Nico: 8 months

Dear Nico,

Happy 8 months! 

You are such a happy little guy.  Your smile is frequent, and infectious. You make everyone happy with that beam!  You are discovering new things every day. It is so fun to watch you. You, in turn, love watching us. You learn so much from your sister and brother.  You are by far the most active baby we've had.  It is most likely due to the fact that you  have older siblings that take what they want and ignore you, and the fact that your parents are often too busy to respond quickly to your needs. In other words, you're on your own. (not really!)

You are thisclose to crawling. This evening, I set you down in the kitchen while I fixed some bottles.  I saw you move from a sitting position to all fours, and then saw you make two distinct forward movements (and I panicked, and thought, "I didn't see that."). Suddenly, I felt a tug on my pajama pants, and I looked down to see you smiling up at me. (I won't call it....yet. I don't want to call it....yet....not until you are very mobile.)  

Lately, you have been consistently napping once a day. This is because I've been diligent about being home by 10 AM in order to get you down for a nap.  You will sleep for about 2 hours, and then you are up for the rest of the day.  (Now that I've documented this nap, it will no longer happen.)

The other night, I put you in the bath (sink) and you were fascinated with the flow of water. You kept trying to grab it. When it rushed through your one hand, you would switch hands. And then you just stared, transfixed.  I loved watching this discovery. 

Your father went to Germany last week. When he returned and kissed you hello, you gave him the biggest smile. He said, "Hello, my little Gummi Bear!"  And I thought, "What a great name," because you have such a lovely, gummy grin (and because Gummi Bears are my fav!).

Happy 8 months, "Gummi Bear."

Love,

Mommy

xo