Dear Henry: Month Nine

Dear Unhappiest Henry -

This past month was a doozy. You can read all about the misery over here, but suffice to say you had a very, very rough month. Which, suffice to say, I had a very, very rough month. But enough about the misery! 

There is more to this month than your multiple ear infections, slow and painful teething of four teeth and bouts of constipation!

I wrote in my last letter that you were really hitting the gas pedal on your growth. You didn’t slow down at all this month. You are now crawling on all fours most of the time (sometimes army crawling just feels faster to you), cruising around furniture and pulling yourself up on anything you can reach. 

You continue to find ways to communicate. When I take something you want badly but aren’t supposed to have (like the dog food), you let me know in no uncertain terms that you are displeased with me. And when you are excited to see someone, you start waving your arms and kicking your legs — the joy just exploding out of you. 

You love going outside. Any time you hear the front door open, you make a beeline for it, just hoping someone will take you out. And you’ll sit at the back door just watching the world go by for minutes (which is like hours in baby time.) I’d take you out more often if you’d just stop trying to eat acorns. 

Your love for your sisters hasn’t slowed down either. You have started waving goodbye to them in the mornings and are SO excited when they get home each day. The feeling is very mutual. Although they have expressed a frustration or two when you want to mess with their stuff. I imagine that dynamic will only grow as you do. 

It’s also been fun to watch you start playing independently. Well sorta independently. Your Grandma called you Captain Destructo once and the name is fitting! I will set up up toys around the room and you make your way from toy to toy, taking it apart or dumping it out or generally just making a mess of things. When I really need to distract you, I’ll ask someone to play the marker game with you. This is how you play: They hand you a bucket of markers, you dump it out. They put them back in. You dump it out. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. If only it would always be so easy to entertain you! 

Although this month hasn’t been what I’d call “fun,” I’m glad to have spent it with you. I’m glad that if nothing else, you felt how much I love you. In every gentle shush, pat and bounce, my love was jumping from my heart to yours. In every middle-of-the-night rocking session, in every back rub and kiss on the head, my love was enveloping your miserable little body. No matter what, and I mean no matter what — no mistake, no illness, no bad choice will ever stop me loving you. My love for you grows every single second and it will continue from now to the end of our days. 

Love you so much, dear son of mine. 

Mama