Three quarters.

 

Dear Jack,

 

Hey there, big boy! It has been another fun month with you! Sadly, you spent half of it under the weather (a fever on Christmas Eve/Day that morphed into a terrible cold & then a solid week of unexplained throwing up multiple times a day...no fun for any of us!!) But you've grown in so many ways despite all of that. After losing a pound while sick, you ended the month at 24 lbs 7 oz. You're 30 inches long, putting you in the 98th percentile for both height and weight (no surprise there!) Although you adore eating real food, you're still drinking 4 bottles a day - we are so grateful that you have always been so accepting of formula. Though your sleep patterns were rocky during your illness, we've ended this month with much better nights & naps. You always sleep on your belly with your hands at your sides - so sweet! The bad habits we developed of bringing you to our bed in the wee hours of the night, rocking you to sleep, & holding you through naps are slowing vanishing. We've established a new bedtime routine for you that includes books on the couch, a few songs in your rocking chair, & then putting you in bed awake - while you're not totally on board with it yet, you're making serious progress! Here are a few things you love (and don't seem to love so much) this month:

 

Favorites

Table food - All month long, we've been introducing you to lots of new foods. Buddy, you haven't met a food you don't like! You are in love! Any time we're in the kitchen, you crawl in & whine until we give you something to eat. You get so, so excited when we start carrying you over to your high chair because you know you'll get to eat! You join us at the table for each meal, smiling your way through your siblings' prayers & happily accepting any little bites we're willing to pass your way. Some of your favorites include: pancakes/waffles, peas, broccoli, blueberries, peaches, Cheerios, & toast. The pediatrician gave us the go-ahead to let you try (almost) anything, so this month will be fun for you!

The playroom - Any chance you get, you crawl right on into the playroom with your siblings. Their toys are just more exciting, plus you love being near them! You usually head straight to Joe's cars or the big Lego bin.

Itsy Bitsy Spider - This has long been one of your favorite songs. Your cute little smile gets even brighter when we start to sing this song with you. You haven't mastered the motions yet, but you love when we help you do them.

Being outside - You're a big fan of being outside. You seem very calm out there, even with the cold weather we've had. You especially love to swing on our playground! Considering you should be walking by then, this Spring will be a blast for you!

Not-so-favorites
Socks - You've developed a very annoying habit of pulling your socks off and eating them. We are constantly trying to find your socks so your piggies aren't cold! And, when we do find them, they're usually wet. Unfortunately, we've got several cold months left, so this is going to be a game we play for a while.
Being left out - You're pretty obsessed with your siblings, so it's not surprising to us that you get very sad when you don't get to do something with them. For example, you often cry when they get out of the van at preschool. You threw your first full-blown tantrum this month! Mommy let the big kids go out in the backyard to play on a warmer day (warmer being about 40 degrees.) It was just a little too cold for you, so we stayed inside & watched them out the back windows. Oh boy, you were mad you didn't get to play, too! You would look out the window & start bawling, then get distracted by a toy & calm down, then look outside & start crying again. After a while, you just stood at the window crying, nose pressed up against the glass. You hate missing all the fun!
Diaper changes - You are the ultimate wiggle worm during diaper changes now! Phew! It's such a battle to get you changed.

We're so proud of how smart & independent you are. You will happily play by yourself for a long time, crawling around & exploring. You're getting braver every day, conquering milestones like climbing stairs and cruising along furniture (seriously, kid, when did you get so old?!) We can't even believe that the next milestone you'll meet is walking!! You started saying "Mama" this month, & it's the sweetest sound in the world! You still love your Mama somethin' fierce, but your bond with Daddy is getting stronger every day. You light up when he gets home from work (& get pretty vocal if he doesn't come say hello to you right away!)

Everything about you is precious, from the way you cuddle up to us on the couch to the way you shyly bury your head in Mommy's shoulder around strangers. You are by far the calmest of our kids (for now!) You are the absolute sweetest little guy & our love for you is overwhelming!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy