Yesterday, Jameson turned eight-months-old, and boy, this has been a month with lots of newness.
While he’s been chewing on everything he can get his hands on since he was about three-months-old, we were assured by his pediatrician that his teeth weren’t coming in. And she was right. Months went by without anything.
And then two weeks ago, I felt a little sharp tooth poking through his bottom gums. And it’s funny because a piece of me felt compelled to shout it from the rooftops — “My baby has grown a TOOTH!” I knew it was coming, but this was somehow a bit mind-boggling and monumental. You’ll be happy to know I mustered up restraint and shared the news with his grandparents instead. People who could actually be thrilled about it too.
Since that first tooth came in, three more quickly followed, and I imagine by the end of next week, his bottom two and top two will be visible for all to see. There’s something about teeth that make a baby look more like a little person. It’s wild.
Not only are teeth coming in, so is his hair. He’s learned to rock back and forth on his hands and knees and then throw himself forward to get to things he wants. He’s learned to pull himself up to standing in his crib, which is making nap time and bed time quite interesting. He’s more independent — voicing the things he doesn’t like or want, but also being able to play on his own for longer stretches of time. He’s incredibly curious and observant, not afraid to stare at people on the subway for minutes on end and soaking up everything around him.
He is changing rapidly.
And I’m really glad that I’m getting to see it all. I’m grateful I’ve had the opportunity to be at home with him. At the same time, I’m not sure I’d say the time is flying. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m home with him every day or because my experiences with loss have made me this way, but I think I’ve fully lived each moment of the past eight months with him.
I’ve learned parenting follows a general rule of life — those things that require the highest investment often yield the greatest reward.
These past eight months have been sweet and challenging and joy-filled and frustrating. Not too fast. Not too slow. Certainly amazing to watch unfold.
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