Dear Noah - 56 Weeks

Dear Noah

Well my sweet, another month has (quickly!) come and gone, except this time, I haven't been with you. I haven't been with you for more than 2.5 hours during weekdays and boy, oh boy have I missed you! Desperately I miss you so much that when I finally go get you from Linda's and bring you home, I find myself rolling on the floor with you and tickling you and "eating" your armpits - it's one of the best parts about my day.

Time with you is even more precious, now that we're not together as often as we were, in the beginning. Now I don't mind (too much) carrying you around while I make dinner answering all your pointing "pshhht, pshhhts". Translation: "What's that mom?"

Now, the favourite part of my day is bedtime, but for a whole other reason. Before, it was because I needed to get to bed too, before I had to get up with you two or three times through the night. Now, I love to put you to bed so we can snuggle and sing.

You sit sideway in my lap, in the rocking chair we read a book or two or half-a-book, because sometimes you just flip, filp, flip the pages. Then I turn out your Noah's Ark lamp and by the glow of your baby monitor, I wrap my arms around you and rock and sing. Sometimes you sit up straight, looking at the monitor, smiling in the dark, tapping your open palm on my leg. Other times (I wish more often) you lay your head on my chest, I rest my chin on your downy-soft hair and kiss you and sing and smell your hair (it always smells good). During those times, I could sing all night long. I start with "Let it Snow" (it was the first song I sang to you when you were just two months old and you grin every time I sing it), followed by a number of other cheese-ball songs that you love - including the Discovery Channel's "Boom De-ah-da" song...

Up until recently, after songs, after cuddles, I'd lay you in bed, take your blankie and put it over you and you'd snuggle it close to your face and smile and coo. I'd leave the room and you'd blink, blink in the dark. Now, however - the last 3-4 nights - you scream and holler and cry your eyes out no matter what either Daddy or I do before we put you in bed. You've cried SO hard that I've gone into your room twice now - because it absolutely broke my heart - you whimper and moan with big alligator tears streaking down your chubby cheeks. I hold you for a while longer and sing more songs and still, I put you back into bed and you cry and cry these ANGRY, broken-hearted cries that tear me up...so I go downstairs or in the kitchen where I can't quite hear you and busy myself until you inevitably - some five minutes later - quiet yourself and blink, blink, blink in the dark...I have a feeling this is the start of what bedtime will be like when you get older...

We celebrated your second Thanksgiving (which really felt like your first) at the cottage and with our neighbours, the Verstraten's. You loved playing with your cousins Brianna and Mackenzie at the cottage and how they loved to crawl around on the floor with you and build towers you could destroy!

At the Verstraten's you ate like a perfect gentleman - all of the turkey, mashed potatoes (you love potatoes!), stuffing (a first - which you love, love, LOVED!), asparagus (surprise, you ate it all!), pickles (so juicy) and broccoli (eh, it was okay).

Halloween is right around the corner and you're going to be a sweet, stinky skunk, I can't wait to take you out and show you off!

Love,

Mommy