Things You Did Today

Dear Connor,

Here are a few things you did today:

-You stood up on your own! Before, you had to use something (the couch, the playpen gate, my leg) to pull yourself up to standing. Today, you were sitting on your play mat and I watched you go from sitting to squatting to standing without any assistance. Yay! 

-You put your hands on my cheeks, pulled my face toward yours and gave me a kiss. You're such a sweetie pie!
-I handed you the empty sandwich bag your snack sticks were in and you played with the bag for half an hour. I've never seen you play with any of your actual toys for that long.

-When you wouldn't eat your ground turkey and apples (you still hate eating turkey no matter what I try to hide it in), I frowned and hung my head to signify that I was sad. You patted me on the head the way I pat your head when you are sad. 

-You tipped your toy refrigerator on its side, opened the door and sat in it, as if you were trying to chill your butt cheeks.

-When I was sitting on the couch, you toddled over to me and laid your head in my lap. *melt!*

Love,

Mom

Into the Hamper You Go

Dear Connor,

You never stay still during diaper changes. You hate being on the changing table so you kick, squirm, wiggle and do whatever you can to get off the table. Tonight, you flipped over onto your tummy and crawled over to the edge of the table. I grabbed you but you're so strong that you broke out of my grasp--and fell right into the hamper next to the changing table. Thankfully, the hamper was pretty full of clothes so you weren't hurt. You did whimper because you were curled up in a ball and couldn't move. I, on the other hand, was shaking from laughing so hard. You nut!

Love,
Mom

Happy Turkey Day!

Dear Connor,

Yesterday wasn't your first Thanksgiving, but it was the first Thanksgiving where you could actually eat all of the delicious food (you could only have breast milk last year). Daddy roasted a huge turkey, Aunts Daisy, Polly and Ling made a bunch of yummy side dishes and I baked pumpkin gingerbread and pumpkin pecan pie for dessert.

You had turkey, mashed potatoes, cauliflower, yams and gingerbread and literally fell asleep while you were eating. Aww, your first Thanksgiving food coma!

Love,
Mom

He's Just Not That Into You

Dear Connor,

Today, I asked you if you love Mommy. You said, "Adinkso." You think so? Awww :(

Love,
Mom

Sharing Is Caring

Dear Connor,

When you eat your snack puffs, you often hold one out and offer it to me, which is so sweet! I love it when you do that--even if you suck on the puff before you give it to me. Yum.

Love,
Mom

Clean & Clear Teeth

Dear Connor,

I was so tired today that I mistakenly put face wash on my toothbrush. Twice.

Love,
Mom

First Haircut

Dear Connor,

Today was an exciting day for you: You had your very first haircut! Your hair was so long that we could no longer see the tops of your ears or the back of your neck so it was definitely time for a trim. PoiPoi told me to give you a haircut myself but yeah, I was not about to go anywhere near your head with a pair of sharp steel blades--so Mommy and Daddy paid a stranger to do it instead! We took you to Cozy's Cuts for Kids in Manhattan and I was worried that you wouldn't stay in the salon chair but Cozy's has a magic weapon that can turn the squirmiest of children into perfectly still little zombies: the television. 

After we plopped you into the cool car-shaped seat and wrapped a giant hair salon bib around you (you looked so cute!), your stylist turned on a Dora the Explorer cartoon for you and you immediately stopped moving, except to occasionally stand up and point at the screen (yes, sweetie, I did see what Dora and Boots just did!) or move your head when the stylist's arm happened to block your view (man, you can't miss even a second, can you?). 

So you went from this:

To this!

You're such a handsome little guy!

Love,
Mom

Underage Drinking

Dear Connor,

We had a party at our house today and you crawled over to a case of beer that was on the floor. Aunt Daisy asked you if you wanted a beer and you replied, "Adoo." Haha, were you trying to say "I do"? Sorry buddy, you have to wait awhile. Two decades, in fact.

Love,
Mom

Working Out

Dear Connor,

I will never understand people who go to the gym and then take the elevator to go up a couple floors.

Love,
Mom

Those Things With the Pages

Dear Connor,

Your grandparents grew up in a world with no Kindles, Nooks or iPads. Being old-fashioned myself, I don't own any of those devices, either. But your teachers will probably be using all of them in kindergarten by the time you go to school and one of my greatest fears is that you're going to come up to me one day and ask me, "Mommy, what's a book?"

Love,

Mom

Cute Overload

Dear Connor,

All moms will say this about their babies but in my case, it is totally true: You are the cutest baby ever! You were already doing a bunch of adorable things right after you were born, like pursing your lips into the "Blue Steel" pose (that's why all your aunties and uncles called you "Zoolander Baby") and waving your arms around as if you were conducting a symphony orchestra.

And the cuteness has kept on coming! Here are just a few of the many cute things you do now:

-You look so proud when you accomplish something for the first time, like holding your own fork and using it to feed yourself. Your eyes light up and you absolutely beam.
-You often point your finger up in the air and wag it around when you talk. You look so commanding and authoritative! PoiPoi saw a video of you doing that and said you're going to be President of the United States one day.
-I guess you got the pointing and wagging thing from me. I point and wag my finger at you when I'm reprimanding you and sometimes you point and wag and go "da da da da!" back at me. I can't believe you are already talking back to me!
-You are strangely fascinated by my belly button. Whenever you see it, you make a beeline for it and like to put your finger in it.
-You shiver when you pee. At least I always know when I have to change your diaper.
-You like to clutch my arm as you fall asleep. Actually, I think any body part will do, so long as you have skin-to-skin contact with me. There have been a few times when we were lying next to each other in bed and you fell asleep with your hand pressed against my chest or, more disturbingly, on my throat.
-You look so dazed and confused when you wake up from a nap. And your hair is always sticking up every which way.
-You're a little piggy! It doesn't matter if you've already eaten a full meal. If you see me eating anything, you have to have some, too, and will tug on my clothes until I give you a bite of food.
-If I give you a damp towel, you'll use it to wipe your high chair tray or the tabletop. Anytime you want to help me clean is fine with me!
-Sometimes when you cry, you flap both of your arms up and down, as if you're trying to fly away. And since you don't actually fly away, you look a lot like a penguin.
-You are such a social butterfly. Whenever we go to Gymboree for your music classes or free play time, you like to crawl up to other babies and try to hold their hands.
-When you walk, you often take five or six steps and then stop and squat for a few seconds before you stand up straight again and walk a few more steps. Are you resting or exercising?
-You always get a big cheesy grin on your face when you see your own reflection in the mirror. Even you think you are super cute!

I love every single adorable thing about you!

Love,
Mom