Month nine

Dear Xavier,

Nine months on the inside and now nine months on the outside. Whenever I tell someone that you are nine months old, they comment on what a fun age it is. And they are right! I love that every day we can see your personality coming out more and more. When we go to the playground, you love swinging high up in the air and going down the steepest slides…I think you might have a bit of an adrenaline junkie in you.

This month we started attending story time at the library for kids under two. I’m amazed at how different your personality is when you are surrounded by all those kids. You seem content for now just to take it all in and observe and you always listen very closely to the books.

You finally started saying “Mama” on a consistent basis…on Father’s Day! I guess that’s okay since on Mother’s Day you were able to say “Dada.” I love hearing you call me except for the fact that my name always seems to be accompanied by crying, moaning, or screaming and is only called in moments of extreme distress.

The end of this month brought Uncle Aaron’s wedding to Aunt Katie and we traveled all the way to St. Louis to be there. You once again did a great job on the long car ride despite not being used to sitting in one place for so long. Every time we stopped, you crawled around in the grass at random fast food establishments. At the wedding, you looked like such a grown up boy in your little suit and I was so proud of you when Aunt Erica carried you down the aisle! Of course, it might have been nice if your daddy had been able to see more than five minutes of the wedding. Aunt Erica very accurately described you as a “wind-up toy” and you certainly weren’t going to sit still for the entire wedding service.

Summer has meant that both Daddy and I are home with you much of the day. It also meant that the celebration of our wedding anniversary…and your first night away from us! I didn’t even cry when we dropped you off. It probably helped that you barely noticed that we were leaving because you were so excited to see your babysitter again. You also went swimming in the big boy pool for the first time while we were gone. I was so ready to sleep in instead of being woken up at 5 am, but I sure did miss you after 24 hours away!

One of my memories of this month occurred at the ungodly hour at which you like to wake us up. At Grandma’s house, we would sneak you into our bed to avoid waking up the rest of the crowded household. When you were ready to get out, you let me know…by waking me up with a sweet (and slobbery) kiss.

I love you, Xavier, and I will never get tired of those sweet kisses, no matter how messy they are.

Love,
Mommy

Month eight

Dear Xavier,

Wow…eight months old. You just aren’t a little baby any more at all. And your mommy wanting you to stay a little baby isn’t changing that fact one little bit.

Your world—and ours—changed drastically this month! No more are you dragging yourself across the ground with your forearms. I called your grandma one night and told her that you had just crawled about three “big boy” steps to get to your new toy…and then I called her back ten minutes later to tell her that you had just crawled across the entire room AND pulled yourself up to standing!

Your lightning speed crawling, your ability to stand up and cruise, and especially your lack of judgment have all contributed to a recent influx of head injuries. So much so that your daddy worries constantly and wishes he could build you a foam playroom. As many times as you have banged your head or taken a tumble, you stop crying immediately if we take you outside to play with the leaves or the grass. I’m trying to convince Daddy that you aren’t going to be a football player and would be more suited for cross country, but your ability to withstand shots to the head isn’t really helping my case.

The end of the school year has brought more free time for us and more adventures for you! We were off to St. Louis again at the end of the month and you were able to experience your first Cardinals game! Despite being truly worn out after flying, we literally went straight to Busch Stadium with Grandpa and Erica and you didn’t cry at all! You even listened carefully while Grandpa explained the game of baseball. You also experienced the St. Louis Zoo and your favorite animal was the “kk…kk” (the kitties). Except that those gray kitties were really elephants.

You amaze me every day with your ability to learn new things! You can now clap, wave, and do “So Big”! And sometimes you do some combination of the three all at once! We recently toted you around to eight graduation parties in one weekend. Apparently you felt it was your duty to entertain others, because you never fussed once at any of the parties and instead tried to show off your new skills.

Xavier, I’m so proud of you and I love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

Month Seven

Dear Xavier,

Seven months doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as six months or half a year old did. But another month has gone by and you just continue to change by the day. I packed away all of your 6 month clothing and much of your 9 month stuff and with the thought of my little boy getting so big, I just started to cry. You looked at me and started whimpering, so the moment didn’t last long. But it’s hard for me to even remember what you were like a few months ago when you started wearing those clothes.

You are still not officially crawling, but that doesn’t keep you from getting around. Why bother learning to crawl “for real” with the speed you have picked up with your army crawl?! Well, one good reason might be the red scaly patches you have on your forearms! I haven’t been smart enough to completely babyproof the house yet, so instead, I spend my days saying no and chasing after you. Some of the things that interest you the most are the coffee table (ouch, I bumped my head!), the kitties’ water bowls (hey, I’m all wet!), cords (how did this get wrapped around me?), and my camera (your mommy will be the one yelling if that gets broken!). In fact, I’ll have your blanket laid out on the floor with a nice arrangement of toys and what do you do…inspect every inch of the room instead! I’m considering writing a few books to add to the Tails Are Not For Pulling series…something along the lines of Stroller Tires Are Not For Licking or Running Shoes Are Not For Eating.

You are doing a great job of sitting up on your own and sitting up very tall! Your grandma says that you have great posture. It makes it a lot easier to take your picture sitting than when I had to be prepared to catch you at any given moment. When you are sitting up, you love to play with your toys that have mirrors and give yourself kisses! You are a fine looking young man, but maybe a little less tongue would be more appropriate.

You and I traveled to Missouri together to celebrate your great grandparents’ 65th wedding anniversary. Your daddy was so excited to sleep in for a couple of days, but I think he really missed you…especially since you started saying “dada” right as we were leaving! All of your aunts and uncles and cousins were smitten with you and you did a great job with the responsibility of entertaining everyone for the weekend!

This month, you made big strides in eating solid foods. From rice cereal and oatmeal, you have moved on to avocados, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, bananas, green beans, carrots, and peas. Apart from the faces you make, we can also tell whether or not you like a food by how covered your daddy’s shirt is with your food. I’m telling you…you won’t have many dates as a teenager if you continue to spray your food everywhere!

You seem to have regressed in the sleeping area. Xavier, it is okay with your mommy and daddy if you sleep past 5:00 am! Really, it is. Yes, we love to see your face in the morning, but seeing it a little later would help us all out. Sometimes, one of us will get up with you while the other tries to sleep. It’s hard even then to get much sleep when you’re bouncing your exersaucer (which, by the way, is not intended to bounce) and shaking the whole house. Your daddy claims that this intensity comes directly from me… (?!?!) Well, maybe…

And maybe I’m glad that you have that stubborn and independent streak in you…at least most of the time.

Love,
Mommy

Month six

Dear Xavier,

A few days ago, I packed up your tiny 0-3 month clothes and sent them to your new little cousin Micah. How is it possible that you were once that small and that you have changed so much in the last six months?! It seems like every week you are doing something new. Like someone said about you today, you sure aren’t wasting any time!

Around the middle of this month, you realized that lying in one place was kind of boring and decided to spice things up a bit. Your worm crawl started as halting and awkward, but you are getting a little faster all the time and are often halfway across the room before your daddy and I notice. If you continue to speed up, soon you will catch those kitties you are always chasing!

Every night, you and I read a few books before your daddy puts you to bed. As you get older, you are becoming a little bit easier to read to and you seem to listen a little more. One night I told you that you were a good little reader and your dad has made fun of me pretty much every night since. If you could stop smacking the books while I’m reading, he might be a little more convinced. I’m not sure how much you are retaining yet, because your behavior towards the cats doesn’t seem to have changed since we started reading Tails Are Not For Pulling. But just keep pretending to read and keep your English teacher parents satisfied!

This month was such a special one because you met your great-grandparents in San Diego and got to see all three of your grandparents, plus Aunt Erica. Xavier, if this is one thing that you can be sure of, it is that you are loved! I saw tears from many an eye as goodbyes were said. Daddy and I think you are such a nice little boy, but it’s great to hear it from someone else too…and of course they aren’t biased at all!

We had been worrying about the plane ride to California for a couple of months now, but you did so well! You would have slept the whole way there, were it not for another baby crying and waking you up. It might have also helped that we let you watch the TV on the flight, something you never get to do at home, and there were plenty of girls for you to flirt with.

When we got back from California, you tried some solid food for the first time. After about six days, the current verdict is rice cereal is not very exciting, but you sure do like the oatmeal. You once again showed your independent streak, trying to grab the spoon out of our hands and then, once your hands were pinned down, forcefully swooping your mouth down at the spoon…glad those things are covered in rubber!

When I reach out my arms to pick you up, you’ve started reaching back. I promise you, Xavier, that no matter how old you are or how big you get, I will always be there for you when you reach for me!

Love,
Mommy

Month five

Dear Xavier,

Why does five months sound so much older than four months? Every day I’m so excited to see the new things that you are learning and doing, but also a little sad to see my baby disappearing before my eyes.

Perhaps the biggest excitement of the month for you was the acquisition of some new toys…an exersaucer and a doorway jumper. You could jump and jump and jump for hours if we let you! Some days you jump in the hallway at the high school while Mommy and Daddy go to track practice and you garner quite the audience. You still love to show off for all the high school students that we teach and coach. Those kids love to play with you after hearing all the stories that we tell about you in class. And Daddy likes to imitate your faces and expressions for his classes…I think this might scare them a little…somehow it’s not quite as cute on a 32 year old…

You love to GRAB things. And what is closer to grab and pull than the face of the person who is holding you? Our cheeks, our noses, my hair are all fair game. But even more fun than that is grabbing the cats’ fur!! The presence of the kitties brightens your whole world as you smile and laugh and coo at them. But I’m not sure we can say the same for cats. Mommy is working on teaching you how to pet them softly…and not end up with a fistful of fur! Little do the cats know that in a few more months they won’t be so easily able to run away from you. I’m hoping that someday they like you as much as you like them!

You are completely comfortable rolling over and being on your tummy now. So I’ve been working with you on some new skills like sitting up. The first time we tried to show Daddy, you slammed your head into the mirror…I don’t think Daddy was too happy with me after that. When you balance on your hands, you are able to sit up, but most of the time you lunge after a colorful toy in front of you instead…and then continue to pursue the toy with a type of movement that looks more like swimming than an attempt to crawl.

My absolute favorite sound in the world is the sound of your laughter! Such random things can make you laugh—even the sound of paper tearing. I’m on a daily quest to find new ways to make you laugh just so I can hear that sound. I hope that as you grow up, you will continue to see the joy in the simple parts of life!

Love,
Mommy

Month four

Dear Xavier,

Your godmother called today to tell you happy 1/3 of a year birthday. One third of a year! I know I say this all the time but it’s hard to believe that you are four months old already. The last four months have been some of the most difficult, but rewarding months of my life. I love watching you learn and grow and change as each day passes.

The big change this month was your transition from mostly stationary to constantly moving. One morning you figured out how to roll over but had to use your arms to pull yourself over and ended up with an arm pinned underneath you. By that evening, you were rolling over proficiently every few minutes and have never looked back. It was a strange feeling the first time I came downstairs and you had rolled off the blanket where I left you. Unfortunately, you don’t seem to have a whole lot of control over your rolling yet and often end up on your tummy crying, needing Mommy or Daddy to rescue you!

An article in this month’s Parenting magazine says that much of a person’s personality can already be observed at a very young age. We can already see that you are quite the intense little man. You certainly make your feelings known—from your earthshaking cries to your resounding laughter. According to the article, you are also very sociable and adaptable. Just this past weekend, you attended a track clinic with Mommy and Daddy and managed to flirt with many a coach there and did a great job sleeping in a new place. The one area that you are lacking adaptability is eating! You have decided that you hate bottles and only eat enough to survive on the days that I go to work.

In the past week, you have rediscovered your tongue and it is constantly hanging out of your mouth! I almost felt the need to apologize for you as you stuck out your tongue at Melody Fairchild, a famous distance runner, as I spoke to her at the track clinic. But she thought you were cute and stuck her tongue out at you too. Even though they might attract the ladies at this age, we’re hoping you grow out of the habit sometime before high school.

You are becoming more and more alert all the time. If it were up to you, you would watch quite a bit of TV, but your mommy always turns you away from it. You definitely have noticed the kitties now and try to reach out and pet them as they scurry away from you. It seems that you like them a little more than they like you! Looking in the mirror or in the refrigerator are surefire ways to calm you down and quiet your cries. You love to reach out and grab onto our faces, our glasses, Daddy’s hats, and sometimes even my hair.

Xavier, even though you’ve only been here for four months, the joy and laughter that you’ve brought to our lives is immeasurable!

Love,
Mommy

Month three

Dear Xavier,

Three months old! That means you are officially no longer a newborn. You sure don’t seem like that little baby we brought home from the hospital a few months ago. Your daddy told you last night that you looked like “a little human.” I think he meant that as a compliment since he still thinks other babies are weird and wonders why you are so much cooler than any other baby ever.

Celebrating your first Christmas meant that first you had to endure a LONG car ride. As worried as we were about this trip, you probably cried a total of ten minutes the whole time (although I think you’ve cried every time you’ve been put car seat since…unsure if the ride will be 5 minutes or 13 hours).

Since we arrived in St. Louis, you’ve been showered with attention and love from your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives and friends. You’ve done a lot of showing off for them…maybe that’s the reason you figured out how to roll over from your tummy to your back and how to walk while Daddy holds you up and how to move yourself around in circles in your activity gym. We even found you giving yourself kisses on the little hanging mirror. You didn’t let the new bed and new house affect your sleeping patterns and have continued to sleep at least 8 hours a night!

We also discovered this month that you have quite a voice! Or maybe quite a temper? You really don’t cry all that often, but when you do, everyone can hear you! I overheard someone in the mall saying “such a little baby with such a loud cry.” You and I have spent some quality time outside of church after you were demonstrating your lung capacity during Christmas services. Were you just letting me know that you aren’t really a big fan of sweater vests? Even though you sometimes hurt my ears, I’m secretly glad that you are little strong-willed and independent.

The most exciting moment of this month was when you became a baptized child of God. You were a little mixed up because most babies sleep until the pastor baptizes them and then scream, but you did the opposite! You are so blessed to have your uncle Nate and cousin Rebekah as your godparents. They already love you so much and are excited to help you grow in your faith.

Your daddy and I know that this Christmas we received the two best presents ever—and both were little babies.

Love,
Mommy

Month two

Dear Xavier,

The last month has flown by, little buddy. It’s like you went from being this helpless little baby to being a “real person” as your daddy says. He’s looking forward to you becoming even more “real,” i.e. able to go fishing and play catch. Your daddy has also been known to read a book about development to figure out how advanced you are. But don’t get too far ahead of yourself. We are already blown away just by a simple smile on your face.

When do you smile the most? Simple answer—whenever you are on your changing table! We are not quite sure where this obsession with the changing table came from but have a hunch that it has something to do with having a clean bum. You could be screaming your head off but if we put you on that changing table, you are suddenly smiling, kicking your legs, waving your arms, and talking away. In fact, your parents (remember, we are novices at this!) have been known to carry your changing table pad downstairs and put it on the couch to prolong that happy state. You pretty much hated your rainforest activity mat until I had the genius idea of simply putting that changing table pad under there. Most kids have a security blanket—you have a security changing table pad. Hopefully it won’t have to go to preschool with you in a few years.

You have surprised us by being a social butterfly. In the past couple of weeks, you’ve attended a cross country banquet, football banquet, and a couple of basketball games. You seem to enjoy being passed around from mother to mother and basking in the attention of the high school students. Maybe hanging out with high school students is the reason why you already like to talk on the phone. You’ve been babbling away to Grandma Mueller on the cell phone a few times a week (usually when you’re lying on the changing table).

You have already outgrown much of your 0-3 month clothes and are wearing primarily 3-6 months. (This provides a nice excuse for Grandma Hill to buy you more clothes). Also growing at an alarming rate is your hair! I thought you were born with a full head of hair but it seems to keep multiplying. So, I have only given you…ummm….*four* haircuts so far. The first one was when you were about 6 weeks old and I was just going to get rid of that mullet (sorry, Uncle Jon). But the very next day, I trimmed the rest…and then again a few days later to “even” things out. After three haircuts, I promised your Uncle Nate he would be the next one to cut it at Christmas time…but I might have broken my promise. At least I haven’t started styling it with gel…yet.

Tomorrow morning, I have to leave you to go back to work for the first time. I cried most of the day today (so you cried most of the day today). I know you are going to be fine and that you might not even notice that I left, but I’m going to be thinking about you all day, kid. And that will be true the rest of your life. No matter how far apart we are, you will always be in my heart.

Love,
Mommy

Month One

Dear Xavier,

It’s hard to believe that you have been with us for a month already. Then again, it’s hard to remember our life without you. It’s been a learning experience everyday, probably even more for us than for you. I learned that as hard as I tried to pick out a name that couldn’t be shortened to one syllable, your daddy would start calling you X shortly after you were born and the high school students added Baby X, Little X, even Dr. X? Well, I had good intentions…

I thought for a while that you might be “Super Baby”…especially when you rolled over the day you came home from the hospital. Of course, that may have been assisted by the big pillow you were laying on during one of the many photo shoots you had to endure the first weeks of your life. You might as well get used to that, X. Just ask your daddy. He’s learned just to smile for the camera and get it over with. I thought you were Super Baby again when you folded your hands when you were five days old on your first Sunday. I’m sorry I didn’t take you to church that day, but I’m glad you remembered to pray anyway. Of course, I didn’t think you were quite as super when you spit up all over the both of us in church the next week.

You went to a football game and a bunch of cross country practices in your first few weeks. Approximately 73% of your clothing has a football on it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t run cross country in high school, Xavier. Your mama doesn’t want you getting hurt playing football. So we’ve been practicing your running form when you’re laying on the floor and you’ve been on a few runs with Mommy in the running stroller already. In fact, yesterday, you cried the entire time I was walking until I finally broke into a run. Thanks for getting me going! Daddy and Grandma Hill will get used to the idea of you running cross country eventually…

Your grandparents love you almost as much as your parents. Grandma Mueller spent the first couple weeks of your life with you making sure your mama didn’t mess things up too badly. You must have thought I was crazy when I cried the entire day she left, but I think you might have too. And remember, Grandma told us that a little crying makes you stronger. Your grandpa calls me everyday just to make sure that I’m taking good care of you and yesterday he told me that he thinks you get a little cuter every day. And Grandma Hill has been waiting for you (and buying presents for you) ever since your mama and daddy got married!

Someone asked me a week or so after you were born—“Did you ever think you could love something so much?” And I’ve continued to ask myself that question, because my love for you multiplies with every day…every time I nurse you, every time you curl up on my chest for a nap, every time you stare at us with those big eyes, every time you flail your arms around…

You’ve grown so much already—weighing in at 9 pounds, 10 ounces today. I can’t wait to see you grow up, to see the plans that God has for you. But don’t grow up too fast. And don’t ever forget that no matter how big you are, you’ll always be my little boy.

Love,
Mommy