All About A Boy

A letter to my son.

Dear Riley,

You are just over 7 1/2 months old. Back in August, I was so overjoyed to find out I'd had a son. I feel so blessed to be able to experience raising both a daughter and a son. Your big sister, Sophia, is about 4 1/2 years old, and she just adores you. It's been so fun to think back to when she was your age and compare the things she was doing with the things you are doing. Even at this early age, we can see how different GOD's creation of boys and girls are.

Mommy had to remove the bumper from your crib a couple of months ago because you were constantly pulling at it and trying to get it down/off. I don't remember your sister ever even touching it! When you are in your car seat you are forever playing with the visor. If it is up to shield your eyes from the sun, you will inevitably pull/kick it down. I've even caught you pulling it down to your mouth so you could chew on it! Again - I don't think Sophia ever touched that visor. You are so very active and I think you may be a kid who enjoys taking things apart to figure out how they work.

Right now you still enjoy nursing four times a day and sometimes once in the night. You take two really great naps every day and sleep from about 7 pm to 7 am. You are always happy, even when you're sleepy or sick. Your smile is always beaming and your giggles are like medicine. You are just over 18 lbs, which means you are double your birth weight. You measure just over 27 inches long. You are between size 9 mos. and 12 mos. in clothing right now, mostly needing the length of the 12 mos. You have huge, adorable cheeks, but no rolls. You are built, solid and strong.

You started rolling like crazy around 5 months and have been working on crawling ever since. A couple of weeks ago you mastered getting to where you wanted by combining your rolling with a version of an army crawl. This week you started really crawling well, and forward! Well, today you found your wings and there has been no stopping you! You get where you want, and you get there fast. You especially like crawling to the spinning office chair our laptop sits on. You like looking at/chewing on, the underside of the chair. Mommy has to get after you for pulling on the power cord. I fear some finger flicks may have to start soon.

Yesterday, just as you were becoming an expert crawler, what do you do? You start pulling yourself up on furniture to stand! You do this in your crib too. Today you took steps forward with me holding your hands. I think you just might sail past crawling and start walking! We'll see.

Currently, you have two teeth. You enjoy eating your pureed food at mealtime. I imagine you'll be getting finger food before too long.

My favorite moments with you are when you're nursing. You love to play with my lips and tug on my hair. When you fall asleep in my arms and look so at peace, Mommy just feels so loved and special.

I love how much you adore your Daddy. You look for him when he's gone and get so excited when he comes home. He's your nighttime cuddler if you wake up and need help falling back to sleep. I hear you often listen to music with him during these wee hours on his iPOD.

I also love how you adore your big sister. She loves to cuddle you and play with you and hold you. Sometimes, since she's four and all, it's a little rough. But you never seem to mind. You just smile up at her and take it all in! She has never been able to keep her hands off of you since you arrived and begs to hold you many times a day. You are well-loved by her.

I pray each day that Jesus will captivate your heart and that you would grow up to be a godly man. I trust you in the arms of Jesus and thank Him so often for the gift that you are. He took your twin, Jeremiah, to live with Him in Heaven, but He's allowing me to have you, and for that I am forever grateful.

I love you my boy.

Mommy

Oh, did I tell you? You love socks too. Not just pulling off your own socks to chew on them and then your toes, but apparently your poor, innocent cousin's socks are up for grabs too. :)