Nearly The Tenth Month

My sweet, little Id,

Mommy is wondering when she can officially call you a toddler. Is it when you are walking and talking and can throw a fit? This past month you have tapped into your own version of them all. Although you are barely 10 months old, you have managed to change the whole landscape of what was once a quiet, peaceful place where butterflies landed on our hands and rainbows were around every corner.


















Now it’s a three-ring circus with you as the clown, the monkey, and the hoop jumping dog, the sword swallower and the ferocious lion. I am merely an audience member completely enraptured in your performances but sometimes I have to wield the megaphone and play the ringleader to rein you in. You practiced walking this weekend on the beach. It was a great place for you to do the step, step, step, stumble, step mambo. You’d release my finger on your initiative and head for the deep blue see while heaving with excitement. You know the greatness of what you’ve accomplished and do it with much fervor and happiness. You have since applied the technique to indoor travel and this has just about made me completely grey. You come at me like you are about to eat me; arms spread for balance, a baby Godzilla in our home. What was once a forest of potential bumps and bruises is now a jungle of likely gashes and abrasions. Just last night, you were creeping along the living room wall and as I walked into the kitchen I happened to turn to look your way and you were right behind me with that wide-eyed thrilled expression. I could’ve tripped over you so easily! You also nearly managed to put a hole in the sheet rock with that noggin’ of yours when you took a spill after racing across the office. I really hate to see your efforts thwarted but I guess that’s part of learning. Baby proofing the house is the project for the week. Tonight I will look for a bell to clip to your diaper so I know where you are at all times.

You have finally grown two lovely little pearls for teeth and they make you look so animated and cuter, if you can believe that! I bought you toothpaste and a toothbrush for them today so we’ll soon make that part of the already lengthy bedtime routine. I know you’ll love it as it's already a challenge prying your tiny hands away from my toothbrush.

















Your little vocabulary is full of sounds and sounds that could be words. You imitate me like a parrot and I am realizing how easily you could make “jackass” a part of your verbal repertoire. I “yee-haw!” and you do the same without words. A dog barks and you bark. A fire truck goes by and after it’s long gone you are making the sound of the siren. You yelled “Iggy! Iggy! Igg!”, the name of your uncle, over the weekend and it first happened at the grocery with Igg and Daddy. You were in the produce section blurting his name like you had a say in his taste in grocery items. The best is when you are in your own little world, standing alone and speaking a language from deep in your throat like a you’re using an electrolarynx. You gesture with one hand like a dictator and mutter with raised eyebrows and tilts of the head as if you are giving a thoughtful speech. What will you be when you grow up?

















You love your daddy and there’s no doubting that. He’s recently become someone you know you can trust and find comfort from when needed. You are completely enraptured when he starts singing or plays the guitar, his biggest fan. I love hearing the two of you interacting with your own language and conversations. He’s not your typical daddy and this makes you a very lucky little boy.

I can’t imagine how much more growing you are going to do before your first birthday. I really just want you to slow down a little bit because it’s all going so fast. These growth spurts are too much for your mommy to handle. I don’t want to miss a moment so try and take it a little slower.

Love,
Mom