How the Eighth Month Went

Dear Zachary,

I never used to pay much attention to the news. When I was in the sixth grade, I somehow got put into my last-place elective choice, Current Events, and barely earned a C because I couldn't be bothered to keep up with what was going on in the world. Also the only news source in the house was the Wall Street Journal, and I'm sorry, but an 11 year old, no matter how precocious of a reader, isn't going to be digesting much about the stock market. Now, though, it seems I can't help hearing about every single dangerous thing that could happen/has happened to babies, and stories about babies being killed, either accidentally or purposefully, seem to dominate my Facebook news feed (seriously, FB algorithms, you need to get out of my head). Those kinds of things never used to bother me much, but now I inevitably tear up when I read about that poor little ___-month-old who was ____ed so much that he ____ed.

Probably not a helpful thing to reread during this time: World War Z. Many of the stories in that book are heartrending stories (okay, I'm the only one whose heart is being rent) about parents and children, and although the logical T side of me knows that a zombie apocalypse is unlikely, I can't help but waver between 1) wondering if we should replace the sliding glass door in our bedroom with something more solid, 2) worrying that we don't have any axes or other tools that could be used to kill zombies, and 3) thinking that I really should always have at least half a tank of gas and a disaster preparedness kit in my car. Only the last one is a really productive thought. And in reading speculative fanfiction for WWZ, one link led to another and I ended up watching this short film, which reduced me to tears for minutes and stayed with me for a couple of weeks. I couldn't stop alternating between thinking about how I would do anything to keep you from harm, and worrying that I won't be strong enough to do what it takes if the time ever came.

I'm not really sure where I was going with all that, but let me end this month's letter by saying that man, that maternal drive to protect one's babies is strong! It's really hard for me to figure out where the fine line is between letting you crawl around and explore to your heart's content (and bonk your head more than a few times in the process) and holding you back so that you don't get hurt...but then I'm pretty sure that's a lifelong struggle for parents. Here's to hoping I get that balance more or less right in the years to come!

love,
Mommy

This month's updates were written by Daddy:

New this month:

In all the pictures in the previous months, you were simply sitting still or staying put and very content with doing so. How much has changed in the past month as you have begun to not only worm forward but also crawl around like an Olympic crawl sprinter! In the span of two weeks, you decided to transition from being stuck on all fours to sitting up from that position and then crawling in all sorts of directions. This leads to all sorts of problems with naps and sleeping as you want to practice crawling all the time, any chance you get. Because you've gone mobile, we can no longer just leave you in the activity center or on your blanket on your own. We turn to do something for five seconds and you're already halfway across the room looking for trouble.

Two days after you decided to crawl around, you decide to step it up another notch and begin to pull yourself up to try and stand on everything. From our legs to couch cushions, nothing is off limits for you to try and stand. You've even tried to pull yourself up using things that are either too short or too flimsy to support you (this includes a pair of jeans, your toy box, a paper bag, and floor pillows). You even try to stand up in your crib after we put you down. Our only hope is that you tire yourself out after realizing that there's nothing to hold onto.

Fun things you like to do now that you're mobile: 

• Sit up after you've decided to change directions when something else is going on 
• When you see an Apple device, you immediately begin to sprint crawl to wherever it is 
• Try and touch the wall heater when you get into the hallway (responsible adults who are reading this: don't worry, it's been shut off) 
• Pull up to stand using boxes and pretending like you're a bartender 
• Crawl to where you're not supposed to be to grab things you're not supposed to touch, e.g. to the bathroom to touch the trashcan full of used q-tips and floss, to the closet to suck on Daddy's sweaters, to the kitchen to lick flip-flops or tip over the graywater bucket...thankfully you haven't discovered Walnut's litter box yet. 

"What can I say? I aim to misbehave, after all!"

Food:

We are so glad that we decided to go with baby-led weaning, as it makes things so much easier. You've done an amazing job of learning to pick up even tiny pieces of food (blueberries, puffs, rice) and depositing it into your tiny mouth. Your progress has been amazing and you've progressed from when we started in early April with simple foods such as soft apples and pears, to now eating fish cake and bulgogi with us at the Korean restaurant, naan and saag and dal at the Indian restaurant, and homemade gnocchi. This has made eating out so much more enjoyable as a family activity and you love to be included in the festivities. All this eating has also made your BMs a lot more regular with an average of three huge poops per day.

Teeth: 

I'm sorry your teeth have to come in. It's a part of life and it sucks. I wish you were born with a full set of teeth so you didn't have to deal with this pain and itchy gums (Mommy inserts here that she is glad that you weren't born with a full set of teeth). Actually, your first three teeth didn't seem to bother you much, leading to us thinking that this whole teething thing was no big deal, but we seem to be making up for it with this fourth tooth, which has been sprouting with a vengeance. Sadly, it's been keeping you up at night and making you extra chompy while nursing. We hope that the rest of your teeth aren't like this.

Look at those two tiny bottom teeth!

Likes:

• Avocado (you can pound half an avocado + other foods in one meal) and blueberries (such fantastic hand-eye coordination already!), plus the old standby of corn on the cob.
• Making a mess with your food and pounding the high chair when the service isn't fast enough: the messiest foods are definitely avocado, sweet potato, peanut butter, and corn. 
• Moving anywhere: see above. 
• Being thrown up into the air: this is getting harder and harder, though, as you get heavier. We are pleased to announce that all that avocado has finally gotten your weight increasing again and you are now a pleasant twenty pound kettlebell. 

• Destroying towers of blocks or cups: nothing is allowed to stand tall. If it's stacked, it personally offends you and you must go knock it down.
• Your big brother Walnut: whenever you see him, you want to crawl over and grab his fur (Walnut does not like you as much as you like him), his toys are way more fun than yours (you are more interested in his catnip ball than he is), and when he jumps up onto his cat tree you laugh like crazy.   

• Dancing to the Sandra Boynton songs, especially Barnyard Dance and The Bunny Rabbit Show. You make this fantastic face with a huge open smile frozen in place. 
• Making loud noises: whether by banging on the piano, banging on boxes, or whacking those plastic air bags that come in Amazon boxes, the louder it is the better! Thankfully you have not yet discovered the power of your lungs. 

Your box of blankets makes an excellent drum. 

Dislikes:

• Leftovers! Like your daddy, you are not about eating a food after two meals of it. Your mommy went to all the trouble of making a bunch of banana pancakes and meatballs for you for easy meals, but you won't have anything to do with it. Of course, that's Murphy's Law at work. Our meals, though -- those are always interesting! 

I can't have your food?? Whyyyy are you so cruuuuellllll?

• Staying in one place (and this includes your carseat now): you have the patience for about a 15 minute car ride now, after which if you aren't asleep or out, you start screaming 
• Any kind of personal grooming: getting your daggers-for-fingernails clipped, lotion put on post-bath, and let's not even talk about wiping your face after a meal - trying to get you to hold still is one of the hardest things in the world. It's like performing surgery on a turbulent plane.

"Put on a diaper? No way...I'm outta here!"