{Letter to Jehryn} 13 Months

Jehryn,

You are 13 months old. I have been wanting to write you a letter for the past month. Our lives have been incredibly busy, but I will tell you all about that. Also, I had three paragraphs in a draft that was mysteriously deleted from my phone. Do you know anything about that? My son, you are a little boy. You have a strong personality and you are highly intelligent. You are keenly aware of language and are an excellent communicator. You are beginning to point at objects and query, "That?" You parrot so many things we say, although much of your chatter is independent.

The past three weeks have been difficult for you and for us. You are teething more intensely than we have seen before. You're working on molars and canines. Your gums are swollen, and nothing seems to help. In the past, we used clove oil which numbs the gums for 15 minutes or less. We always offer ice, but you have been losing interest quickly during this teething round. We have stopped using the homeopathic teething tablets. They used to ease your pain but do not phase you now. Instead, we alternate Tylenol and Advil. (The HFCS free and dye free kind. It still makes me cringe.) I often wear your amber teething necklace now, since you couldn't stop yanking at it and biting it. You and I have been struggling with our breastfeeding relationship. Your latch has been shallow and painful. I know it is because of your teething, and we have been working very hard on relearning the word "gentle." You are starting to respond so well and I am thankful. It is my hope that we will enjoy nursing until you are ready to wean. At this point, you nurse to sleep and sometimes during sleep. You are eating a lot of solid food! You love soup, beans, eggs, cheese, dates, raisins, cooked carrots, avocado and peanut butter. You are learning to feed yourself with a spoon.

You like to dance and sing. You dance when you hear music or when prompted by our dancing. I love our little family dance parties. The first time you sang with clear intention felt magical. I was nursing you before a nap while we listened to Iron and Wine. You stopped feeding, locked eyes with me and sang "aahh...aaaaahh" it was a beautiful moment. Now you sing "aye yi yi yi!" You show a lot of interest in musical instruments, especially percussion. Of course this excites us and we speculate about your future. But we don't know who you will become or what you will do. I promise to love and support you wherever your path leads.

Your new favorite word is vacuum. You say it dozens of times a day. "Ba cuuum! Dada ba cuuum!" You are obsessed. You love to see the vacuum but are also frightened by the sound it makes. You smile and shout when I pull it out of the closet, but I still need to hold you while it is running. Last week, I wore you on my back in the mei tai carrier while I did laundry. The whole time you requested that I vacuum. It made me smile because the floor was in need of the vacuum. A few days ago, you began pretending that you were vacuuming. You use a soft tape measure and attempt to plug it into a covered outlet, while making a "voooom voooom" sound. It is hilarious and impressive.

Jehryn, you are such a lover. You give perfectly times hugs and kisses. You nuzzle under my chin like a little puppy when I hold you. You lay your head on my shoulder while we slow dance during post work reuinions. You snuggle with Dada and wrap your arms around him while you sleep on his chest. You ground me when I feel shaken. You remind me what is important. Every time your Dada and I look at you, we know that we are so unbelievably blessed.