Baby Bruiser: Letter to My 11 Month Old

My sweet Sebastian,

So – how does it feel to be just a few weeks shy of turning one? If you ask me, I’m still in denial. ONE! And since you are our last baby, watching you grow out of your baby days pulls on my heart strings quite a bit. But, since you are still techincally a baby, lets review how you’ve been spending your days lately…

You are quite the mover, young man. You are ALWAYS moving and walking and falling….obviously. It is insanity, I tell you! You are never more than a few feet from me, but you always manage to fall flat on your face into a pile of rocks or some other sharp, hard object. This month we finally fitted you and started to put shoes on you, so you’ve been quite wobbly getting used to the new kicks. And this is the result. Your Dad was not happy about it, but… there wasn’t much I could do about it since I have a ten month old walking (and nearly running!). Bumps and bruises are likely to happen.

At your age, Alina was so still and pensive. I could take the most amazing photos of her, pretty much anywhere. But with you, my crazy kid, I have to carral you into the crib just to see your beautiful face. You don’t still very long, and I end up photographing the top of your head or your back as you run away from me. It’s pretty funny, actually… I also love that there is no point in comparing you with your sister, since you two are just so fundamentally different. Even still, you two love each other super hard core. Watching your love for her grow is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

You are a big boy, weighing in at almost 24 pounds and 30 inches tall (75% each) and VERY strong. You wear a size 12 months in clothes and size 4 in diapers. I started working on a Pull Ups campaign recently where I got to ask my potty training questions to a doctor. I learned a lot and am almost as excited to start potty training as I am to pay our bills – which is not at all. I am happy we are still a long ways off from that.

Everyday you find your voice more. I love watching your eyes light up when you figure out how to communicate; it was definitely my favorite part of watching Alina grow. Your little mouth babbles something, we repeat it, making our best guess as to what you want, and when we get it right? You are so happy! You now say mama, dada, mas (more in Spanish) and when you hear the dogs bark, you make the sweetest sound, “oogie, oogie, oogie“. We are also teaching you a few words in sign language. We did this with Alina, and I am happy that you picking up the words too. You’ve been signing leche (milk in Spanish) for awhile, and can now swing your hands about to mean all done.

My little boy, you are loved. By so many, but by me especially. This past month has been an interesting one; sometimes I would wonder if you even cared if I was around. I know it sounds silly, but I wondered if you loved me. You are SO happy to see your Dad come home every night, and I’ll admit, it made me a bit jealous. So silly, right? Anyway, something happened right before you turned 11 months, and now you just cannot get enough of your mama. Oh Sebastian, is the beginnings of the mama’s boy that I always dreamed of? I hope so! Because having your little baby boy arms wrap around me is maybe the most amazing feeling I’ve ever felt.

I promise to nurture that relationship, to stand by your side and not favor in my love for you. I will love you today and tomorrow and for all my days after.

Te quiero por siempre y despues de siempre,

Su Mama