baby letter

Dear Hunter @ 11 Months

May 6, 2018

May 2018

Dear Hunter,

This past month has flown by with you!

You are cautiously trying to stand. You do it when you forget about it, but once you are realize it you sit right back down. It’s

You are also trying to to talk. I think you are closest with saying “Dada”, which is just like what Autumn started with. And you try “dog” too, but I think you’re more confused about that as we don’t say “dog” much, at least compared to saying their names. Even if you don’t say words yet, you are trying to talk all the time.

My favorite thing that you do is make funniest noises. You blow raspberries and make “la-la-la” noises with your tongue sticking out of your mouth. It’s funny looking and sounding. You drool so much when you do it and you do it so long that it’s just the funniest.

The dogs bowls are the funniest things to you. Stopping you from bee- lining from to beeline to them is so tough! I generally beat you before you get to them, but if I am too slow you slap that water with all your might soaking yourself, the floor, and the wall in the process.

You take most of your baths with Autumn. You get in first and then she hops in while I am washing you up. I try to give you guys some time to play around together, but you make a BIG mess!!! You toss everything out of the tub. I need cat like reflexes so that I can catch everything that you toss out, including the full cup of water that we use to rinse your sister’s hair.

You also make a big mess when you are eating! Well, you are clean on yourself, but you toss everything on the floor when you are done with it. “Nope, no more peas!” TOSS!!!! “Pass, I don’t want anymore hummus.” THROW!!! That’s why the dogs are chunks now.

Whenever I think about your upcoming birthday, I am taken aback by how fast it will be here. But I am really looking forward to it at the same time. Ah, it’s all the best.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Hunter @ 10 Months

April 10, 2018

April 2018

Dear Hunter,

Please stop biting me.

You have recently discovered that you can bite. That you can bite me. That you enjoy it.

That’s great, but please stop. You may have just 2 teeth, but it still does hurt when you chomp down on my arm, shoulder, chin, face, and stomach. It is not funny, please stop giggling.

Okay, you can keep giggling when I tickle you, but not when you bite me. Can we make a deal?

Can we also make a deal about slowing down time?

I really can’t believe that you are already 10 months. The time has flown by. I feel like I say that every month. It just feels so unreal every time I put on your monthly milestone sticker on your onesie, grab the lion & blanket, and my camera to take pictures.

I am really glad that I document each month like this, writing you a letter so that you can look back at these when you are older and know how much I love you. How much we all love you.

It’s so easy to be head over heels in love with you as you are charming, silly, giggly, handsome, and just so adventurous. You gave me a heart attack when you climbed up the slide on the playset on the lanai. There you were, proud as can be, at the top of the slide. I never would have thought you cold have done that. So much for letting you just crawl around on the lanai while I made lunch or did the dishes. Now I need to watch you like a hawk.

You are very different than your sister, Autumn, in that regard. We didn’t need to baby proof much for her, besides a baby gate at the bottom and top of the stairs in our condo in Chelsea. She didn’t both the books and things on the bookcase, or open up kitchen cabinets, or jsut get into things.

But you, are so much trouble!

You love to get into all the different things in the cabinets and you throw them out onto the floor. Clang! Clang! Clang! You mess our piles up books up, you climb in and under things, you toss dirt out of planters. Even the baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs annoy you and you shake them so hard, trying to open them. ha!

You are a real character, I love everything about you!

Love,

Mommy

Dear Hunter @ 9 Months

March 8, 2018

March 2018

Dear Hunter,

Can I just say that you are amazing!?

Would that be extremely bias? Probably. But I don’t care.

Dad has been home with us the past few weeks, which certainly wasn’t planned, but has been really enjoyable anyway.

It’s wonderful getting to see the 2 of you together. So happy playing around, being silly, learning. I love seeing how happy you are with Daddy. And I know that he is happy getting to spend this time with you. He loves when you reach up to him for him to pick you up. It’s adorable!

Every since you pulled yourself up on me on Christmas, everyone has been teasing that you would be walking by now. Thankfully, that is not the case, you are happily just crawling around and scooting around by pulling yourself along the sofa and on the cabinets in the kitchen. I’m sure that once you are steady, you will be on the go, so I am enjoying this time a bit more.

In the mean time, we are just loving life. Life with you on our walks, in the pool, at the splash pad, at the library, in the park… we are on the go! You are really great with going with the flow. Even at GG’s while she was recovering from her surgery. You didn’t sleep well at night, but were great during the day, so it all worked out. It always does.

While I am really enjoying this moment in time with you, I am always looking forward to the next month as every day is so great with you.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Hunter @ 8 months

February 8, 2018

February 2018

Dear Hunter,

This past month has really been wonderful with you.

So far transitioning to be a stay at home mom with you has really easy and enjoyable. Spending days with you, and your sister, is so fun. There are tough times when I want to hide in the pantry to take a break from the noise, but it’s so great.

We just need to have Autumn listen to us the first time that she can’t keep siting behind you. We understand she is trying to be helpful, but from siting behind you so she can catch you if you fall, quickly turns into her holding you, which makes you yell and squirm and then there is the constant “AUTUMN!” It’s hard to scold it when she means well, but things would be so much easier if she just listened. At least she means well.

Your appetite is constantly growing. It’s awesome to give you something like quinoa, steak, broccoli, blueberries, yogurt, melon, and so much more

I swear you are looking older and older every day with your hair growing in and your features becoming more and more defined. It’s amazing to see. I see so much of your daddy when I look at you and old pictures of him. You even have that pout down.

I can’t imagine our house ever being quite again since you can be so loud when you are happily babbling. Angry or tired babbling is just as loud, but the happy, silly, giggly babbles are much more fun.

You have mastered standing while holding on to something like a pro. From there you sometimes give us a wave. But you are really good at waving when we are holding you and you then are prompted to wave at someone.

You went on your first cruise this past month! You were so fantastic on board. I can’t wait to take you on more and more as you grow. Our first family vacation went so well.

I love you so much.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Hunter @ 7 months

January 7, 2018

January, 2018

Dear Hunter,

This has been one exciting month!

Your first Christmas! Your first New Year’s! Your first time standing up!

Oh boy!! What a fun Christmas surprise for us.

I was sitting in front of the tree getting some toys out of their packaging for Autumn and you crawled over like normal. But then, you pulled up on me so you standing. You were so excited and we were so shocked. Thankfully, Daddy had his phone so he could quickly snap some pictures of how proud and excited you were. It was so magical to be there, and for it to be on Christmas too.

You quickly mastered crawling last month and now this. I’m afraid that if I wait 5 more minutes you will be walking. ha!

Besides being a master at pulling yourself up now, you are doing such a great job of feeding yourself. You eagerly try whatever we give you but it’s really clear that broccoli is your favorite food. Raw, steamed, or roasted- all of that works for you. yum!!

Sleep is still a struggle with you a times, but I really don’t mind the nightly feedings. I really enjoy getting to snuggle up with you in the chair in our room. The glow of the moon peaks through the gaps where the curtains join, allowing me to just see your face while you nurse back to sleep.

I have always been looking forward to what the next month has to offer with you, and your sister, but this next month is extra exciting since I am going to stay home with you guys now.

Work had stopped being enjoying a long time ago, but I didn’t want to hate it because I loved the profession and company where I have built my architecture career, and I knew that I would if I kept working. I was longing to spend more time with you and Autumn without feeling the insanity of trying to fit it all in. I know that being home won’t solve everything- goodness laundry is never ending. I know things will still be hectic in a different way with being home, but at least we can have a lot more adventures together.

My next letter to you will have the fun recap of how we went on our first family cruise together. I really can’t wait for that fun!

I love you!

Love,

Mommy

PS. I couldn’t find the lion we have for your monthly photos to show off how much you are growing compared to it. I looked ALL OVER for it, gave up, took your pics, then Dad came home and I lamented to him about how I couldn’t find it anywhere. “you mean the one sitting on top of the dollhouse?” Yep, that one that I walk by 500X a day. duh! So next month, there will be a lion!

Dear Hunter @ 3 Months

September 7, 2017

Dear Hunter,

It already seems like you have always been a part of our family. And yet its only been 3 months. I couldn’t imagine our family without you now.

You are such a great baby. You are so happy and smiley. The only real time when you get upset is when you are very hungry or tired and are struggling to relax to go to sleep, but in either case, those crying spells are short.

You have rolled over a few times to avoid doing tummy time. It’s not your favorite thing to do, so you were quite sure that you needed to get out of it so getting yourself to roll over was your mission. Even then, you didn’t fuss too much about and just figured out how to shorten it. Besides rolling over from your stomach to your back, you and rolled over from your back to your front a few times by twisting your body around, getting on your side, and giving a good flop. And then of course you are on your belly! Ha!

You have just discovered your hand and how awesome it is jammed into your mouth, or how great my hand is in there. I’m thinking that you will be teething before we know it. Stop growing up so fast!!

Autumn loves you so much, and loves to show her affection to you, but I apologize as she is really rough. But I think you will be able to pay her back for those loving hand and leg squeezes when you get older. I want her that pretty soon you ar going to be as big as her. It is hilarious to us how different you guys are in size. One day the little brother will be the bigger protector.

Two big things have happened this month! Your first trip to Disney and your first hurricane. Thankfully, the trip to Disney was a lot more fun than the prep for Hurricane Irma. You did fantastic through both experiences. Our little rockstar!!

I’m not happy going back to work and leaving you at daycare. You have done a great job so far and the teachers love you, which is great, but reality really hard to hear. I want to be spending my day with you, and your loud mouth sister, not stuck in an office. But there is a trade off for everything so at least you are doing well at daycare.

We just take things one day at a time savoring things with you and your sister from feedings to baths together. I am looking forward that the next month has ahead for us, but of course I don’t want it to come either as time just keeps speeding by.

I love you.

Love,

Mom

Dear Autumn @ 23 Months

October 30, 2015

October 2015

Dear Autumn,

Your curiosity and imagination is incredible. It’s fun to watch you pretend something, like cooking with the chalk from the chalkboard. Umm… yummy!! Or how you like to draw while laying on your stomach kicking your legs around.

Maybe we are bias as your parents, but Daddy and I can’t get over how smart you are. You are learning so much in English and Spanish, which we love. You know 1-10 in both English and Spanish. You resist saying the ABC’s, but talk so much. You give strong commands, ask questions, and give pretty clear responses to simple questions. My favorite thing that you are now doing is calling ‘Kemper’ by name vs just calling him ‘Puppy’. You scold him plenty, but give so much more love. Oh that poor dog gets squished by you flopping on him for hugs!

I know you are pretty young to potty train but you are quite funny that every time I tell you that you have to ”pee-pee on the potty’ or to ‘go poop on the potty’ you just look at me and say ‘No.’ HA! At least you have your position on that!

Your love for Mickey and Minnie is deep and true. I love how you are so eager to watching Mickey in the morning. We don’t have the TV on at night so you have to get your Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fix in the morning before we flip on the Today Show at 7am. Sometimes you get really frustrated about not getting to watching it over and over and over again. Truthfully, it’s tiring to watching 2-3 episodes of Mickey when you get up extra early on the days when you aren’t feeling well (why 4.30am?!?!?!) but watching you watching it while cuddled up under your blanket Aunt Tish made you with Owl makes hearing ‘Hey Toodles!’ over and over again all worth it. Plus, it melts my heart when you respond to their questions on the show. Adorable!

Unfortunately, your 23rd month started off with you battling a nasty cough. You ended up having to get on Prednisone, to help clear up some wheezing. Thankfully that worked so you just needed to get another inhaler to help you get through the sick winter months. I’m hoping that you stay healthy and happy this winter so we can wean you off your inhalers.

I’m looking forward to Halloween this month! You will be the cutest Minnie ever!

I can’t believe that you are almost 2! Oh it feels like just yesterday that you were born!! It just has gone by too fast! Sobs!!!

Love,

Mommy

Dear Autumn @ 16 months

March 20, 2015

Dear Autumn,

It’s Thursday night and I am currently on a flight to Seattle to visit Aunt Emily. You are staying with Daddy and visiting G-ma, Uncle Chase, Aunt Heather, and your cousins. I am missing you already. This will be the longest that we have been apart. I know you are in excellent hands as your Dad is downright amazing, but it was hard for me to say good bye. I already can’t wait to see you Tuesday morning when you wake up with your wild bed head. Oh, that hair is out of control!

You are such a happy, smiley sweetheart. You have your moments when you get really frustrated at us but for the most part you are a happy girl who likes to be involved with things. While it can often be hard to juggle, you like to be in the kitchen with me. Your favorite activity is to crack eggs, so you really like it when I make quiche. You quickly whack your way through a dozen eggs. At the end you give me a big smile as you are proud of your completed task.

We are making slow progress on you walking, but I’ll take it. I basically bribe you to stand and take a few steps with stickers. You love your stickers! I have been finding them on my clothes and around the house recently. Seeing them on the sink when I brush my teeth at night just makes for a happy reminder of the great day you had.

You are working hard on communicating with us. You are taking to say names of classmates at daycare and you are a parrot trying to repeat after me when I say something. Your teacher gives us updates on how you can say ‘dos’ and ‘tres’. But you really let everyone know you can (loudly) say ‘Hola’. The newest thing is that you say ‘Ow!’ to just about everything from Kemper knocking into you to us giving you a hug. Everything is ‘Ow!!!’ Thankfully, you just as enthusiastically say ‘Yay!’ and ‘Wow!’

We struggled to find a milk that wouldn’t upset your stomach or your bum for a bit. Cow’s milk upset your stomach so we moved on to Almond milk. Things were going well for about a week until you developed such a horrible, horrible diaper rash. I felt so bad for you. It broke my heart all over again at every diaper change. We moved on to a combination of goats milk and coconut milk. Thankfully things have been going well with that. Even if you make us broke with that $18 a gallon goats milk! But we’ll get anything for you!

Your personality is shining so brightly now. You test your limits by playing around with us, even biting us to get a rise out of us. Thankfully, you don’t do that often! You are adventurous, but cautious as you are timid to walk yet. I love to hear your ramblings in the mornings when you wake up. I know that in the coming months your ramblings will be more and more developed. So much fun.

I love each and every day with you my Autumn.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Autumn @ 15 months

February 27, 2015

February 2015

Dear Autumn-

Oh, what a month!!!

In the time from when you turned 14 months old to 15 months old you went on a cruise that brought us to Grand Cayman, Mexico, and Belize, took a flight, and had plenty of days home with us for the record snow fall that pounded Boston.

The cruise was amazing and tough at the same time. You did a good job of adjusting to the day to day stuff but the nights were rough for you. Well, for us too! You would wake repeatedly throughout the night so we would snuggle with you then and rush around to warm up a bottle or take early morning walks around the boat. But no worries, you made friends with just about everyone as you smiled and waved at everyone. The days at the beach were the best with you. It was so wonderful to see you enjoy the sun and sand so much. There was a photo Dad took of us in Grand Cayman that melts my heart. It was nap time so you snuggled on me in the beach chair and we took a nap together while a towel was drapped over us protecting you from the sun. It’s one of my favorite photos of us.

And then we came back to the harsh realities of a New England winter. Starting just after we got back, there was a storm every few days that just dumped snow on us. We even had a blizzard, maybe 2, I’m not sure about one of them. But it was great and hard on all of us. Poor Daddy was outside so much of the time shoveling and snow blowing the driveway, walkway, and sidewalk in front of the house. You have figured out how to climb up on the arm of the sofa to peer out the window to wave at Daddy. Love it! I missed so much work between office closures, daycare closures, getting in late so it was a constant game of catch up. But I really did enjoy our snow days together. It really made me enjoy our time together as we watched cartoons, baked banana bread, dancing around, and snuggled.

You went with dad to see the nutritionist and they think you are happy and healthy, but would like to see you gain more weight. We have had to up your calories so they suggested more cheese, peanut butter, and cream for you. What a delicious prescription! We are all quite jealous of your Dr’s orders to eat more Mac and Cheese.

You have not yet started to walk but are getting so much more comfortable walking around holding on to just one hand. I can see your balance improving bit by bit. You are just starting to stand for a few seconds on your own before plopping down on your butt. It’s quite exciting if you make it to when I count to 5!

One day we walked around the grocery store ‘roaring’ at each other. I’d ask what the Lion says you would roar right along with me. It was hilarious and quite sweet.

Talking is starting to come along too with you just starting to say ‘red’ and ‘blue’, although it sounds like ‘rah’ and ‘blah’ you definitely know the difference when I hold it up.

Now more than ever I have been giving you the chance to pick out your own clothes. I give you 3 options for tops and 3 options for bottoms and we put on what you pick. Some days the combination is questionable and other days it’s quite fashionable. I’m pretty sure that there are days that I should let you pick out my outfits.

The biggest thing I want to remember about you at this age is how you are starting to become much more affectionate.

You are an amazing little thing. A strong little girl who is happy, clever, and just down right beautiful. We love every bit of you.

Love,

Mom

Dear Autumn @ 13 months

December 23, 2014

December 2014

Dear Autumn,

Oh, my cutie little vampire. I just love your toothy smile. It melts my heart.

You are growing up so quickly right before our very eyes. We still get so amazed with how quickly you pick up on something new. You are trying to talk more and more. You answer ‘yeah’ to most things. It’s ‘yeah, yeah yeah’ all day long. Unless you don’t want something because you most definitely let us know with some vigorous head shaking. It’s cute but won’t you please eat your dinner! Please!! At least you try to say ‘gracias’ when you get something. You politely say ‘gras-as’ and it’s incredibility cute.

You’re still so tiny, so you have to go to the nutritionist to get things checked out next month but we aren’t worried as you are a great eater. You are just tiny and active. You just burn off all that cheese you eat!

The newest thing that you are trying is standing up on your own. You only attempt it when on the sofa so that it’s a soft fall. Sometimes you fall forward and bounce your face on the cushion and crack up. And when you fall back on your bum you quickly pull yourself back up to try again. Over and over again you try. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it soon enough and be brave enough to take on the challenge on the harder floor.

Some of my favorite times with you is when you just get out of the bathtub. You love to be dried off with the blow drier so I use that on you. But the best part is that you cuddle up on my lap and lean on me as are getting dried off. I love how you relax against me after a busy bath of splashing around.

Similarly, I love when I hold you before bed in the glider and take in your sweet baby shampoo smell. I savor that time as I get to gently sneak in kisses all over your head and forehead as you cuddle with your owl.

In just a few days we get to celebrate your second Christmas. You’re first Christmas was a blurr when you were just 6 weeks old. Now you will really get to enjoy it as we have some great presents for you to open. It will be so much fun to watch you rip into the wrapping paper. I just can’t wait!!

Every day is new with you. I can’t wait for each new day and new thing you learn and do.

I love you.

Love,

Mom

Dear Autumn @ 12 months

November 19, 2014

November 2014

Dear Autumn-

As every month, nay, as every day passes I am constantly pinching myself that you have been brightening up our lives for how ever long it has been at that point.

We couldn’t believe that you were arriving a week earlier than scheduled. Oh, sure, we always knew they could have moved up my C-section or even that I would go into labor before the 25th, but we had that day circled so that’s what it was going to be! Wrong!

So there I sat dumbfounded saying ‘sure… today works…’ when my doctor told me that they wanted to move things up a week. But, maybe, I couldn’t fit in that day? The hospital would call me later to let me know if you were arriving that night or the morning of the 19th. La-la-la. So I headed back to work to just wait for the hospital to call. I didn’t want to miss out on working that day as I wanted to eek out every bit of maternity leave that I could. So there I am packing up my desk and tying up loose ends when the hospital called at lunch time to ask if I could be there in an hour. Umm, no! Well, there had been a misunderstanding as to who was calling me when related to fitting me in. Whoops.

Anyway, I run out of work (forgetting my coat!) and meet your Dad at the train to get a cab ride home. We threw stuff in a bag – see so unprepared. And left as fast as we could to arrive at the hospital. Surprisingly, we did make good time considering how crazy things had just been.

Thankfully, we breezed through the hospital check-in and head up to the delivery floor to start the process of getting paperwork filled out, IV’s in, getting undressed and in a gown. Oh, Dad had to get dressed up in scrubs too! Before we knew it they were ready for me to head to surgery. Oh boy!

It was scary to head into surgery on my own but I had to get all prepped before Dad could come in. In the end, it didn’t take to long (or so it seemed) to get my spinal and get all set up before he was right by my side. As things were about to begin I told him to talk to me so that I would be distracted from the surgery, like anything really could really distract me, but I just wanted something to kinda take my mind off the rapid firing that my brain was doing as I was trying to listen to your first cry.

And there it was at 4.59pm.

I felt the biggest relief to hear that. The most beautiful sound in the world.

And yet, I was still so utterly nervous. Not because you were born, that was amazing. But because of your omphalocele. The team of doctors that were waiting your arrival checked you out and basically said that it was no big deal. What?!?! That was such wonderful news. It was so hard to believe still. We had been prepped that there there was a chance that we wouldn’t get to hold you for a few days if the omphalocele was complex. But there you were, all wrapped up, getting handed over to us while they completely my surgery. I was so petrified to touch you, but it was the best feeling ever at the same time.

That feeling has never left. I’m usually afriad I’m screwing up along the way but seeing you grow and learn along the way really is the best feeling ever. You are beautiful but you are smart, funny, and charming. You are a flirt, waving to everyone at the grocery store. You love the attention. You are such a happy baby. And a fearless one. Half the stuff you try to climb over makes me so nervous. I know that once you are walking you will be off running. Until then you are a lightening fast crawler. I think you get all the engery from all the different foods you happily eat. At least you do a good job of burning it off since you are still so ‘danty’!

The past year has been amazing. I know that next year, and all the ones to follow, are going to be wonderful. You are such a lovely little girl. Our Bean. Our Autumn. Our Little Chicken. Our Doops. We love you so very much.

Love,

Mom

Dear Autumn @ 9 Months

August 21, 2014

August 2014

Dear Autumn-

Oh man, every month the 18th sneaks up on me and I go “OMG! How are you another month older!?!?” I’m sure I’ll be doing this same freak out when your are older as well, but with years. It’s just incredible that time is flying by so quickly and how much you develop and change.

One thing that can change is your volume. Oh my sweets! You have just one volume and that is loud. Babbling loudly, crying loudly, shreeking loudly, yelling loudly. It’s all the same. I’m trying not to dimension your excitement when you are chatting with me but sometimes it can scramble my brain so I respond to you softly hoping that maybe you will mimic and hope that you will learn what “inside voices are.”

So, that is why we often go outside, just so that the shreeks don’t bounce around our walls and in our brains. But guess what? You get quiet then. You will yell and yell until we reach the door and then you zip those lips once we get outside. It’s like you are in pure owe it renders you speechless. You enjoy watching the birds and you listen for planes overhead. And, of course, pulling up bits of the new sod is just the best. Even when I put you on a blanket you pull the edges to you to reach the grass and feel it, pull it, and, sometimes, eat it. ha!

We weren’t sure if you would ever crawl since you only showed interest in walking around with us but you just started just the other day. Previously you would just twist and scoot on your butt, but now you are just starting to get the crawling movement down now. Uh -oh! time to really baby proof!!!

You’re still so teeny tiny! And yet you eat so much! You let it be well-known, by broadcasting it loudly, when you are hungry or when are you full. Thankfully, you are eager to try everything we give you from avocado to beans, pasta to tomatoes, and pancakes to quesadillas. You eat so much but you must burn it up as you are still 5th % for your weight, but at least it as held steady.

I love you so much my happy baby.

Love,

Mom