Month 7

Dearest Meredith,

Happy 7 months! This month has contained some of our greatest days together, as well as perhaps the hardest day. It has been quite the ride.

First big thing, you started eating solid foods. We made the decision to wait until after you turned 6 months to begin solid foods because we felt it was best. Now, there were cynics Meredith, oh were there cynics. There were people who thought we were surely starving you. Folks who for MONTHS have been looking at your father and I as though we had a total of 13 heads when they learned (aka: asked questions that weren’t really their business and then judged us when we answered honestly) that you were still on a liquid diet. Please don’t think that we starved you waited to feed you solid foods simply because we thought it would be fun. Every book suggested waiting, our doctor told us it was best to wait. Basically, silly things like SCIENCE and RESEARCH convinced us it was best. Apparently though, because these other people fed their babies solid foods at the ripe old age of three months, we were ruining you. But, I digress – you have started eating solid foods and thus far it is going swimmingly! Your first food was pumpkin! You loved it, and in turn, you seem to love all orange foods we have given you. Carrots, squash, sweet potato, all delicious in your opinion. Things like bananas and apples, those you aren’t so sure about yet. I have a feeling you will come around to them though – if not before, surely by the time we allow you to dip them in peanut butter (which, at the rate we are going, should be by the time you are 21).

We had some illness in our house this month which caused some challenges. First, you had a second ear infection. Oh how I hate to see you sick. Unlike last month, when we thought you were never going to stop screaming, this (in a way) was much less dramatic (thank you!) Instead of the screaming you threw up. While watching you erupt was terrifying, somehow we were able to keep our wits about us and could deal with the situation. It was a holiday (Veterans’ Day) and so we took you to the after – hours clinic. After a two and half hours of waiting they finally called us in. First on their agenda was to weigh you. As you screamed and writhed on the scale the nurse frantically pushed buttons and scrambled, seemingly unable to weigh you. Finally I offered to tell her your weight from your previous appointment. “Please!” she said, “I don’t know what is wrong with my scale, but it must be broken. Surely your 6 month old isn’t 23 pounds.” I responded with a quiet, “Not Broken,” and assured her that you are a sturdy girl. Then we got to meet with the doctor. It is no wonder he does not have his own practice and is instead stuck at the dreaded after hours clinic as he had no bedside manner and treated your father and I as though we were disrespectful teenagers who were about to be grounded. Thankfully, we walked out of there with a prescription and for that we were grateful.

You were not the only one who got sick this month. One day your father and I were both sick – throwing up, the works! Without you this would have been a difficult day, but we did not know how we were going to be able to care for you! We could not ignore you, or send you to a friend’s house, and anything we did to take care of you put you at risk for catching our germs. I have never been so afraid. We prayed constantly that you would be protected from our germs and we did our best to take care of you in our sick stupor. I need to thank you for that day. Not once did you fuss, you slept soundly, and you had more patience with us than we could have asked of anyone! It was as though you knew we weren’t well and that you needed to take care of us. Amazingly, you never got sick! I would like to say we are stronger for going through that experience, but frankly, I think it just made us afraid that it could happen again someday.

One of the most awesome things to happen for us this month is that Uncle Jake and Aunt Karen moved back to Potsdam! You love them so much and I am so grateful that you will grow up really knowing them. Until now we had no family who lived close and most of our friends live far away. Now though, you will be able to see family frequently and maybe even have cousins to grow up with! (also, if your dad and I ever get sick at the same time again, we have some place germ free to send you!)

Physically, you change all the time. You can sit on your own now and you are just so much Better at everything. You can do things with such precision now. The babyness is fading and you are really coming into your own. It is amazing to watch. Sometimes, I just watch you, sitting on the floor with a basket of toys. You take out toys, study them, set aside the ones you aren’t interested in and play with those you find more fun. I can hardly believe that you are mine, that you have come this far, and that tomorrow, we get to hang out again!

Love,
Mommy