Letters to Ari...9 months old

Dear Ari,

I've found myself playing the "last year at this time" game.  Last year at this time, I was finishing off the school year very pregnant.  I was entering the summer dreaming of your arrival and finally being a mom.  Now here I am, school year is coming to a close and I am looking forward to spending the summer with you as you approach your first birthday.   You are one amazing, sweet, and inquisitive baby boy and I am having so much fun watching you grow, develop your personality, and learn new things. It definitely was very difficult taking your picture this month.  You didn't have time to sit still...definitely didn't have time to smile...and look at the camera, that was out of the question when you're outdoors.  All you want to do is look around at everything at sight, crawl around, and explore.

I think this is the one smile I got

Being photographed is hard work, time to rest on mommy

Go, go, go!

How am I supposed to get around this thing?

Look at the camera? No way, I have sticks to eat. 

Milestones/Special Firsts:

- You now have a total of 4 teeth! The top and bottom two in the middle.  The fifth will be sure to break through soon.  We haven't noticed you to be extra cranky, even with all the shifting of the teeth.  

- You started swim lessons this past month.  You absolutely love them! You are in a class on infants anywhere from 6 months up to 18 months old.  You get very excited and you are very independent in the pool.  Some of the skills you're practicing is getting used to being on your back, splashing, hanging on to the side of the pool, leaning forward to come into the water and into our arms, blowing bubbles, and you even went underwater for the first time last week.

  

Your first swim class

- You wave "hi" and "bye" now....all the time.  It usually takes you about 10 seconds to respond when someone waves to you.  For example, everyone will wave bye to you at daycare when we pick you up. You will look at everyone with this lil smirk on your face for the longest time.  Then we will start walking out the door and then you will decide you're ready to wave.  It's so cute.  

- You are very vocal now and starting to associate a few words with a few things & people.  You say mama, dada, hi, and uctwee (for Buckwheat).  It is the cutest thing in the world.  Buckwheat will come to say good morning to you and you will say "uctwee" over and and over while you giggle as he gives you his good morning kiss.  You also hang over the side of your high chair saying it as you look down at him. At first, I couldn't believe that you were actually saying that, but I was convinced when you said it anytime Buckwheat would enter the room.  

-You went overnight camping for the first time to celebrate Mother's Day! We went to Devil's Lake in Baraboo, WI.  We went hiking during the day and hung out around the campfire at night.  It was super chilly at night, but mommy kept you warm.  It was the perfect way to ring in my first mother's day.  

On the trail

 Hanging out with Uncle Aris 

Family shot

-You celebrated American Easter & Greek Easter for the first time.  I had such a fun time finding cute things for your Easter basket including your first soccer ball! You loved your new toys! 

 Trying to figure out what this basket is all about

Your first bunny 

Things You Like Right Now: 

- You still are loving the water, especially swimming and baths.  I think your nighttime bath before bed may just be one of your highlights of each day.  

- Showing affection! You love to give kisses, hugs, and lay your head down on our shoulders.  You will even crawl over to us and lay your head on our lap.  It is the sweetest thing ever.  Every time you lean in, on your own, for an open mouthed, slobbery, wet mockie I get teary eyed.  You are so full of love!

- FOOD! You are very demanding when you're hungry..you want your food and you want it now! Gloria at Milestones said you eat double what the other children eat.  You have quite a big appetite.  Your favorites right now are oranges, kiwi, bing cherries, watermelon, spaghetti & meatballs, and pastitso.  

- The thing that makes you the most happy right now is....Buckwheat.  You get so excited to see him in the morning and after school.  You screech, kick your legs, and bounce up and down.  The two of you are already the best of friends. 

Looking out the front door together

Things You Dislike Right Now:

- Something called, the norovirus.  My poor baby boy, mommy had it first and it probably was the sickest I have ever been.  I prayed and prayed that you wouldn't get it, but about three days later you woke up in the middle of the night throwing up.  Daddy stayed home with you the next day.  You didn't have an appetite and appreciated lots of extra snuggles.  By the next day you were feeling a lot better.  We sent you to school and in the afternoon you had a diarrhea blowout.  We were told we could not bring you back until you were diarrhea free for 24 hours.  We joke around now and say you were kicked out of daycare.  

- Waiting to have "milky".  I nurse you in the morning when you wake up and before bed.  I pump during the day at work and in the middle of the night so you can have mommy's milk while at school.  You know your routine well and when you want it...you want it.  We did our normal routine the other night...dinner, bath, pajamas...and what usually comes right after pajamas is nursing.  Well, I needed to put you down to change clothes and you cried so hard there wasn't any sound coming out of your mouth and you had a real hard time catching your breath.  In the morning, "milky" is the only thing on your mind and there really isn't getting anything done until you get it.  

-Being patient. Waiting for mommy or daddy to cut you more food is very painful for you. 

Your Dad:

Your dad really likes taking you to swim class.  The first time you went Daddy just went in the water with you and he was smiling ear to ear the whole time.  It's kind of become your "thing" with Daddy. I don't mind because I love watching the two of you together, enjoying the water.  Plus, I get to take lots of video & pictures! 

Daddy continues to wake up early each morning to prepare your lunches before school.  He really is the best - he makes you something fresh each morning and tries really hard to give you a variety of fruits & veggies. He takes so much pride in creating tasty and healthy meals for you each day. 

Daddy also takes you to school every morning.  He is so sweet...he makes a Vine video for mommy almost every morning so I can see you at daycare.  It makes my day!  We usually try to come together to pick you up, unless mommy has a meeting.  

 Daddy loves pulling you out of your car seat and having you stay sleeping on  his shoulder

 Hiking at Devil's Lake

You and Daddy at Lumberjack Days ...you can see how hard the two of you worked that day cutting wood?!?...ha!

Your Mom:

I think the most special part of this past month was celebrating my first Mother's Day with you. We were camping, which already makes it special because we are a family that loves the outdoors.  We went to bed that Saturday night (the night before Mother's Day) and it was much too cold to have you sleep in your pack-n-play, like you had the night before.  You were all bundled up and I let you sleep on my chest under the covers with me.  Believe me - you were as warm as could be...at one point I even felt you sweating a bit.  I, on the other hand, was freezing.  Because I had you on my chest, I couldn't snuggle up with Daddy like I usually do to stay warm.  Plus, I was worried about falling asleep and squishing you...so as it turns out, I seriously didn't sleep all night.  Dawn hit and you woke up right on your schedule..5:00 a.m.  I was pretty cranky at the time as I had not slept all night and was freezing.  Daddy took you out by the campfire and I curled up under the covers and finally got some sleep.  As I was lying there, I couldn't help but thinking...that was the most amazing way to spend the beginning of my mother's day.  I realized it was the epitome of being a mother ...putting your needs first, before my own.  I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.  I would do anything for you Aristaeus Jace.  You have made me the happiest I've ever been.  I always had your daddy and he was and still is the most wonderful man for me...but I didn't feel complete...our family was not complete... until we had you.  

An afternoon nap in our tent together

 Kisses from Mommy on Easter

Fun at the park

Love, 

Your Mommy

And more fun pics from this month:

 On the move, full of smiles

 Trying to convince me to buy you that chair at REI

 A warm day...at last!

 My first Mother's Day gift from you

Your new RayBans...bring on the summer!