12.08.08 :: 8:09 am


We've got more lives than I ever dreamed you could own at one time�

Dear Oliver,
Today you turned 5 months old!

What a whirlwind month it�s been. From your weaning off the boob to you going to sleep like a Big Boy, we�ve been busy and tired and most of all happy.

So, one day this month your dad and I decided to sleep train you. You�d been so discombobulated from the move and no amount of swaddling or rocking or walking or bouncing would soothe your restless, bitter soul so we bit the bullet. We said, �It cannot possibly get any worse for any of us,� and with that we stopped everything cold turkey.
No more swaddle. You bust out of it something fierce anyway.
No more bouncing/swaying/rocking/walking. It seemed to make you more frustrated.
No more feeding you in the middle of the night. You weren�t hungry and you were just waking up because you were used to doing so.

One night I just put you in jammies, turned on your white noise, placed you in your crib, tucked you in, gave you your stuffed giraffe, kissed your forehead and said �Goodnight, Oliver.�

And then we waited outside your door. You know, to hear your inevitable howling that would send the neighbors into a panic. The first few minutes alone in there you must have been confused. We had eliminated all the nighttime fussy rituals and accoutrements! So weird! Had we forgotten? What was wrong with us? After the initial shock wore off, you whined. We braced ourselves for the worst.
But it never came.
You whined. You whined a lot but eventually � you fell asleep.

And when you woke up the next morning, you were all smiles like you knew we had all tasted sweet, sweet victory!

Little Tater, we have not looked back from that moment on.
We put you down the same exact way every night and for all your daytime naps, too. And you love it. You snuggle into your blankets, you pat your giraffe buddy, and then you drift off blissfully.
I can�t believe it either. It�s like you�re grateful to be left alone, finally!
I�m actually going to have to get a gym membership now that I have no form of exercise anymore!

Also this month, you were weaned.
This is still a little hard for me to talk about because I had hoped to keep the whole breastfeeding thing going for at least another month but we could tell you were just getting way too distracted and frustrated with it.
So I stopped. And I cried about it and felt guilty for a little while and convinced myself that you and I were never going to be as close as we could, but it�s been about a week and a half and you�re such a happier baby that I really can�t fault myself anymore.
After a bottle, you�re properly full and you�re not cranky an hour later. And I get to have an extra cocktail if I feel like it without the worry that I�ve destroyed any of your burgeoning brain cells.
And you still seem to like me the same. You still burrow your face in my neck and pat my mouth.

This turn of events has also led you to your first taste of solid food! Admittedly, rice cereal is pretty blah and I don�t blame you for looking at me sideways when I come at you with it, but once we were certain you could handle it and you weren�t allergic� bring on the good stuff!

So far:
Apples � Hmmmmm. Might be too tart. Definitely sweet, which is great, but you can take it or leave it.
Carrots � HECK YEAH! I�m convinced you can subsist on carrots alone and be happy. Like my bulimic friend in college who tried this and turned completely orange.
Bananas � Genius! A Very nice treat indeed!

Frankly, I cannot believe the little tater bundle that was so small and fragile is this Very Big Boy eating from a spoon! Eating Big Boy foods! From a UTENSIL! You�re amazing, and you know it.

You�ve started laughing hysterically at things, too. Especially when Dad hits himself in the face with your fuzzy blocks. Last night I thought for sure you were going to have a heart attack you were cracking up so hard. You were crying from laughing!

You�re such a fantastic Big Boy now that we�re actually leaving you in the care of your Grandma for your first overnight visit!
Yes, Ollie, your dad and I are actually going out without you! In the nighttime, even! And we�re going to drink! Mommy will probably drink more than she should but you know it and I know it � MOMMY DESERVES IT!
And we will come get you the next morning and you will have had a grand old time because Grandma bends to your every will.
We all win!

This week, we�re going to meet up with another Brooklyn Mommy and her little girl and maybe you will enjoy the presence of another baby! Who knows! The possibilities are endless now that you are becoming more aware and curious.

It�s also the holidays, which I can usually ignore, but there�s something about being away from New York for so long that when you�re back during is time, it�s kind of magical.
Twinkly lights and shimmery decorations and bundling up seems more fun to me now that you�re here to join in.

Wait till you see the snow, kiddo.

We�re even going to start attending Baby Story Time at the Library! Crikey, what�s next? A world cruise? Trapeze lessons? The world is our oyster!
Tater my joy, it�s been a terrific month.

I�m just having so much fun with you right now; you�re the perfect companion. We take walks together, and you coo and ahh at everything you see from your seat in the stroller and people smile at you and you smile back and every single day you�re a whole new and exciting little person and every single day you explode my heart.

You explode my heart.

Love,
Mama


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