Dear Junior,
We're back to the weekdays, which means life is easier and hurts a little less. Daddy is back to work now, so it's just you and me during the day (though Daddy joins us for lunch).
You're sick (again!), which stinks. But you are such a trooper. Even with your hoarse, pitiful-sounding cough, you still issue plenty of crinkly-nose smiles and crawl around the apartment with alacrity. Just...with less precision than usual, and you seek snuggles from Mommy a lot more. And Mommy is more than happy to oblige! As I always say, "Do you just want some snuggles from Mommy? Is that all you need? Sure, I can give you some snuggles. Mommy always wants to give you snuggles." Snuggling with you is one of my favorite things ever!
Unfortunately with your illness comes bad sleep, again. You still don't know how to sleep through the night, but these days you are waking us up every 1-2 hours again. Just like when you were a newborn! So we're a little bleary-eyed, but it's still good.
You usually want to be up (even though you're sick) by 7:30 in the morning. I usually lay in bed with you and try to convince you to rest for another hour or so as I try to squeeze in a little more sleep and pray that you'll get more too. You usually quietly suck your thumb and get drowsy enough to trick me into thinking that you'll sleep--but then your bright eyes pop open and you flip-and-grin, pursue the blinds pulls that you love to put in your mouth, of start twiddling with my face, my shirt, or your frog again.
Then we get up, and we play for a little bit. These days you love pushing your stroller around. You stand up behind it and push from the back, walking happily behind until you get stuck behind a wall or the couch. Mommy then redirects you and you're on your merry way again. You also love putting EVERYTHING in your mouth. Still. I actually don't mind--except when it's stuff that's really not good for you (like our shoes) or it's your books. Books are for reading, not eating, little one! You also like waving your arms back and forth and making an "UH-uh-UH-uh-Uh-uh-UH-uh-UH-uh" sound when you're on your knees and either excited about something or wanting us to pick you up. You also continue to exhibit a preference for Mommy over Daddy (which I'm sure will switch at some point, and then Mommy will cry big, hot tears). When I reach out to hold you, you turn toward me with open arms, grin widely, and totally melt my heart.
After you play, we go out for a stroll. You don't like this part, but I insist on you getting some time in the fresh air and making sure your eyes get some real exposure to sunlight so your circadian rhythm isn't off. We've been exploring all parts of our gorgeous neighborhood and meeting neighbors and their kids at the various playgrounds as we go along. You love seeing the bigger kids, especially. The playgrounds aren't great for you (yet) because they're built for toddlers and up, but you'll grow into them soon. Thankfully you are finally getting into the swing and having fun with it now.
After the stroll, we come back and play and have lunch. Then we play some more or have an outing, and then you have your long nap. And that's when Mommy catches up on all the tasks on her to-do list. :-p Then more playtime (maybe another trip to the playground closest to us) and dinner. Mealtimes are fun because you know how to feed yourself, and we're always interested in seeing what foods you're into. These days you loooove carrots, avocado, all kinds of fruit, and legumes. Not so much into meats. Or Cheerios. And you love not only getting your hands all dirty -- you love putting those dirty hands in your ears and in your hair. SO GREASY. SO MESSY. EVERYWHERE. AND IN YOUR EARS AND YOUR HAIR(!). Cleaning all of that up (without getting dirty myself) is one of my least favorite parts of the day. But you're so cute, and that helps.
Anyway, after dinner and some playtime, then bedtime. The days just pass, one after the other.
Sometimes when I feel like I've recited "Barnyard Dance" to you ten times in a row and chased you around the apartment n times, and tried to make your stuffies have interesting conversations with you multiple times, I start to wonder when lunch time or nap time or dinner time or bedtime will be. And I want those times to come sooner rather than later. But I know that the days are passing quickly, and the years will pass even faster. You won't long remain this non-walking, food-in-hair, semi-babbling bundle of joy that I can carry around with one arm. You're almost a year old, and the next two decades will zoom by. I should be willing the time to move more slowly, not more quickly.
And that's why I take time to journal about you and what you're doing, and what you're into, and what you're like, from time to time. In a blink, you'll change again. In two blinks, the only record I'll have of what you were like today will be in a couple precious photos, maybe a video, and this. And my memory.
What a precious gift you are, dear Junior. Better than I could have hoped or asked for. You're truly my pride and joy. I love you through and through and hope you know it all your life.
I've been warning you that I start work in a few days. I hope you take it okay. Please know that I'm not abandoning you. Know that I love you and will return home to you every day. And frankly, I think you're going to love daycare because you love socializing and you're going to have a blast making friends and playing with others. You'll hopefully miss me at least a weensy bit--but I'll be coming home right around the time you start to miss me.
We still have a few days left together. Feel better soon! And let's enjoy the rest of our full-time days together to the max. This has been such a tremendous gift. I'm so thankful!
Love,
Mommy
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