Gage - Nine Month Letter

Dear Little Bug,
I am a couple of days late writing you. It's your own fault really. You've been teething very dramatically this week. Last week it was FINALLY the 2nd top tooth, and this week, your MDO teacher spotted one of your little fangs coming in. You haven't slept well the past 3 nights, and well, I have been very spoiled by you sleeping through the night for so many months that this is kicking my ass. Yep. I said it. I will also say again what I have always believed to be true: Teething is a spiteful bitch and she will die old and alone with her 38 cats.

I've been thinking to myself about the phases of the months you've been here with us. The first three months were really a blur, and I am glad I wrote you a bit just so I can remember what happened now. It's like when you get wasted and wake up with your shirt on backwards and unsure of where your watch went...the time was fun, but you sure don't remember it. Good thing there's usually incriminating camera phone pictures to remind you. (As your mom, I would appreciate you wait until you're of legal age to engage in such immature and irresponsible activities such as the scenario I just described - one very similar to my 22nd birthday).
Then there's the months up until you turned 6 months that were just pure baby fun and sweetness. And, I distinctly remember that from 6-7 months flew by, while 7-8 and now 8-9 seem to have slowed down to a good, memorable pace.
You've now been out in the world for the same amount of time you were inside my belly. You're a lot more of a handful out here! We love you so much, and this month has had some very exciting things happen.

First of all, you've gotten 3 more teeth - well three that you're working on right now. You actually just ate a cardboard book while I wrote the first half of this.

You are trying to stand up on your own, and instead of sitting when I put you down, you keep your legs straight so that you can stand. You're reaching from table to couch to my knee. You insist upon holding on to my legs if I am standing near you just so you can stand too. You grab my legs when I am in the kitchen and I have now mastered the art of washing dishes, doing laundry and making your food while standing on one foot to provide you with my bent leg to hold on to. You have a couple of toys to stand and push and you love to walk with them across the wood floors.

You seem to be happiest when you have something you shouldn't be playing with. Like, who needs all those toys when you can play with a power cord or a dog turd? We are guilty of appeasing you with prohibited objects if you're impatient for lunch or getting fussy right before bed time, or when we are trying to have one of those things called an adult conversation. Your dad is especially guilty of spoiling you. I am a little bit harder on you because I have you all the time while he's working everyday. You're totally getting a break from me at MDO and I know you love all the other kids there are to crawl after and knock down while you try and stand up.

You have graduated to putting yourself down for naps now. You really don't want to be cuddled unless you just woke up. Then you're all cute and sweet and want to be held. In fact, I use to bring you to bed with us if you woke up super early, and you don't really like that anymore either. You totally want your own stuff and your own space. You're feeding yourself small foods, but you still won't hold your own bottle. I won't complain (although your babysitters and teachers might) because it's the only time you're not wriggling out of my grasp.

You say "Mama" and make lots of "B" sounds and you haven't quite come up with "Dada" which bugs your dad. In fact, he was saying "da da da da da da da" to you one day, and I walked out of the room and you looked at him and said "MAMA". He was annoyed. But, hey, I've been rooting for you to say his name first so that when you wake up at 1AM, you're asking for your dad and not me!

You've exploded into this independent, charming little person even more this month. It's hard to watch you grow up. Sometimes when I lay in bed at night, I think about when you were born, and how you popped your little head up and looked at me from my chest as soon as they handed you to me. I should have known you'd be just the way you are. We are constantly proud of you and cheering you on as you accomplish new things.

It took you a long time to get where you are. Nine months cooking and nine months learning. It took you 2 whole days to make your first appearance once you started knocking around to get out of my belly. In the grand scheme of life, it's not much, this time you've been here. But, it's meant more than a million days without you ever could. I have screwed up BIG TIME raising you. I have to remind myself that no one really knows what they're doing, especially the first time they become a parent. I am quick to admit that I have totally bull shitted my way through the past 9 months, and will continue to do it that way. I follow my instincts, and I always ask for advice as well. But, Gage, I will always make the decision that I feel is in YOUR best interest. Never will I do anything without considering how it affects you. That's what a family does. We consider each other before ourselves and we strive to make the best decision we can in every situation. And, we sacrifice for each other.

Happy Nine Months of life. We love you more and more every single day.