trusting the Lord. It also changed our time together during a nursing session. I spend a lot more time in prayer and a lot less time on facebook. I suddenly realized how fleeting this time is and how much I want to cling to every moment! Now, when we sit down for your first nursing session of the day you stick your thumb in your mouth and lay your head down on my chest. For just a moment it's total bliss and my heart swells. After a half a second you pop your head up and start squirming for breakfast, but I cherish that moment every morning and look forward to it each day. I know it won't last. I know the moment is fleeting and it won't be long before you don't do it anymore. But for now, I love it!


You absolutely love eating solid food! Right now you eat rice, oatmeal, bananas, apples, pears, avocado, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, and carrots. You like green beans, peas, and carrots best when we mix a little apple or pear in them. You like bananas, avocado, and sweet potatoes best of all. When we feed you that first bite of food you make a face like you hate your food. (Unless we feed you avocado...) After the first bite you remember that you like what you're eating, but I think that first bite you're always hoping for avocado and seem sad when you don't get it. One day when we were visiting Waco, we went out to eat with some friends and I forgot to bring your food along. You were starving so I asked the waiter to bring us an avocado or a banana to feed you a little dinner. He brought me a whole, frozen avocado. No knife, no plate. Just an avocado. I stabbed it with a fork, peeled it, and mashed it in an empty chip basket. Sadly, you weren't a fan because you hate cold food. But it sure made for some good laughs over dinner!


Your new favorite game is whenever we toss something up in the air and catch it. I have a video of you laughing so hard you fell over. I love your laugh so very much! It's absolutely one of the best parts of my day! Overall, you continue to be the happiest, most easy going baby on the planet! You bring so much joy to our lives and I love watching your sweet personality grow each day. You absolutely love going to church on Sunday mornings. You dance and sing during worship, and then usually nap during the sermon. I'm getting more involved in MOPS and as a result making more friendships. You have come to love play dates so much that when I open the garage door you shake all over with excitement. You also get quite excited when your daddy comes home each afternoon. I love watching the two of you play together. You're just so precious!


I am so blessed to be your mom. I love watching you grow and I love getting to know you more with each passing day. I do my best to savor each moment with you, but it's all going by so fast! I love you sweet Pumpkin! You're my little buddy and I am so glad you're mine! You're such a special boy! I love you!

Love,
Mommy