How to - really enjoy your freedom

If you ever get asked how you prefer to spend your free time, I hope you respond "in the nude." That right, you have learned to take advantage of your so-called freedom. Diaper changes have turned into "lets see how quickly I can escape, and enjoy myself."

Here you are demonstrating a standard escape, and notice that you have wires in hand to play with?

Love, momma

Baby Babbles

(Trust me, I was as excited as you!)

Momma, being the stereotypical first time mother that she was, read lots of books before her little baby Gage came around. I learned how to get you to sleep good. I learned sign language. Did you know that at 24 weeks you were the size of a mango?

Lots of book, lots of theories, and most of them encouraged babbling with babies. You know, the coos, and goos. Even the occasional dada, baba. These sounds were supposed to make you smart. They were easy to say, and great practice for your developmental growth.

Well those are great sounds n’ all, but momma was determined to get you to say something else first. We practiced a far harder letter. We went straight for M. Hours and hours of “mama”. I thought that after months of saying my own name, it would have to be your first word. It was supposed to be inevitable.

Today it paid off.

That’s right. I caught you saying this verbatim, “ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma.” I loved every second of it. Whether you know what you are saying or not, is not what matters. Rather, the fact that you can make those noises, which could possibly lead to you actually saying Mama is what care about. Sorry Nana, I know you were hoping it would be you first, but I guess I beat you to the punch!

Love, momma

dear gage

Oh Gage, you are just the cutest little man ever. Your mom tries to tell me differently, but I'm convinced that I'm the only person who instantly makes you smile. Just the sight of me lights you up. More or less. I made a bracelet for you when you were a wee little one and you are just getting too chunky now. That one hasn't fit for quite a while, so now you get a new one in "boy colors" just like mom requested. Dark blue, light blue, and off-white. What's more boyish than that, right? I haven't gotten to see you in a while. Hopefully I'll get to see you all day long on Saturday. Hopefully you will start to recognize me again and I'll be back in the circle of your favorite people ever. You know what makes you laugh a lot? When I growl at you. Never fail. I growl and you giggle. I wouldn't quite call it a growl though. I normally call it my demon voice. I say "Gage" in a really throaty growling voice and you love it. Your mom says you growl a lot. I wonder if I had the tiniest little influence on that? I hope so.

When you get old enough I'm going to teach you to play mancala. That's my favorite board game and you'll become a pro. It's an Asian game so you know it has to be good for your brain. I'll teach you chess too, because that's a game that everyone should know how to play. Only a few more years until you'll be able to play... I can't wait! I'm even more anxious to hear you say words though. You little goobermeister.

Love you little man,
Aunt Amanda

Your Sensitive Side

I hope you turn out exactly like your dad.

Did you know your daddy lets his emotions get the best of him? Momma can’t think of a single movie he hasn’t cried in. This intense sense of emotion also extends to TV shows, or the occasional commercial. Yes, at times, it does make me feel heartless when the man sitting next to me is crying and I am not, but I love it.

I hope this for you.

I also hope that on the millionth time your wife find you crying in such a situation, that you continue to deny it, even if she see the tears as you wipe them away. I think she will just adore your sensitive side.

Love, momma

Curiosity getting the better of you

Do you know what the first thing I noticed about you when you were a baby? Those curly toes of yours. Those perfectly small, wiggly toes. They were so small. So fragile. Soft. I loved kissing them. Toes, of all thing, were the first thing I noticed. They alone made me fall in love with you. And then I discovered your teeny tiny hands. I fell in love all over again. Your precious hands that you insisted keeping near your face. Those perfect hands that loved to touch my face. You were prefect, everything about you was perfect.

And then you learned to use those precious little phalanges ….

You extend your reach by putting all of your force onto those tiny toes. You tip-toe around my coffee table just so you can get a centimeter closer to a not so edible object. You spread those fingers with every hope to grab something that comes along your way. You delicately pick up sharp objects that momma didn’t even know she had in her house.

Your curiosity has gotten the best of you, and your phalanges have only added to the problem….

That’s right. You have learned to use those precious little fingers and toes that I love so much, to get into some pretty nasty situations.

love, momma