dear asa (8 months, somehow)

my lovely asa,

how in the world are you 8 months old? in the last 4 months, you've learned to roll, sit, eat solid food, pull yourself up (on everything!), wave, say "bye bye" and "mama," scoot your little butt, point your finger and "walk" all over the place while holding our hands. you've grown by leaps and bounds (surely you weigh between 17 and 18 lbs now?), and your beautiful cheeks keep getting more and more enormous. you are such a delight.

sometimes it feels like we're going backwards, in a good way. you moved into a crib from your co-sleeper when you were around 6 months old (i barely remember your 6th month, sweetness. i'm sorry! you're exhausting). but now, you've started sleeping more and more in our bed. a lot of babies move in a linear progression, i think, from bed/bassinet/co-sleeper to crib, but you're just so cozy between mama and daddy these days. i am happy to oblige, especially since it means i get to wake up to you pointing and poking my face with a huge grin. makes my day, every.single.time.

you are strong and strong willed. you have such a personality! at times you're shy and tentative, especially around new people and puppies. most of the time you are incredibly happy. you babble and cheer, blow raspberries and show everyone your goofy, gummy smile. but when you're mad, you're mad, and when you want something, you want it now. or 7 minutes ago. you are always thoughtful and deliberate. sometimes i see you mouthing your favorite word (bye bye) silently before you happily bellow it out at full volume. i swear you're practicing so you can get it just right.

i can't believe how much you've changed in just a few months, and i also can't believe how much you're still so much like that teensy newborn we met all those months ago. parenthood does something beautiful and frightening to time and perception.

i can't wait to see how much you grow in these next 4 months, but i wish time would slow down a little. you'll be a whole year old then, sweetness, and i don't know if i can handle that.

all the love forever,

mama

p.s.- remember that tooth you were allegedly working on 4 months ago? it never materialized. get it together, kid!
p.p.s-whoa. WHOA. when i drafted this post, you didn't have a tooth, but as of about 7pm tonight, you really, really do. there's a sharp little tooth definitely poking through on the bottom left. way to listen to your mama!