Letter to my Little Bear

Well, Bear, it's that time again.

Another month has rolled around, and we've just passed your 8-month day. It always sneaks up on me. We just have so much fun that time flies right on by. 

You're doing some really funny things these days. One of my favorite things you're doing is experimenting with different sounds. It cracks me up! Yayaya...dadada...gagaga...mamama. It's especially funny when you're crying/fussing and throw in random sounds. It doesn't seem to help your mood, though, when I giggle at you while you're so frustrated. Sorry about that. #momfail.

You said your first word last week (right before you turned 8 months)! At first, I kind of thought you were just babbling, but you did it twice. You saw a picture of Daddy on my phone, you reached for him, and you said, "Dada." And then you did it again. It was sad that he wasn't here to hear it...and you haven't done it for him since. Cut the guy some slack, Bear. 

You still aren't showing any interest in mobility, but that's ok. Sitting up is mastered, but your anatomy is your nemesis: your head is in the 94% for size, so you have to fight gravity in order to stay upright. It's a frustration to you. I feel for ya. I do.

Eating is still a favorite. Apples still win as your most favorite. Your food repertoire is continuing to expand, and I'm very proud of you! Just today, you tried spinach for the first time. Without complaint! You go, girl.

We took a trip to Orlando a few weeks ago and met up with Nana, Poppy, and Bo at Universal. You had a blast! And were so very good. I was very proud. You also won the hearts of all of our fellow travelers on our flights. Woo! Way to be such a big girl. You really thrive in social settings, so being surrounded by so many people as your audience makes you so happy and cheerful

You're still a toy minimalist, which works fine for us (we don't have tons of room for too many toys). The current toys on rotation are: a minky made by Gran, a chain of those ubiquitous baby rings, a soft crinkle book from Nana, a pair of rattle socks from Auntie, and a few stuffed animals that we trade out periodically. I recently introduced you to a jingly ball, and you've been having a big time with that. You love to play with tags on anything. It's amazing how long you can entertain yourself with tags. We're still reading books. You love them, and I love that you love them. 

We still think you're getting cuter and awesomer all the time. You're the best bear that there ever was.

Kisses. The dry kind...not the slobbery kind that you've been bestowing upon us (although we love them from you).

Week 31

"Hey...what are you doing here?"

"Mom, did you know this matroshka has been sitting in on my photo shoots?"

Week 32

"You're still here, I see."

Week 33

"Excuse me, but this is my show."

"Seriously, matroshka. I got this. Nobody likes a spotlight hog."

Week 34/8 months

This is my sweet face.

I'm coming to get you!

And...Mrs. Tidwell came to town!

Allow me to apologize for the lack of pictures for this post. It's shameful, really. It's, apparently, not my strongest area as a blogging mom. Also, this post is two months overdue. Yeah... 

Anyway, one of my favorite people, Mrs. Tidwell, made a point to come to Boston for a day trip in August! She was up in our neck of the woods, visiting with family, so she hopped on a bus and traveled through three states before 10:00 am in order to meet up with us in Boston. Sidenote: It still blows my mind how tiny and close all of these New England states are. Seriously. You can be in New Hampshire in an hour and in Maine about 10 minutes after that. Rhode Island is 45 minutes from here. Crazy.

Firstly, Bear and Mrs. Tidwell got to meet. It was a joyous time for Bearsy. Although, she showed her joy by making a mess all over the outfit I'd put her in (incidentally, an outfit given to her by Mrs. Tidwell) approximately 2 minutes after meeting our guest. The best laid plans, y'all. The bumble bee outfit that she's wearing in the two (2) pictures I have of them (what is wrong with me??) was the back up outfit. 

I met Mrs. Tidwell when I was 15 years old. We (along with her son, Ben, who became one of my best friends through high school, Senegal, and college...you can find the link to Ben's and Molly's- his wife- blog on my sidebar) met on a mission trip to Brazil. We've all been friends ever since. 

It was so fun to show her around our Hobbit Hole, visit our beloved Boloco for lunch, walk around the reservoir, and show her Boston College. It was a bummer that it was really warm that day, but there's only so much I can control. 

We love having friends and family come to see our new home. Somehow, when we have our loved ones here, it feels less like we live at the other end of the country (going north to south, obviously). 

Thank you for making time to see us, Mrs. Tidwell! We love you!

Uncle Tim visits Bearsy

Dear readers of Mommy's blog,

I'm supposed to be napping, but I'm not. Mommy is very busy doing things. I don't know what she does. I don't think she does, either, because when Daddy gets home after work, she always tells him that she knows she's been busy all day but can't remember what she's done. She should probably take notes so she can remember.

Remember that one time my Aunt Rachael came to visit and I told you all about it? Well, this time, I'm telling you about when my Uncle Tim came to visit! I love Uncle Tim. He's my only uncle (besides Uncle Karl...but I don't share DNA with Uncle Karl.), so I had to make sure that he had a good time.

This is Uncle Tim.

He had already been to my Boston before, so I didn't take him on very many tours. We went to Cambridge, and I showed him Harvard and the Curious George store. I don't know for sure, but I think he liked George better than Harvard. It's much more interesting and colorful in there with George. I don't know why everyone wants to see Harvard so much. Boston College is better.

Mommy and Daddy took Uncle Tim and me to the RMV. Mommy says that normal states call the RMV the DMV, but Massachusetts is a silly state and has to be different. Mommy and Daddy did not look like they were having fun getting new drivers' licenses, but I had a blast hanging out with Uncle Tim! We'd talked while I sat in my stroller.

We played mirror games. Those are my favorite!

He and Mommy and Daddy played some games at home, like Dominion and Ticket to Ride. I'm too little to play, but I think they had fun. Well, mostly. Mommy says that playing games with the Boswell boys makes her feel very tired and unintelligent. I don't know what that means, but I think I want to be on the Boswell boys' team. They seem to win a lot. Sorry, Mommy.

We had a little trouble getting a picture of the three of us...

And! I got Uncle Tim to watch some Duck Dynasty with me! The Duckmen are my FAVORITE! I love introducing my tv friends to my real friends. Oh, and Mommy just told me to ask you not to judge her for letting me watch the Duckmen. Why would you do that? Don't you love them, too? I thought everyone loved the Duckmen... Come visit me and I'll show you!

I love you, Uncle Tim! I'll see you at Thanksgiving! I hope we can find some mirrors to play in. 

Love, 

Claire Bear