Julian Ridley: Month 9
When I carried you around in my belly, it seemed like the longest 9 months of my life. But I took comfort in the fact you were mine, all mine. Nobody could be closer to you during that time. So these past 9 months since your birth, that has flown by with the blink of an eye, you've been slowly breaking away from my grasp. You become your own person more and more each day. This seems to be a much easier transition for you than for me.
We had taken a short ride one day and upon returning home I opened the car door to get you and I thought I had just opened the door to a time machine. I almost didn't recognize the face looking back at me. I was expecting to see my baby boy but what I saw wasn't a baby, but a child. It made my heart break and swell with pride at the same time. After I put you to bed each night I stop and watch you for a moment and marvel at how your body takes up so much room. No wonder it's been becoming increasingly difficult for the 3 of us to sleep together. But it's all the more reason to cram together and wrap my arms around you as you sleep.
Aside from your first two top teeth poking through, there haven't been any "firsts" this month to really speak of as you aren't standing on your own or walking. You haven't surprised us with any complete sentences or even any real recognizable words. But that hasn't made this past month any less exciting. Quite the contrary, you have become a real handful. It takes two of us to handle you. Your Papa and I have to give you baths together because you flop and dive all around.
We can't do the dishes unless we're both home because the second we open the dishwasher you throw down whatever is in your hands and bolt toward it. You see your opportunity to get inside that strange machine we try to keep you out of and you don't want to let it get away. If we open the refrigerator when you are in the other room, next thing we know you are at our feet reaching for the condiments. We have to make sure the gate to the stairs is up because if we wait a moment to long to do it, you are already to the top.
You also love to play games with us and not just your silly mind games. Now you love to book across the house as fast as you can, giggling and stopping every so often to make sure we're chasing right behind. You've started to squeal with amazing delight and it really makes me realize exactly what is important in this world. You still study things with such intensity. You focus so hard you make a purring sound as you are trying to figure out just how everything works.
One of the few things you have learned to do is to open and close doors. You can sit there for hours just sitting on the floor opening and shutting the bathroom door. It's a natural progression from your talent of turning the pages to your books as we read to you. You still love books, one night you picked one up, dropped it next to your Daddy and crawled into his lap. You sat there, attention undivided and hanging on to his every word waiting for your cue to turn to the next page. You are still your Daddy's little buddy.
You did learn how to wave at appropriate times but it was fleeting. You seemed to have grown bored with it after just a short week. But you never, ever fail to give us the biggest, most welcoming smile when we walk into the room. If that doesn't make the world a better place, nothing will.
You always had such a personality but recently you are showing other sides. You are a pretty laid back fella but you have started to show some assertiveness. While at the park the other day, you were standing up at your favorite play spot when one of your older playmates leaned in front of you and began to take over. You did not like this and you began to grunt and fuss until she was taken away and you went back to playing happily once again.
You are also much more physically wild. If the dogs weren't scared of you before, they sure are now. We now have to keep a close watch with you around Jolie because she doesn't take to getting smacked over and over very well as she's sleeping. She has sent out some warnings to you, but you find it all so entertaining. I think you are missing her point.
Your consistent nap schedule is gone and I'm still trying to figure out when, or where you will be taking your next one.
You are really living life as fast as you can right now. Even though I struggle to keep up and adjust to how you grow more into a little boy every day and less like my baby, don't ever slow down to wait for your Mama. I won't be far behind.
to 
We had taken a short ride one day and upon returning home I opened the car door to get you and I thought I had just opened the door to a time machine. I almost didn't recognize the face looking back at me. I was expecting to see my baby boy but what I saw wasn't a baby, but a child. It made my heart break and swell with pride at the same time. After I put you to bed each night I stop and watch you for a moment and marvel at how your body takes up so much room. No wonder it's been becoming increasingly difficult for the 3 of us to sleep together. But it's all the more reason to cram together and wrap my arms around you as you sleep.
Aside from your first two top teeth poking through, there haven't been any "firsts" this month to really speak of as you aren't standing on your own or walking. You haven't surprised us with any complete sentences or even any real recognizable words. But that hasn't made this past month any less exciting. Quite the contrary, you have become a real handful. It takes two of us to handle you. Your Papa and I have to give you baths together because you flop and dive all around.
We can't do the dishes unless we're both home because the second we open the dishwasher you throw down whatever is in your hands and bolt toward it. You see your opportunity to get inside that strange machine we try to keep you out of and you don't want to let it get away. If we open the refrigerator when you are in the other room, next thing we know you are at our feet reaching for the condiments. We have to make sure the gate to the stairs is up because if we wait a moment to long to do it, you are already to the top.
You also love to play games with us and not just your silly mind games. Now you love to book across the house as fast as you can, giggling and stopping every so often to make sure we're chasing right behind. You've started to squeal with amazing delight and it really makes me realize exactly what is important in this world. You still study things with such intensity. You focus so hard you make a purring sound as you are trying to figure out just how everything works.
One of the few things you have learned to do is to open and close doors. You can sit there for hours just sitting on the floor opening and shutting the bathroom door. It's a natural progression from your talent of turning the pages to your books as we read to you. You still love books, one night you picked one up, dropped it next to your Daddy and crawled into his lap. You sat there, attention undivided and hanging on to his every word waiting for your cue to turn to the next page. You are still your Daddy's little buddy.
You did learn how to wave at appropriate times but it was fleeting. You seemed to have grown bored with it after just a short week. But you never, ever fail to give us the biggest, most welcoming smile when we walk into the room. If that doesn't make the world a better place, nothing will.
You always had such a personality but recently you are showing other sides. You are a pretty laid back fella but you have started to show some assertiveness. While at the park the other day, you were standing up at your favorite play spot when one of your older playmates leaned in front of you and began to take over. You did not like this and you began to grunt and fuss until she was taken away and you went back to playing happily once again.
You are also much more physically wild. If the dogs weren't scared of you before, they sure are now. We now have to keep a close watch with you around Jolie because she doesn't take to getting smacked over and over very well as she's sleeping. She has sent out some warnings to you, but you find it all so entertaining. I think you are missing her point.
Your consistent nap schedule is gone and I'm still trying to figure out when, or where you will be taking your next one.
You are really living life as fast as you can right now. Even though I struggle to keep up and adjust to how you grow more into a little boy every day and less like my baby, don't ever slow down to wait for your Mama. I won't be far behind.
to
posted by Julian at 8:56 AM
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