Letters to Lev #10

I'll post a pic. of Lev soon. It's a on a different computer.

Dear Lev,

It the 24th! You're 8 months old! Pop and I are so happy that we have all come this far. The Lord has really blessed us with you! You are so laid back, and so content and for that, we are thankful.

Did you know Lev, that when we found out about you, and that you were coming to us, we found a baby oak tree that sprouted around the same time. We've been taking care of it, and it's pretty big now. It's bigger than you, actually. But we've decided it's your tree, and pop recently staked it up so it can grow straight and tall. We have a picture of you with it, when you were about the same size. In the fall or when ever you are supposed to do such things, we're going to dig it up and put it in a big pot, until we find a place for it somewhere else in the yard. We are very excited about this tree. We're keeping our eyes peeled for one for your little brother, too.

This month has been all about new abilities. Last month, you could sit and eat from a spoon. That was the extent of your amazing abilities. This month though is a totally different story:

* You have 7 teeth. And they are powerful. You've left some pretty deep marks on both of us, and broke skin on Pop's thumb.
*You started to use your hands to eat! Your thumb and forefinger are constantly picking stuff up, and your breakfast is almost always finger foods now~ cheerios, banana, strawberries, cheese, bread, peas. I am super excited about this development.
*You acknowledge the existance of your sippy cup. You can drink out of it, but are still getting the hang of using both hands to get it into your mouth. It goes into your eyes or nose first, and then your mouth. You'll get there.
* You climb and are learning to pull up on things. If I am on the floor with you, you are using me to pull up- so far you can get onto your knees, but you'll be standing soon. You can also get off of the couch if we are sitting on it. Mama likes this. She knows exactly when you are ready to do something else, and we dont have to waste time.
* you can stand holding someone's hand. You used to need both hands, but you're pretty much ready to take the leap and stand by yourself. Sometimes you let go and stand very briefly by yourself.
* You get onto your hands and knees and rock back and forth, and yesterday, you moved one leg forward!!
* you play peek aboo a little bit, and imitate our movements, and laugh when we laugh, even though you dont know what's funny.
* You can sit almost all the way through the service without making noise. Sure, we aid you with a bottle and some cheerios, but we can get through 35 minutes of a 45 minute sermon with very little drama.
* You LOVE going to the park and swinging high. You make a lot of squeaking noise if I push you gently. You like sliding, but swinging takes the cake.
* Trucks, school buses and dogs amaze you. A dog licked your face and your laughed and laughed, and then tried to eat his ears, which was not a good idea.

My favorite memory of you this last month is the Sunday where Pop and I realized you can hold onto things and stand. You were standing between my legs at church, and you reached out and grabbed the chair in front of you and started to chew on a little boy's shirt. He was sitting nicely and quitely, but he had to turn around and tell you, "Lev, stop! I'm trying to listen to the sermon." Everyone's parents thought that was funny, mostly becuase he wasn't listening to the sermon- he was picking his nose and looking at the lights. But we did go sit on the floor in the back so that you wouldn't bother him.

Did you know that you are coming to the age where you can play with your friends? You have lots of them. Amy down the street, Savannah, Adele, and Mark are your favorites so far- but there are about 10 other kids you see regularly. When you see them, your wave your little arms around and squeal. We have really prayed that you will be the type of friend that will encourage your friends to love God more- to ask your friends what they are learning about God, and to pray for them. We hope you can use your super social personality to show people how much Jesus loves them.

Love,
Mom