11 Months

Dear Tate,

Today you are 11 months old. Which means that next month you will have your first birthday. Which in turn means I will possibly spend the next month as a puddle of nostalgic tears. Don’t mind me, Tate, I’ll just be bawling in the corner. Mama be cray-zeee!!!

This month has been a challenging one for us, little dude. I know I go on and on (and on and on) on here about how mellow and lovely you are, but this month, you were kind of the opposite. I mean, yes, in comparison to our other offspring, you are still quite mellow, but that’s not saying much. I don’t know of many people that are more frantic than your sister. But this month you started to get a little more pissy about, well, everything. I have a feeling it has to do with the stage you’re at more than anything else. You can finally walk, but you want to run. You’ve started to talk, but the few words you know don’t seem to be enough to express what you want. So, instead, you cry. You wail. You throw yourself on the floor.

And I laugh. Because I’m sort of evil, but also because there isn’t anything more hilarious than a baby (toddler?!) that is taking himself way too seriously. I love you, but I can’t help it. Someday I’m sure I’ll feel awful about this and have to pay for years of therapy because of the guilt.

You’re starting to show your true colors, little man, and it’s amazing watching your personality grow. Every day you wake up full of wonder and you learn so much every second. I remember these next few months as being some my favorites with your sister. Yes, they were probably the most challenging too, but when I look back at videos of her at this age, I remember how it felt to watch a person become themselves, right before my eyes.

So even though I’m sad you are growing up, I am excited to learn about you. What you like, what your favorite color is, what songs make you dance and sing. Let’s do this, little dude.

Love always,
Mama

*The two photos in the middle are by Nicole Coleman. The rest are by me. I think it’s pretty obvious who’s the pro here!*