A letter to my Townes

July 2, 2012

Dear Townes,

Writing letters to your babies/children has become all the rage lately.  And, just so you don’t feel like your mom isn’t trendy or cool, I thought I should write you one.  OK the real reason is because I woke up today and realized that you are almost 11 months old.  11 months?!  How can it possibly have already been almost a year since I locked eyes with you for the first time?  It seems like minutes, seconds, nanoseconds.  But simultaneously, it feels like you’ve always been here. 

They say that our personalities are evident and already formed by the time we are two years old.  I think you are an overachiever, because yours was established and growing by the time you were a few hours old.  You have always had this, for lack of a better word, presence.  You are such a Bohdi.  Your eyes sparkle when you smile, you have the most contagious joy that seems to radiate from you--right from your dead center, your heart. 

Then there are your expressions.  I’ve never seen an 11-month-old with the diverse range of faces, mannerisms, and postures that you have. 

Your dad has captured some of these in photos, but it seems that every day, you have a new face or reaction to show to us that makes us sigh, coo, or, like your latest “Monkey Duff Face,” laugh uncontrollably. 

Your “Stinky Face” is another one for the books.  You first made that face after Grandma Marsha gave you a daffodil to smell, and we walked around her office showing you off to all the employees.  You proceeded to hold out the daffodil to everyone you met, and they would smell it.  When we got home that night, you started smelling everything in sight: your food, your toys, and just the air in general.  Now the Stinky Face is usually reserved for when you are too full to eat another bite, or are disgusted with the cuisine.  It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.  You still love to smell the flowers that Dad buys me.  And, you are so clever that you even try to smell the pictures of flowers you see in your books.

You love the cats, even if they don’t love you sometimes.  Whenever you catch a glimpse of one of the cats when I’m feeding you, you stop eating and break out into the most genuinely happy grin.  The first time we ever heard Ripley (a fellow Bohdi) hiss, was when you were a newborn and Dad was holding you on the bed.  She came up and started sniffing your little head, and when that head began to move around, she let out the most hilarious, tiny, and pathetic hiss.  She hasn’t hissed at you since though, and will pretty much tolerate anything that you initiate:  tail pulling, “petting” (with a bit of a heavy hand, we are still working on that), chasing, kicking, etc.  Dad and I have continuously made the Bohdi comparison between you and Ripley.  You both just seem to be content, calm, at one with the universe, and ready to go with the flow in all aspects of life. 

Kiddo is an entirely different story.  That mean old kitty WANTS to love you, but has so many crazy hang-ups, that she just can’t bring herself to really love anyone other than Dad.  She tolerates you and I, but we are just obstacles in the way of Dad spending all day, every day with her, so we MUST be punished.  She seemed to mostly ignore you until you could sit up and be mobile, and then she couldn’t ignore you any longer. 

The first time I remember her hissing at you was when you were sitting on the bed, she jumped up, and you reached out your hand to pet her soft fur.  She swatted at you (like she does) and let out a hiss.  I won’t ever forget the look on your face—you were SO startled and taken aback that this kitty that you LOVED would ever do anything so mean to you.  You!  The sweetest being to ever grace planet Earth! What did you ever do to her? You only tried to love her!  It broke my heart in two.  After you made the startled face, you started to cry the sweetest and saddest little cry and I couldn’t help but scoop you up into my arms and tell you the same thing I tell you today. “Pay no attention to that mean old kitty.  Rrrucifee mean, sneaky, jump at you, hiss at you, hissssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!”  It always makes you laugh, and you even learned how to make a hissing sound and hiss right back at that mean old kitty.  Sometimes, you even preemptively hiss at her, which I can definitely appreciate.  It always helps to be prepared.

I actually think that “kitty” (or your variation of it—“dittay”) was your second word.  It was very different than the regular stuttering and gibberish that you would say, because you said it the second you saw one of the cats.  One would come around the corner, and you would get so excited, smile, and say, “dittay! Dit dit dittay!”  You have also learned to ROAR.  You have a plastic rolling lion toy, a stuffed lion, and a couple of books with pictures of lions.  Grandma Marsha worked on roaring with you and now, whenever you see a lion, you bust out the cutest little ROOOOAAAAAAR that I’ve ever heard.  Yours is doubly adorable because it’s kind of a whisper-roar.  It’s very quiet, but VERY ferocious. 

My favorite was when we were at the library downtown.  We walked into the kids’ area and I was looking around to find where the baby books were.  All of a sudden, you started roaring.  I hadn’t even seen the giant stuffed lion that was lying on top of one of the bookshelves in the corner, but you sure did!  You also roared at the real live tigers that we saw at the zoo.  Man, nothing gets by you.  When we went on our trip back East with Grandma Shari, we could only bring a few toys with us, one of which was your plastic dump truck.  Grandma Shari would push the truck around with you in the hotel room, making the sound of a rumbling engine.  You didn’t imitate her immediately, but now, not a day of play goes by without you pushing around your dump truck or your fire engine, making the best truck noise I ever did hear. 

Your first “Da Da” was uttered right around 8 months and you were SO good at it.  You practiced it all the time, in long strings.  Uncle Asher remembers trying to talk to Dad on the phone about an upcoming fishing trip and not even being able to hear him, due to your “da da da dad a dad  da dad DAD DA DA DA DA DA DA DAAAAA DA DA DAAAAAAAAAAAAA” in the background. 

You finally said “Ma Ma” for the first time – on  Father’s Day.  Atta boy!  More than your speaking of words, it is your understanding and comprehension of words that impresses me.  When you were first learning to clap and wave and do great things with your hands, you could understand verbal commands, even without hand gestures to clue you in.  Sure, any kid can clap once they see Mom and Dad and Aunt Ethel clapping their hands like mad.  We were driving in the car and Dad called from the front seat and said, “Townes, can you clap?”  without any hand gestures.  You immediately started clapping from your seat.  Like a pro.  I also asked you to show Mama your ball, and you picked it right up off the ground and held it out to me.  I’m sure that every parent in the world thinks that their child is gifted and brilliant and basically a prodigy.  So I’m sure I’m not covering any new ground here.  But Townes, you are so smart. 

From the beginning, you have always concentrated so intently on the “task” at hand.  Usually the task is inspecting a toy, turning the pages of a book, or shaking a pill bottle like a rattle, but no matter how trite or how important, you take that task SERIOUSLY.  I love that about you.  Yes of course, you lose interest in the object eventually, I mean come on, you are a baby, but it has always been fascinating to me that you have such a long attention span.  I can almost hear the wheels in your brain turning and cranking away. 

You are great with toys and books and puzzles, but man, you really love non-toy toys.  Mom’s phone, Dad’s phone charger, the remotes, a toothbrush, the dishwasher, and your most favorite, the cat food bowls.  Ever since you’ve been mobile (the army crawl is your specialty), we can count on you making a mad dash for the kitchen (with a huge grin on your face, grunting and giggling, so proud of yourself that you’re moving soooo quickly) and head straight for the kitties’ food and water.  Maybe it’s because they’re at your eye level, maybe it’s because they look very similar to your sweet potato “puffs,” but whatever it is, you are drawn to those cat food bowls like a magnet.  Luckily you haven’t eaten any yet (at least not on my watch). 

Cat food is about the only thing you HAVEN’T eaten.  And whatever it is that we give you, you seem to love it.  I daresay you’re the un-pickiest child to grace the face of the planet. 

Your first food (at about 5 months) was avocados mashed up with a little bit of mama’s milk.  You liked them OK, but didn’t really love solid foods until you found the joy of SCHWEETAPOTATOOOOOES.  Mama and Dad are such dorks, they really say it that way every time you eat some:  SCHWEETAPOTATOOOOOES!!!!!  They were your absolute favorite in those early days.  Whenever we wanted you to try something new like green beans or carrots, all we had to do was mix them up in some sweet potatoes, and you would gobble them all up.  Now, we don’t need to hide anything from you. 

You love trying new things, and one of your favorites is pickles.  Dad gave you a little taste of one when he was having lunch, just to see you make the squinty pickle face, but much to his surprise, you didn’t make a face at all!  You sucked on that pickle like it was a lollipop and now we constantly have a jar of dill pickle spears in the fridge just for you.  (And Dad.) 

One night when you were up late with a teething-ache, I brought you into our bed and put on a cartoon to distract you from the pain.  Dad was just coming to bed after being up working late and had a plate of leftover pizza.  Long after Mama fell asleep, you and Dad stayed up, watching your cartoon and sharing bites of pizza.  Boys will be boys.  We’re still a little limited as to what you can eat because you are still working on your first two teeth, but some of your other favorites are cherry tomatoes, any kind of berry, yogurt, Mama’s homemade spaghetti sauce, eggs, feta cheese, black beans, and much to Mama’s chagrin—olives and mushrooms. I was hesitant in giving you any foods with strong flavors at first, but you quickly broke me of that habit.  Onions, garlic, hot sauce, bring it on, you are NOT afraid.  Maybe it was all that spicy Indian food that I ate when you were in my tummy.

You love to be outside.  We started taking you on walks and fishing outings when you were only a couple of weeks old.  I’m not sure if that helped out or not, but regardless, you are one happy camper when you’re camping, fishing, swimming, hiking, or just on a walk or run with Mama. 

Not that it’s a bad thing, but sometimes it’s hard to find things to keep your little mind happily occupied!  Whenever we’re outside, that does not seem to be a problem at all.  You are happy holding a leaf, sitting in the grass, looking at the birdies, or playing with a stick or a rock.  Whenever Dad takes you fishing, he doesn’t have to take many toys, because he knows that you are very content to play with nature’s toys.  Whenever we go on walks, you are such a good boy in your stroller. 

 I can only remember one time EVER that you have cried in your stroller, and I think it’s because the sun was in your eyes and Mama forgot your hat.  Have you ever seen a kid that doesn’t just rip a hat off of his head as soon as Mama puts it on?  I hadn’t, until you.  You must know their functional nature and know that they are good for you, because you always leave your fishing hat on when you are outside. 

Mama even got you a VERY dapper looking fedora for the Arts Festival, and you don’t mind that one either.  Where did you come from anyway?  Heaven?

Your other crowning achievement as “the best baby ever” came when you were 8 months old and you went on your first plane ride to Florida.  I had to go for a business trip, and it was a big and ugly decision to either leave you at home without Mama’s milk, or to bring you along on such a long trip, and long flight across the country.  With Dad’s help, we somehow packed allllllll of your baby stuff, your stroller, car seat, etc. and boarded the plane.  We were nervous that you would be one of those babies who cries the entire flight and has troubles with the air pressure in your ears. (“Goodbye, Jeffrey!!”)  We were all prepared with bottles for you to suck on and toys to distract you, but we didn’t even need those. You fell asleep before the plane took off, slept through take off, woke up for a bit and played, ate some yummies, and then fell back asleep before we landed. 

 We were pretty much in shock, and so was everyone else on the plane.  “He was such a good baby! I didn’t even hear him!”  We thought that we couldn’t get lucky more than once, but you have proven time and time again that you can handle plane rides.  You love playing with the safety information card, the tray table, the seatbelt, the plastic cups that they serve drinks in, and you love looking out the window at the clouds. 

The best plane trip ever was coming back from Pennsylvania with Grandma Shari.  It was such an early flight that I had to wake you from your peaceful slumber at 4:00 am Eastern time to head to the airport and I was so worried that you’d be super tired and cranky all day.  That was NOT the case. You charmed everyone in the security line, made friends at the Starbucks, slept for most of the flight, and then woke up about an hour before we landed in the BEST mood.  There were two ladies sitting behind us, and you started to play peek-a-boo with them.  Not just any old peek-a-boo, but laugh-hysterically-and-make-the-entire-three-rows-around-you-bust-into-belly-laughs-peek-a-boo.  You were smiling SO much and laughing SO hard that the entire plane couldn’t help but notice this adorable and mood-altering baby boy.  The woman behind us said that she wished she could bottle up your laugh and save it for a rainy day.  Another passenger said that the flight attendants could’ve held you up and entertained the whole plane with you, they didn’t even need a movie.  Townes, it is so much fun being your mom.  Everyone wants to smile at you, touch your beautiful soft skin, play with your light curly hair, and make you giggle.

I kept a log of all the places you’ve been.  You are quite the traveler!

·         November 12 – 14, 2010:  Off roading in Moab, UT with Crumleys, Emeri and Rylan

·         February 9 – 13, 2011:  Work trip to New Jersey and extended weekend in NYC with Emeri

·         February 22 -24:  Work trip to LA with Kevin

·         March 9 – 13:  Work trip to Las Vegas with Mason and extended weekend stay at the ARIA

·         March 15-17: Work trip to Seattle with Serena

·         April 21 – 24:  Camping trip to Gunlock Reservoir with the Crumleys

·         May 1 – 6: Work trip to Salida, Colorado with Mason and an extended stay in Colorado Springs

·         May 20 – 22:  Camping trip to Crack Canyon, UT with Crumleys, Annan & Jared

·         May 27 – 29:  Island Park cabin with Anne, David and Grace

·         June 17-18:  Camping trip with Fullmers and parents to Spruces Campground

·         September 7 -9:  Island Park fishing trip

·         October 4-6:  Snowbird

·         October 7-10: Eden / Pineview with the peeps

·         November 22-25:  Stargazer Ranch with Fetzers

·         March 28 – April 1, 2012:  Las Vegas with Mason for Connections and an extra night at the ARIA, and the Honeymoon Trail Inn in St. George (first cold L)

·         April 9 – 12:  Orlando with Mason and Dennis for work

·         April 21-24: Orlando with Mason and New Friend Kev for work (first beach trip!)

·         June 2:  Camping up Logan canyon with friends for Annan’s birthday

·         June 10-11:  NYC and New Jersey with Dennis and Grandma Shari (Saw Emeri and Dustin in NYC)

·         June 12-15:  Pennsylvania with Grandma Shari and Dennis

·         June 30-July 1:  Camping and fishing in Midway with Crumleys, Annan and Jared, and Barqueros

·         Upcoming:  July 7-15:  Sun Valley with the whole fam damily – Petersons, Fullmers and Grandma Shari!

·         Upcoming:  August 30 – September 4:  Huntington beach with the Fetzer Family!

So even if I don’t count the trips when you were in my tummy, you’ve still been to 7 states and you aren’t even a year old yet!  Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  Add the other states (California, Washington, Colorado) and you’ve been to a total of 10.  Not too shabby.  I don’t think I hit 10 states until I was 25.

It’s been so much fun to watch you grow and grow and grow.  At 11 months, you weigh 23 pounds and you are soooooo tall. All I have to do is stand you up next to Ricky, Max, Sophie, Soren, etc. and it is quite clear that your father is 6’5’’.  I don’t want to jinx anything, but at this rate, you could definitely be some competition for your pops when it comes to height.  Here are your measurements and percentiles at your check-ups:

• Birth:  8 pounds, 21 inches
• 4 days old:  7.94 pounds, 21 inches (46^th and 84^th percentile)
• 2 weeks old:  8.75 pounds, 22 inches (57^th and 93^rd percentile)
• 2 months old:  14.38 pounds, 25 inches  (95^th and 97^th percentile!)
• 4 months old:  17.19 pounds, 27.5 inches (86^th and 99^th percentile)
• 6 months old:  18.38 pounds, 28.5 inches (68^th and 97^th percentile)
• 9 months old: 21.3 pounds, 30 inches (63rd and 94th percentile)
• 12 months old: 22.44 pounds, 32 inches (43rd and 96th percentile)

We are unhappily dreading the time (any day now) when you reach 25 pounds, because that’s when you can no longer use your door jumper anymore.  That thing has been such a treat.  You are so happy in your jumper, and you’ve never even jumped in it, not once! 

What you DO do in it (not doo doo in it) is run and swing.  You get that thing going sooo high and far that it was pretty scary for Mama and Dad to watch at first, but you quickly learned how to control your movement like a pro.  It only took one or two bumps to the head on the door frame, and you learned to put your arms out to stop yourself when you got too close.  You also love to play soccer in your jumper, and I’m not just being the Mom here, you are REALLY good at it.  We put the little basketball in front of you, and you kick it right back to us with such awesome form.  You even give it a little running approach and send it sailing.  Dad and I always joke that you’re going to be a jock just to spite us, but I of course will be cheering from the sidelines during whatever sporting or non-sporting event that you choose to participate in.  It’s not just your soccer ball that you love, you love ANY kind of round object.  You will often have a death grip on two balls WHILE you’re crawling around the house or pulling yourself up to the table.  Heaven forbid you should drop one!  No, never!  One time when Mama was picking out an onion at the grocery store, you started grunting and fussing and I couldn’t figure out why.  When I set the onion in the basket and you turned around and tried to grab it, I finally figured it out:  you thought the onion was a ball.  For you.  Of course.

In conclusion, I hope this silly letter has made it unequivocally clear that Mama LOVES you.  Having you is definitely the most important, joyous, crazy and wonderful thing I’ve ever done.  Thank you for filling me up with your light each and every day. Thank you for bringing tears to my eyes whenever I catch a glimpse of the pure and simple sweetness that is at your core.  I know there will come a day when you realize that I’m just a big dork, when I embarrass you in front of your friends, when I give you too many rules to obey, and when my love will feel overprotective.  At this moment though, I’m so happy to say that I know you love me as much as I love you.  I know you miss me when I am at work all day, and are so happy to see me when I walk through that door. I know that your smiles and giggles are so genuine.  I know that you are happy.  I know that those quiet moments we have when I’m feeding you at 4:00 am provide just as much sustenance as the milk itself. 

Townes, I’m so happy that you’re mine. Thank you for making me a Mama.

Love,

Carly