To Tye, at 8 months

Dear Tye,
One month ago, I shared a video of you splashing in your bathtub.  That feels like forever ago.  I actually went back and double checked to make sure I didn't miss a month.  Since then, you've been moving and growing and learning nonstop.  Sitting up has opened a whole new world to you.  I love to watch you sit on a blanket and play with your toys, picking one up, turning it carefully in your hands, then dropping it as you spot another toy and reach for it instead.  You move easily from sitting forward to all fours, and you'll scoot around on your tummy, but you aren't quite crawling yet.


In the past month, you attended two weddings, participated in your first 4th of July celebration (even if it did consist of mostly you sleeping on a raft in the pool, guarded closely by your grandpa), and flew to Los Angeles and Dallas.  Together, we survived your first fever, your first cold, and your first public poop blowout- all of which were probably bigger events for me than you, and I'm glad they're all over with now.  You're eating more food, but your favorite is whatever is on my plate, so I'll often share bits with you, like the avocado from my sandwich tonight.  You grasp the spoon tightly and shove it into your mouth as if you're ravenous, then make silly faces as you mash it with your gums and swallow it.  


Although, you now have your first tooth.  It came in while we were away on our trip.  I'm still adjusting to you having a little weapon in your mouth.  Last night, while we were at dinner with  Daddy, I handed you a sugar packet to play with while I prepared your food, as I have so many times before.  Except this time, when I looked down seconds later, half the paper packet was in your mouth and the other half in your little fists.  Sugar crystals covered your dress.  Oops.


You are such a happy baby.  Everywhere we go, people are amazed at how easily you smile and how easygoing you are.  Even on our trip, when you were in a strange new place every time you woke up in addition to getting over a nasty cold and teething, you were consistently a genuinely happy baby.  The morning of her wedding, Jackie kept asking me to hold you because you brought her such a sense of calm.  I could be wrong, but I don't think most babies instill calm quite like that.  

Today was your first time sitting in a high chair.  It's not that you couldn't sit in one before now, but there has always been someone wanting to hold you while we eat, and you do very well sitting in laps.  Today, though, I needed both hands to eat my sandwich and it was just you and I grabbing dinner.  You were all about your own little seat, although you looked so tiny in it.  You quietly thumped the table with your open palms and fingered the nylon straps when you weren't watching the wait staff or sharing avocado with me.  You were an excellent date, Tye.


To know you now, Tye, and to remember that you are the baby who emerged from me nine months ago, is to understand a miracle.  Happy 8 month birthday, Tye.  I love, love, love, love you.


Love, 
Mama