Dear Chewie

Dear Chewie

I'm amazed at how fast you are learning these days. You still only have a few words that you can speak that we recognize, but your comprehension of words increases daily! Not only comprehension, but retention as well. Only two days ago i showed you where your elbow was and you still put out your little chicken wings to show us "Where's Chewie's Elbow??"

I love your passion for adventure, and you seem to have no fear! Your favourite game is running into the bathroom and closing the door behind you. I would have thought you wouldn't like the dark, but it doesn't seem to be an issue for you.

"Peek a boo" has taken on a whole new level of fun when you discovered that YOU could HIDE and be the one peeking. Anything you can find to cover your face... a blanket, a coat, the curtains, your hands... and your laugh when you do the BIG REVEAL is priceless.

Not only have you been busy discovering this world around you, but you have been busy developing more facets of your personality. From the big pouty lips to the PROUD FACE when you accomplish something, you have been dubbed The Most Expressive Baby I Know by your Grandma H (who has seven other grandchildren!)

The other day while waiting in line at the drive through with your big cousin Meegz, we were rocking out to some loud metal music, and when i looked back at you in the back seat i saw you were dancing, waving your hands in the air - like Air Drums!! Since that moment, everytime a Heavy song comes on over the waves, you have to rock out with your drums, just like mom and dad do!

When you're playing downstairs in the Rumpus room, the first thing you do is run over to one of the big speakers and put your head up close and then look at us and do air drums until we turn on the stereo and you dance around the room. Your love of music is very exciting to us, and we're already pondering what type of instrument you might play. Certainly the drums, you have amazing rhythm for someone who's a baby, but you've also really taken an interest in the guitar... you definately have access to them - there's one of every floor of the house - not including your ukelele and the guitar hero guitars.
The struggles we're having right now all focus on tantrums and hitting/pinching. We're not really sure what to do or how to go about correcting this behaviour right now. We've tried everything from pinching when you pinch, to crying when you hurt us (which worked for a while) to ignoring you when you get aggressive. It is very frustrating, but i can only hope its just a phase...and that you will grow out of it and be the gentle sweet baby you were last month.

You still only have six teeth (four on top, two on the bottom) and the last time you cut a new tooth was around your birthday in July. Then we plum forgot about those little chompers until these last couple of days when i clued in that your crankiness was also being accompanied by red cheeks, drool, and mild fever/runny poops. You won't let me anywhere near your mouth and some days you hardly eat - even cold or frozen food can't entice you. I hope that tooth that's bothering you cuts through soon. Poor little dude, there's nothing worse than seeing you in so much pain.

You test your boundaries more and more every day, which is funny and frustrating at the same time. As much as we feel like you might be murdered, we can't imagine our lives without you.

Love
Mama