Teo at Thistledown Farm

Ten Months - Using Sign Language and Almost Walking!

Dear Teo,

You are ten months old!  Your biggest feat this month was learning to stand on your own.  You can also walk just holding on with one hand.  Full-on toddling is just around the corner, and then watch out world!

You still love being outside.  Papa made an octagon-shaped, redwood sandbox for you, and Grammy got you a swimming pool.  You also like playing in the sprinkler and in your playhouse.  

You love going to Grammy's to play.  You almost always start dancing when you go over there, which is her cue to put on some kids' music.  Sometimes you play your instruments, and you seem to have pretty good rhythm!

Maybe you get your musical talent from Grammy. 

You are learning to use sign language to tell us "more" and "all done," a useful skill at meal time.  You are eating more foods now, though whenever I have you try something new, you make a disgusted face after the first bite.  Thankfully, you are usually willing to take a second bite, and often you end up liking whatever it is.  

You are still sleeping with us at night.  We put our mattress on the floor so you won't get hurt if you ever crawl off the edge.  Waking up with you is one of the happiest parts of the day.  You are a little grouchy until you nurse, but then you are so sweet and cheerful.  You like to crawl over to Papa and pat him on the head to wake him up.  

You and I took the train up to Seattle last weekend to visit my friends, Natalie and Jamie, and to meet their little girl, Robin.  This photo pretty much exemplifies how you felt about the weekend . . . cautious and a little grumpy.   

I think the highlight of the trip for you was walking up and down the length of the train (we probably walked 5 miles), and making friends.  You really liked the old ladies (maybe because they remind you of Grammy), and you adored a 4 year old girl who sang songs for you. 

In a couple of weeks, we will leave on our big trip to Kansas and Oklahoma to visit Uncle Levi and his family, and your Opapa.  It will be a big adventure with lots of new experiences. 

We love you so much, little buddy. 

Father's Day and Sage's Birthday

Thinking of four special fathers I know . . .  Papa, Opapa, Grandpa Faulkner, and Uncle Levi.

And today (on his birthday), remembering your brother, Sage, with love. . . 

Nine Months Old

Hello, little love.  You are nine months old now.  You are becoming more independent every day, and you seem to really want to be a big boy.  

You would rather push the stroller than ride in it.  You like to brush your teeth when I brush mine.  Papa's tools are far more interesting to you than your toys.  You also have started dropping pieces of toilet paper in the toilet and watching it flush (may this bode well for future potty training!). 

                   We took you to the beach for the first time last weekend.  When we got there, it was gray and cold, but we decided to persevere and have our picnic anyway.  Soon after we arrived, the clouds parted and sun peeked through.  It turned into a beautiful day.  You loved playing in the sand, finding rocks and seaweed, and watching the waves. 

One thing that has changed in the last month, is that Papa and I have decided not to have you go to an outside childcare provider.  Papa works in the evenings and I work in the mornings, so we are able to take care of you at home (with help from Grammy!).

This feels like absolutely the right thing for our family and for you.  You cried every time I took you to childcare and every time I came back to pick you up.  It is so much easier for me to go to work, knowing that you are with Papa or Grammy.  You and Papa are forming such a close bond, and Grammy is definitely your buddy.  And when I come home, you practically jump into my arms with a big smile on your face.

The biggest news for this month is that your Auntie Sarah is pregnant!  Sometime next January, you will have a new little cousin.  Sarah and Oceana just left yesterday for a month-long trip to Spain.  Oce will be staying with her dad's relatives, and Sarah will be making a pilgrimage by foot on el Camino de Santiago with her best childhood friend, Sarah S. 

I am so excited to watch Sarah go through this pregnancy and to meet the lucky little baby who will be her child.

Is Forever Enough?

My dear Teo,

When I wrote my last blog post, I totally forgot to include your 8 month photo.  So here it is!  Usually I take a bunch and choose the best one, but this time, you only sat still for this one shot and then you were crawling all over! 

Your development seems to have taken some major leaps this last month.  Not only did you start crawling, you have stood without help for about 10 seconds at a time, and the other day you actually took a little wobbly step.

AND you are talking.  You now regularly call me "Mama," and you call your papa "Bapa."  You make the sign language sign for milk very clearly.  In fact, once I came home when Grammy was watching you, and you were snuggled up with her and signing milk in your sleep! 

Hearing your little voice say "Mama" fills my heart every time you say it.   

Last night, I was at a Head Start teacher appreciation dinner, and part of the presentation was a slideshow of children from the classrooms set to music.  One of the songs was "Lullaby" by the Dixie Chicks.  I didn't expect this, but as I listened to the lyrics, I felt tears on my cheeks.  It really moved me, as I thought about both you and Sage.  There is nothing in the world like the love a parent feels for a child.  Sometimes it leaves me totally speechless and in awe.  

Loving you forever,

Mama

"Lullaby"

(listen)

They didn't have you where I come from

Never knew the best was yet to come

Life began when I saw your face

And I hear your laugh like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

I slip in bed when you're asleep

To hold you close and feel your breath on me

Tomorrow there'll be so much to do

So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

As you wander through this troubled world

In search of all things beautiful

You can close your eyes when you're miles away

And hear my voice like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

Eight Months Old and Crawling!

Teo, 

You are now a man on the move.  Within a span of a few days, you (nearly) perfected your crawling, and now there is no stopping you. 

You still prefer to walk holding our hands, but when necessary, you can certainly get around without help!  And the most likely destination?  OUTSIDE!  In fact, you sometimes cry when I bring you inside.  Then if I set you down, you crawl right back to the door.

Your papa has been working hard on the garden.  He has put in six beautiful raised beds and two trellises.  We still have more to plant.  It is exciting to step out the back door and see so much delicious produce growing. 

You continue to enjoy sand, dirt, gravel, rocks, sticks, etc. . .  Other things you have been showing an interest in are: the garden hose, the stairs in our house (you can climb them with help), the mobile from your Blessingway Ceremony, and the toy cash register in my classroom. 

 Mother's Day at Hendrick's Park.  You rode in the Kelty backpack for the first time.  

 Celebrating Grammy's birthday.

A visit from my cousin Molly, her husband, Jaime, their son, Issac, and my aunt Coreen.

Playing with your buddy, Lucio.

My friend, Kelli G., stopped by for another photo shoot, and once again took some amazing shots of you.  I love the black and white one . . . It looks like you are kissing me, but actually, you are playing a game where you try to bite my nose. 

Kelli posted more photos on her blog:  www.glazenerphotos.blogspot.com

Seven Months Old and Starting "School"

Dear Teo,

You are seven months old!  The big thing that we started this month was daycare . . . You are going to Kristie's house for a few hours in the morning, four days a week.  Kristie, is a family friend of one of the teachers at the Relief Nursery, and she has been working with kids for 30 years.  She is a very kind person, and obviously skilled (she got you to take the bottle on your first day there). 

This transition has been a little hard for you, and super-stressful for me.  After the first two idyllic days, you started to realize that when you see Kristie it means I am leaving, and you have cried pretty intensely about it. 

It has been SO hard for me to stick with this and trust that you will adapt to being there, but Kristie assures me that you only cry for a few minutes and then you play happily with her and the other kids.  This week, I've been standing outside the door after dropping you off to listen to how long you cry, and it's true . . . you stop in a matter of a few minutes.  I guess it will just take some time for both of us to adjust. 

You still go to work with me in the afternoons, which is fun.  You love the train table in my classroom.  You also like typing on my keyboard.

At home, your new favorite thing is to play with is the gravel in the back yard.   You like to pick it up and then let it fall through your fingers.

You have four teeth now, and you are eating more food.  I cook and puree vegetables and fruit and then freeze it into ice cube trays to thaw one at a time as I need them.  It really isn't that much extra work if I just make extra of whatever vegetable we are having for dinner.  

You have a blocked tear duct, which means your eye is often stuck closed after you've been sleeping.  You look like a little pirate when you wake up, which is kind of pitiful, but also pretty cute.  The doctor says that it should clear up by the time you are a year old. 

Oceana loves to come over and help me change your diaper and feed you. She likes to pretend that she is the mother, and her doll is the baby, and I am her dog, and you are my puppy.   Ruff, ruff!

A couple weeks ago, Oceana got her first haircut ever.   Her hair is very long and curly, and she constantly gets comments on how beautiful it is.  She has felt nervous about getting it trimmed, but after exploring the concept with pretend play (by trimming the hair on all her dolls) and watching Grammy get hers cut, she decided she was ready to try it too. 

You haven't met your other cousins (Indigo, Jaden and River) yet, but we are hoping to fly to Kansas in August to visit them.  It has been two years since we last saw them, so we can't wait for this trip.  I'm sure it will be really exciting for you . . . Not only will you meet your aunt and uncle and your three cousins, you'll meet the chickens, the cow, the chinchilla, the two cats, and the two Saint Bernards that live with them!