Dear Ana,
You are nine months old today. Nine months. You have officially been outside of my body as long as you were inside. How weird is that?

But I have to say, while it was mighty convenient having you inside, it is so much better having you out here where I can play with you. Sure, when I was pregnant my hands were always free and I didn’t have to worry about you rolling off the edge of the bed, but now I get to watch your eyes light up when I hand you something for the first time or listen to you laugh as I tickle under your chin. It is moments like those that are some of the most pure and wonderful parts of being a parent.

In the last month you have recently shown an interest in moving. You use to be fine to just sit in one place until someone came along and moved you, but not any more. Now you want to GO. Unfortunately you don’t quite possess the skills to actually crawl just yet. When you lay on your back you can push with your feet and slowly move forward. When you are on your tummy you try to push with your hands but just end up going backwards. Oh man does this frustrate you! So you have taken to doing anything you can to get around the whole “crawling thing” and decided just to move your focus to standing. You try to pull yourself up on just about every vertical surface. You are particularly fond of climbing couches as well as your mama. The other day I had my hair in braids and you decided to grab one in each hand and pull yourself up. Quite resourceful if you ask me.

You work so hard all day trying to learn how to move around, you even do it in your sleep! When I come get you in the morning I never know what kind of tangled, twisted mess I will find you in. You are always facing the opposite direction from where I left you and, more often than not, have your head wedged into one of the corners of the crib! Yep, you are officially my little wiggle monster.

So I know you have noticed both your top teeth are really coming in, because you have taken to biting and chewing on just about anything you can get your hands on. But what you probably didn’t notice is just how far apart those teethies are. There is quite a gap in the middle! I have seen that very same gap on your Aunt Darcie. Over Labor Day we took you to visit your Auntie and showed her your pearly whites. She wants you to know she is very sorry you got her teeth. And that sometimes genetics can be a real bitch.

While you were cutting those new teeth you kept getting a runny nose and you discovered you could make noise with your nose. You starting snorting. Now when you get really excited you smile big, scrunch up your nose, and snort. It is the silliest, cutest thing ever and it never fails to make me laugh.

Speaking of super cute baby tricks, you have started waving. It was kind of an accident really. I was across the room from you trying to get you to say “hi” and I happened to wave while I was doing it. Then all of a sudden you waved back at me! I was so excited I ran across the room to hug you and you waved the entire time. Now you don’t always wave on command, and you sometimes spontaneously wave at the cats or the television, but we can always count on you to wave at the baby in the mirror. Every time you see your reflection you get so excited you can’t help but wave.

Oh my little cutie patootie. I just love you so much. I love getting to know the little person you are becoming. I love that you know when your Daddy is home and watch the top of the stairs to greet him but then get shy and hide at the last second. I love when your burrow your face into my neck. I love when you throw yourself backwards on my bed and squeal with glee. I love that you laugh every time I try to get you to say “Mama.” I love how much you are excited by animals. Even the ones that are stuffed or in books. I am not so crazy about the fact that you cry when I leave the room, but I LOVE the fact that you wiggle with glee when I come back. And just know that no matter what, I always will.

All my love,
Mama

Dear Ana,
I am so excited because today you turn eight months old. Eight is my favorite number and I am hoping this will be my favorite month. I don’t think this will be hard to accomplish because each month with you quickly becomes my favorite. Getting to know you and watching your personality emerge has been the most amazing opportunity, one that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Your Grandpa Larry is always telling the story about how I teethed on jerky. Last week while we were camping your cousins decided to see if you would like to chew on the dried beef and gave you a piece. You gladly chewed and gummed away at the salty snack, much to the delight of your eager audience. Well, I guess you take after your mother in that respect so we can go ahead and make that our own little family tradition.

Also last week on our camping trip you and I were sitting on our air mattress with Grandma Nana when all of a sudden we heard the most awful, nails-on-the-chalkboard grinding noise. And it was coming from you! I couldn’t figure out what you could possibly have in your mouth to make such an awful noise. But Grandma Nana, being so wise in her motherly (and now grandmotherly) wisdom said that you must have cut another tooth. Sure enough, I peeked inside and discovered you have a new tooth on the top. Grinding your (three!) teeth together has become a great pastime for you. I keep telling you that you won’t have any teeth left at the rate you are going, but that doesn’t seem to phase you in the slightest.

Over the last month you have gotten very good at baby talk and will sit and jabber away for hours. Only recently have you actually started saying “words.” I use the term loosely because while you will say them on your own and even repeat them with prompting, you don’t associate them with anything. Much to your father’s delight, you have gotten very good at Dada. In fact you have a “Daddy Repertoire” consisting of Da da da da, Da-deee, and DAD. I capitalize Dad because that is how you say it. In a very serious, stern voice. It’s not “Dad” but “DAD.” And you just love to practice saying it. In fact the other day you said it while you were crying which just about broke your father’s heart. I’d say that you are doing very well at wrapping him around your finger. Keep up the good work, kiddo.

We have discovered that you have the sweetest disposition. When we read books together you always make me pause on the pages with people or animals while you lean in and gently kiss the page. Sure, the kisses are mostly just slow open-mouthed head-butts, but they are kisses nonetheless.

While you are gentle and sweet, you are also female so you are able to change your mood at the drop of a hat. You can be laughing, contently playing with a toy and without even missing a beat you start crying. I have always wondered why crying and laughing, for being such opposite reactions, sound so much alike. I assume it must be to facilitate you in going from one emotional extreme to the next.

You have also learned how to use your cries to communicate your want for things. Now most people would say cries come naturally, but these cries are anything but natural. They are just about the most fake, annoying cries you can make and you use them whenever you see something you want. But more often than that, you use them when we have taken something away from you. Your dad calls it your Don’t-Take-That-Away-From-Me cry, which pretty much sums it up.

Another lovely phase we are experiencing is separation anxiety. You have an extreme Mommy Attachment. Now this is totally naturally and to be expected, as I am with you all the time, but it has gotten to the point where you will cry if I walk out of the room for even a second. And you can forget about me letting someone else hold you. These are unforgivable offenses. Your father says “there is Mommy and then there is everyone else” because sometimes you won’t even let him hold you. You will cry and look towards the door to try and find me. This is all bittersweet for me, because while I love that you love and need me so much, occasionally I have to leave you. I mean, sometimes I really gotta pee!

Now I know a lot of this sounded pretty intense, and a non-parent would read this and decide they will never have children. But these are all just phases that prove you are learning, discovering, and developing. Also for every whine or cry, there are five times more smiles and giggles. And I would be completely lying if I didn’t say that every minute I spend with you is the happiest of my life.

All my love,
Mama