Dear Hunter

Dear Hunter @ 12 months

June 7, 2018

June, 2018

Dear Hunter,

Happy Birthday!!!

I really can’t believe that you are 1 year old now.

There are moments in life that I know I will never forget, and the moment when they told us you were a boy and when I saw you, is one of them. “It’s a boy!” We really couldn’t wait for them to show you to us from behind the curtain, so we asked. It was just so exciting in the moment. Then I got to see you, and it all fell into place. You were meant to be, and meant to be in our family.

You have really been a easy, happy, joyful little boy. There have been few difficulties or moments when you were really fussy or unhappy. Of course, when you you were in daycare you were often sick but you never seemed to unhappy. Ah, my poor sick coughing boy!

Staying home with you and your sister has meant that our pockets are pretty lean, but I wouldn’t trade that in for anything right now. The every day with you really routine, but really is quite magical. I love seeing your personality develop and get to play with you and your sister. You find it hilarious to throw things

I am really proud of the fact that we have reached a year on our breastfeeding journey. After having so many struggles with your sister, I was really happy to have such an easy experience with you. The beginning was quite painful at times, but once that period passed it was quite a breeze. You still are nursing during the day, before bed, and 1x during the middle of the night, so I’ll take it upon you to let me know when you are ready to wean.

Overall, it really feels like this year has flown by way too fast. From swaddling you to get you to sleep, to just holding you on my left side and patting your back with my right hand to get you mellow out enough to rest your head on my shoulder. Or propping you up on the sofa for your monthly picture to reminding you to not try to climb over the back of it!

Throwing something is your favorite thing to do, even if it means you wack me in the face with a book. You don’t mean it to hurt, but throwing everything around is just the funnest thing ever. Dropping things from our second floor on the stairs below is also hilarious.

You still just have 2 teeth, but you make great work of all of the food you eat with them. Blueberries, banana, guac, and steak, but you’ll happily eat anything. Doing baby led weaning with you, and your sister, was the best for you guys. We love that you are so eager to eat, especially blueberries- you grunt and reach out when for them like they are the best things on earth.

One of my favorite things you do is say “hi” while you hold my phone to your ear. It’s the cutest thing! I love the voice you do while you say it- so soft and sweet.

We keep wondering when you will walk since you prefer to crawl and stand. Actually, it’s more like a football bear crawl since we got the carpet taken out of the first floor. You are so strong and fast as you crawl around and then pop up to stand and then trow something from there.

I love that the little things bring you such joy, and I am there to be able to see it.

It’s obvious to say that, I am really looking forward to seeing how you grow and develop in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

I love you.

Love, Mommy

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

Dear Hunter 8 months
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