Dear Cricket,
Oh, my sweet little one. I love you more and more each day! Over the past seven months you have grown so much, and with each new milestone my love for you grows, too, as impossible as that seems.
This month you’ve started to act more and more like a big kid; it’s crazy! (I think that having your big sister around to influence you has caused you to grow up faster than she did.) Although you’ve been army crawling for a while, at the end of this month you finally got up on your hands and knees into a proper crawl! I can barely keep up with you, and I never find you wherever I left you. In fact, you have a habit of crawling under things, getting stuck, and then crying for help. ;) You’re an adventurous one, little lady. So adventurous that you’ve even managed to crawl yourself right off the bed this month as well. (Oops! You’re just so fast!) I’ve stopped worrying about you falling over when I sit you up; you are strong, so strong! You love to stand up and often wiggle and squirm in my arms until I prop you up like a big girl. Lately you’ve been attempting to pull yourself up, which is so scary because I’M NOT READY! Slow down, okay?
When you crawl, most of the time it’s toward a toy, or more likely, food. I swear you are the hungriest baby ever, Cricket. You are feeding yourself with pureed pouches already (which makes my life super easy!) and have no patience to be spoon-fed. In fact, you prefer bits of real food the most, and we’ve been giving you bananas, avocados and scrambled eggs to self-feed. You are pretty darn dexterous already, and you can shove food in that mouth with lightning speed! Poor E.V. is always having to run away from you because you love to chase her down and steal whatever she’s eating. Hahaha! The other day heard her chastising you, and when I came over to see what was wrong, you had a mouthful of her hotdog! (That did NOT make her happy.) In fact, I’ve had to give you the ol’ finger sweep quite a few times this month because you are apt to shove anything (leaves, toys, big girl snacks) into your mouth in the search of food. ;) We’re still nursing, little one, and it our time alone. Or, rather, it should be our time alone, but E.V. hates to miss out on anything, so she’s always interrupting us. (Oh, well, what can you do? She is your big sister after all!)
You are such an easygoing baby, and you still rarely cry. (Although you DO talk — a LOT!) You’ve always been a happy and content baby even though we ask a lot of flexibility of you. It’s busy around here with Emma Vance’s schedule (some sort of activity everyday practically!), and you’re pleased just to be along for the ride. Your sleep schedule hasn’t changed much this month, but you are trying to drop your afternoon nap. You were going to bed by 8, but nowadays you’re usually ready by 7 if you’ve managed to dodge that afternoon snooze. I don’t mind your going to bed early so much because it’s much easier than trying to get you and E.V. to go down at the same time. (Yeesh.) You’re a really great sleeper, but now that you’re super mobile, you do wake yourself up by flopping around in your crib. Plus you have a newfound love for sleeping on your belly, which is so nerve-wracking for a mom! When you do cry in the middle of the night, I love snuggling you; you’re this warm ball of baby and I just can’t let go! The day we move you to a big girl bed I’m going to bawl. Just sayin’.
You’re into “texture” right now, and so you love toys with bumps and odd materials and squishiness to them. It’s funny; as many real toys as we have, your favorite thing has been an old toothbrush! You first discovered it because I have to create a baby obstacle course in the bathroom to keep you occupied while I shower each morning, and one day it served as an obstacle. I think you’re working on some teeth because you love to chew and any and everything, and so you adopted that bristly, rubbery, hard toothbrush right away. You also LOVE books, staring at the pictures intently. I’m sure that there are a million questions running through your inquisitive mind as you study the pages, and I can’t wait to hear those thoughts one day! By far, though, your favorite play time activity is when Daddy plays his guitar. Music soothes you and fascinates you and creates a connection between you and your father that’s palpable. You love to lay your chubby, flubby little hands on the guitar as he plays, feeling the vibrations with a quiet curiosity.
There are special connections your Dad and I feel with you, Cricket. Unique relationships and moments of common understanding that are between just the two. You have so many qualities from each of us, it will be interesting to see the person you become and who you turn out to be like. However, your greatest connection in the family by far is to Emma Vance. God made the two of you for one another, to be best friends, this is clear. You guys love each other to pieces, hate to be separated, and can’t get enough of one another. As much as she wrestles you around and as much as you steal her food, it doesn’t matter. She makes you smile, and you bring her joy. Emma Vance is always asking to “hold her,” waking you up from naps simply to be with you, trying to mother you, sharing with you in every new experience she comes across in her big world. The other day I set you down in the living room with a basket of plastic food to keep you occupied. When it had been a few minutes of quiet from both you and E.V., I went to check on you. When I walked in the room, there she was, sitting at your side, picking up each piece of food, holding it in front of you, trying to teach you their names. “Spaghetti! Grapes! Bread!” And you were listening to her intently with a big grin on your face, taking in every word, every ounce of attention she was giving you. The image of the two of you, sitting side by side, your silhouettes framed by the afternoon sun will forever be burned in my memory.
Cricket, I cannot express to you how deep and wide my love is for you. You are sunlight in our lives, truly. Each morning you wake up with a smile on your face and I know it’s going to be a good day. Thank you for the joy you are and the joy you bring to us.
Love you,
Me (and Daddy and E.V.)
