Letters to Joseph-January

Dear Joseph:

January 2007

One of your favorite things to do now is have your pants and/or diapers taken off and to grab your feet and put them in your mouth! In fact, pretty much anything you can get your hands on goes into your mouth. You grab my hair, my necklace, my fingers…and put them in your mouth! You are also quite the drooler. Grandma Joyce made you 3 bibs to control the drool, but you soak them right through…I guess this means teeth soon! You like to lie under your ‘gym’ and pull on the toys hanging over your head. You also have started to like to have ‘tummy time’ on a blanket on the floor…usually for about 5 minutes. I can even prop you up a little and you sit for a few seconds on your own.

This month I’ve started working on several different projects and it’s been a bit of a trial to get in a groove with that. You’ve come to a lot of meetings with me and you’ve been pretty content, but as you get more and more active, it’s harder to bring you along, besides, no one pays attention to what I’m saying because they are staring at YOU. I work one day on the Homeless Place of Remembrance and four hours for Mithun. Even though it’s not much, it’s hard to squeeze it in. You are beginning to go and stay with Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Norm more often and they love it!

Now, I must tell you about the week we had from heck. It first started with you getting your second round of shots…it went OK, but it was just stressful, so it put me ill at ease…I think that’s why, when visiting Aunt Malia and Cousin Henry for lunch, we tumbled down their porch stairs! We were OK, Cousin Henry was concerned though, because we had taken quite a spill. I skinned my knee and you tumbled into the yard while strapped into your car seat…the handle was up which was good because it functioned like a ‘roll bar’ and you were only startled. Then we both got colds. This was on the heels of you being dropped by your dear friend Indi…I should mention that this was NOT her fault…she was so excited to see you that she wanted to hold you. She took you from your Dad and then tripped over some boxes…you both went down, clunk, but the boxes broke your fall. Again, you weren’t hurt, only startled and we nursed and you were fine.

Later that week, your Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Norm had a bad car accident…they were ALSO ok which was really a miracle, because they were hit by a semi-truck! We rushed up to the emergency room to see them in Everett…you were totally calm. Grandpa Steve happened to be over when we got the call, and he just walked you around the ER. That was your first trip to the hospital…most babies can’t say that. I must admit, my patience with the events of this month has been thin…I can honestly say though, that I haven’t yet lost patience with you…you are really typically content and pleasant in every way. I’m sure it will happen eventually, but you are the calming element to this month! Sometimes when I’m really stressed out, we just take a bath…you love to float in the warm water and we have time to relax. You feel so comfortable in the water, that sometimes when I hold you lightly on your stomach and you float, you dip your face in…which makes you cough and snort. This might make a baby cry, but you don’t and you haven’t stopped doing it yet.

The crazy weather of this winter continued this month…two pretty big snow storms! One blanketed our house and made us miss a pediatrician’s appointment, and with the other one, we were at a meeting and had to hurry home in the snow. You fell asleep for the trip home, but we were going up a hill, and we got stuck with a van with bald tires in front of us. I was not my usual sunny self to him as he almost hit us…I just didn’t want him to bonk us and wake you up!

Looking back over the month, and believe me, this is the version that I’m trying to put a positive spin on…there’s much more grown-up drama that I’m trying to gloss over…it’s been a crazy one. I’m ready for warmer weather and fewer accidents and storms! All the same, cue music, when I look into your eyes or watch you sleep, I feel safe and happy. I breathe in your sweet scent and nuzzle your little ‘sciff’ of hair and all is well.