Before I say anything else, I want to say this — month 10 has been so fun. The weather has been warm, and we’ve been playing outside. Thomas is learning more and he’s the happiest, sweetest baby ever.
But month 10 has also been brutal. It started with me getting sick. Very, very sick. Sicker than I’ve ever been. And it ended with Thomas getting RSV, which is the sickest he’s ever been. Now that I’m writing it, I realize that means we’re very blessed and, overall, very healthy. But, man, we’re also exhausted. And so ready for spring.
Thomas is still a big, big boy. He weighs 25 pounds, is wearing mostly 18-24 month clothes, and has a bit of blonde hair coming in. He still nurses all the time, but is starting to branch out more with table foods. A few days ago I bought myself smoked gouda — my favorite cheese — as an indulgence. I was eating it, and he kept reaching for a bite, so I let him have a taste, thinking he wouldn’t like the pungent flavor. Instead, reminiscent of the one time I let David try my iced coffee, he loved it, and finished the block.
Thomas has changed so much this month, and it seems to be a chance in maturity. He’s playing with toys differently, and responding socially differently. He’s developed a little stranger anxiety, mostly to men, and is so remarkably excited when his siblings come home from school. When he hears music, he bobs to the beat and we all stop what we’re doing and oogle the cuteness. He’s so comfortable in chaos and noise — you can spot him as the third baby from a mile away.
He’s started to play, really play, with toys. A few days ago I noticed him playing with David’s Lightning McQueen car track and I was stunned. He puts a car at the top (sometimes upside down or sideways) and watches it drive to the bottom. I was stunned to see him playing like this, so I took a thousand photos in case it was a fluke. It wasn’t. He does it all the time.
Not that I’m comparing my children, but David didn’t come close to playing like that until he was much older. But then, I suppose it’s worth noting that Thomas is surrounded by kids and toys, and David spent his babyhood watching Jeopardy with our cat.
What David did do at this young age was develop an unhealthy obsession with balls, and Thomas is following in his footsteps. Thomas bounces, chases, and rolls all of the balls in our home, including the little pretend lettuce from Mary Virginia’s toy food, which happens to look like a palm-sized ball.
Thomas is starting to babble more; he says all kinds of words. Plus, we took Thomas to his first wedding this month, and the MOMENT AFTER the pastor announced the couple, Thomas shouted with exuberance.
If I wanted to I could tell you that he’s saying MaMa and DaDa and yesterday it really sounded like he said “I love you.” It sounds that way, but I know it’s just 10-month old babbling.
We call Thomas “Kaka,” and when his Uncle Steve asked why, we explained it’s because Thomas says “kaka” all the time. He crawls around saying, “ka…ka…ka…ka!” so it seemed to make sense to turn it into a nickname.
Then Uncle Steve, who happens to speak Swahili, told us that Kaka means “brother” in Swahili.
That’s right, friends. Not only can my 10-month old say Mama, Dada, and I love you, but he’s also a blast at weddings, and can speak Swahili.
Dear Thomas,
I should be in bed right now. If tonight is like last night, I’m going to spend more time hushing and rocking you than sleeping, and I am tired.
But the entire reason I write these updates is so that one day you will read them and know how very dear and special you are to me, and how much I’ve always loved you from the very beginning.
My dear sweet bugaboo, I’m going to fall asleep tonight praying that you feel better quickly, so you can get back to your wonderful, happy self. But before I do that I wanted to say –I love you so, so much.
Mama
As the pastor who married Winston and me once said, we are never to silence the sounds of life coming from little ones in the house of the Lord – or a wedding in a barn! LOVED that Thomas was there to celebrate with exuberance!! He is one cute little man!