baby rocks.

Colton, 

You’ve officially shown signs of truly understanding me and communicating this past month and it has blown me away, making me realize you really are a miniature human. Up til now, this whole experience of having you has been not completely unlike having a new pet. A very complex, high needs one. It started off with me holding you all the time, doing everything for you, and has grown to you following me around the house, always at my feet, always happy to see me, always wanting to be with me. Except now, this month, when I told you to [ironically] “look over here at the doggies”, you turned your head and looked straight down, and I was speechless. You completely understood me. It was as shocking as if Bella herself had heard me say “my feet are cold” and then went and got me a pair of socks. Since then you’ve responding to all sorts of phrases from me: look at this, sit down, straighten your legs, grab it, stand up, come here. I’ll ask if you want water and you’ll smack your lips and open up, or you’ll rub your face and kinda shake your head and turn. It’s quite astounding to me.

It’s also equal parts exciting and scary to think of how quickly you’ll start to pick up on things, unbeknownst to me. So far we’ve already eliminated the words “hate” and “stupid” from our every day language around the house (which has been surprisingly hard to catch, since it’s in so many simple chatter of ours, “Ugh, I hate that show”, “No, that app is stupid.”). It makes me nervous when I think about how much I’m going to be responsible for teaching you things and shaping you into becoming the man you’ll eventually be. It’s a enormous responsibility, and a daunting idea. I wonder all the time if I’ll be able to be a good example for you, and how much I will fail you. I’m trying to pray now that God will fill me with lots of Himself to show through me.

I love you so very much,
Mom

——-

THIS MONTH

You started playing peekaboo back. Just a few days ago we were playing peekaboo with your blanket and you grabbed it from me and held it up above your head for a second and then dropped it down and laughed. When we realized what you were doing, we immediately started calling out “Coooltyyy! Where’s Colty?!” when you held it up and you would drop it down and show us your face and be so proud of revealing where you were hiding. Your dad says the level of cognitive understanding that takes to process that game and do it yourself is a huge step in your development. It was really fun playing with you like that.

You’re grinning now. It’s weird, I never realized there were different levels of smiling you were going to develop, but after you first officially grinned at me… this small, closed-lipped smile, it dawned on me that it was a new step in your growing personality. All your other smiles have been these wide open-mouthed silent laughs almost… you know, the standard baby smile, but this one was so controlled and intentional. I loved it so much. You’ve done it many more times since already and I just think it’s so sweet. Mostly it’s when you’re tired, or somewhat grumpy and I can make you crack a smile when you don’t seem to want to be happy. 

You’re practicing standing on your own. You’ve been doing this a little bit for about six weeks already, maybe eight. You’d stand for probably three seconds at a time without holding onto something, but it was mostly unintentional standing; you’d let go to clap or hold a toy. This past week you’ve been really working on it purposefully. You’ve been pushing yourself up more from a squat position, instead of pulling yourself up, and letting go, arms out, eyes wide, smile HUGE, and you’ll lock eyes with me like, “Look Mom! Look! No Hands!” and you’ll scream and laugh until it makes you shake and you lose your balance and plop down. You’re so proud of yourself. And so am I.

You started clapping. Just days after you turned eight months, I was reading my app about what you should be up to and it said you should be clapping already, so I turn to your dad and tell him and wonder when that’ll happen. And then I put my phone down and immediately played patty-cake with you (for the umpteenth time). Then literally within the hour, you clapped. And the rest of the day you clapped and clapped. At night, you would fall asleep, and spring awake, sit yourself up, and clap. With your eyes closed. You were on this roll and couldn’t get enough, you loved it.

You help me get you dressed. You push your arms through when I put your shirts on, and help pull your shirt off your head when I take it off. It’s so sweet. You also put your legs just the right way when I put you in your high chair, and hold your arms up for me to pick you up or take you out. I like it a lot.

You’re very much communicating with us now. In addition to you showing signs that you’re understanding so much of what we say, you’re starting to ‘talk’ back to us, too. After just a few days of being in California, and hanging out with your Grands, you started saying their names. “Guh-pah” after grandpa worked very hard at teaching you his name, and then several days later, “Guh-mah.” I think I screamed. I couldn’t believe it!! Then every time you wanted them, or followed them down the hall, you’d call after them (with a little prompting). The week after we were at the park and Bella started roaming too far, so after calling out to her, “Beeelllllaaa!” you immediately repeated in a very loud voice, “Bahhh!” I love it so, so much. It’s simply incredible.

You officially have eight teeth. They move so slowly, and you’re such a trooper. My little shark mouth.

———

SLEEPING: You’ve downgraded your naps to once a day! I was shocked when you did it once, then you did it twice, and a third and fourth, and by week two, I realized you were settled. So you wake up around the same time, 730ish, give or take half an hour, stay up for 3-4 hours, then go down for a 2-3 hour nap, and stay up for the rest of the day. Sometimes if we’re out and about and busy, you’ll take two shorterish naps (1.5hrs and 45min), and then you’re down for the night around 730ish or so. It’s weird to me mostly because it signals you’re still growing up. I stay still, as if it ever stops. It sounds overwhelming to have you awake for almost the entire day, and sometimes it is since you’ll be harder to please in the evening, since you’re not as well rested, but you refuse a nap, but for the most part, it’s kinda nice to have you so content and wanting to play all day long. We can do more and see more and go out more, too.

EATING: I was so worried last month because you weren’t loving food, and seemed to be becoming a picky eater. You would take a few bites, or none at all, and throw everything over the side and wave your arms. Sometimes you wanted me to feed you, and other times you wanted to do it all yourself. But then one day something happened and it was like a switch… suddenly you loved food. You ate everything up. You still wanted me to feed you bites sometimes, and others you wouldn’t let us near your mouth and you’d do it all on your own, but you’re gobbling up pretty much everything we put in front of you. It’s really cool!

POTTY: Nothing to report here, except I love laughing at daddy gag when he changes your poopies. You had one diaper in particular where I all I could hear was your dad telling you to not touch it, and ‘oh no!’ and getting progressively more and more desperate. And then there’d be silence and I would know he was gaging. I walked in and he has his head turned, dry heaving, doing his best to hold your legs, and I look over at you and you had poo e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. On your legs, your hands, your face, all over your clothes, the changing table… and dad was freaking out. He goes, “HELP ME!” The best part was that he was still trying to salvage the change and wipe you up, even though it was clearly a lost battle. I was laughing so hard, I almost peed my pants. I eventually composed myself and took over, stripping you down and taking you to the bath. That will definitely be one of my favorite memories.

STATS:

• Weight: 23lbs 5oz
• Height: 28.3”
• Head: 18.3in
• PERCENTILES: 86% | 53% | 82%