Precious little light

Sweet little Linus, you are wonderful. You are full of energy. You are strong and determined. You are filled with love for your big brother. For your Dad. And, for me. I see it in your eyes, little one. I feel it in your snuggles. I know it in your laughter and smiles and it is so very sweet.

You have been eating solids this past month and do so like a champ. You've had: avocado, zucchini (green and yellow), sweet potato, banana, peaches, carrots, apple, pear, peas, green beans, toast, rice crackers, puffs, rice, and oatmeal. You seem to enjoy all the different foods I present you and the ones that you are either A) bored with or B) not interested in, you just toss aside to the floor for Lily to snack on. Honestly, I think you just like feeding Lily. 

Speaking of Lily, you really like her. You will crawl after her from one end of the apartment to the other. She makes you laugh. You think she's pretty funny. You like grabbing her hair and looking at her face. When she barks, you squeal. When you see her come close to you, you smile. Your sweet, sweet smile.

A smile that goes on for days. You have the sweetest dimples that aren't as indented only because you have filled in a little. But, they are still there. The dimples, that when coupled with your mostly gummy smile, is absolutely infectious and can turn a crummy attitude, bright-side up real quick.

A sweet gummy smile that you share every time your brother and I go into get you once you've waken from nap time. You light up when I walk in the room and smile even bigger when your  brother walks in. You smile in the mornings when you wake which makes waking up a little easier on this sleepy-mama. You are napping twice a day for a good 3-4 hours and sleeping (with 2-4 night nursings, which I'm mostly able to now sleep through since we're bed sharing) from 8:30 PM till about 7:30/8:30 AM most nights. The teeth that have presented in your sweet gummy smile mentioned earlier have everything to do with the whole most nights part.

So you are now mostly gummy because you now have your two bottom teeth. Those little pearly bandits that have stolen our sleep. Aside from the discomfort they give you (which I hate when you feel any pain!), they are pretty cute. Parts of me feel like you are still my little 3 or 4 month old baby boy because you only have two teeth right now (and because time seems to disappear when the sleeping is little). I know babies get teeth at different rates, but your big brother had a good 6 teeth (maybe more) by this time. So based on experience, it's hard to remember that you, my little sweet, are not my itty-bitty baby anymore.

Although, when I snuggle you up to nurse, all I see is my itty-bitty baby. Nursing is going so well! We had so many trouble the first 3-4 months (with big brother, nursing troubles subsided around month 3). Our troubles were different. Not only did we deal with thrush in the first two months (like with big brother), but mama's body decided to couple that trouble with an overactive let down which put us a couple months out till we really figured out how it was all going to work for us. All I know now is that those challenging months seem so far away. You nurse beautifully and sweetly and all things your personality. You bat at my hair and gently touch my face while looking into my eyes while my body nourishes your sweet self. You also turn into quite the acrobat and observer wanting to know and see everything going on near and far. I look forward to our time together and am so incredibly blessed by our nursing relationship. Even the acrobatic side that you and your growing self have been keen on as of late.

Yes, you have grown, Linus! And, not only are you longer and heavier, but you are crawling. Not just army-crawling, either. You're the real deal on all fours! You have been crawling all over the place this month. You are fast, quick, and speedy! You like crawling/climbing over things, especially your big brother and Dada. And, not only are you crawling, but you are pulling up to prop yourself on your knees. The last day of your seventh month you decided this would be a good idea. Are you really 8 months already?!

You're a big 8 months who loves to hang out in our maya sling. You do great at Mass sharing smiles and sweet eyes to those around. You also try and sneak in a hair-grab at your brother or Dada. Their heads seem to be much more fun than mine and I am quite alright with that. You also randomly decide that squealing and squawking along with prayer during Mass are how things should be. So, every once in awhile we do the little walk up the aisle and then come right back to enjoy the gift of Mass more up-close. During evening family prayer time you love to sit sweetly with your Dada. This makes my heart happy.

You make my heart happy little one. I can't imagine our little family without you. God was so good to share your precious little light with us. We love you. We love you so much. We love how you love us and are constantly teaching us how to love better and more like Him. You are good, sweet boy. And, we are grateful.

Happy 8 Months, sweet Linus!

i love you with all that i am,

mama