Dear Syed Brian (vol. 1 iss. 7)

You’re becoming a little boy! While still technically a baby, you are looking and acting more and more like a little man every day and it’s hard to believe that you are already 7 months old. This month, you’ve excelled during physical therapy and are doing exactly what you should be. Also, you’ve managed to thrive in the first full month with your shunt. I think we’ll call your shunt “George.” George has been good to you, allowing your height and weight to catch up with your head circumference. While you are the size of an average 13-month old child, you are still our little baby boy.

You are enjoying new perspectives in life, which have been afforded by the ability to sit up unassisted for the past several weeks. This allowed you to play with your toys and see more than you ever could before. It also enabled you to start eating solid foods. You really enjoy your pureed fruits and vegetables, and are consuming increasingly massive quantities of food. We might go broke trying to feed you. You also are really enjoying tummy time now. When you realized that being on your tummy meant that you could start to channel your inner inchworm, you decided that it was a good thing. Your inner inchworm enables you to push up on your legs and scoot your body forward to reach the toy that you must desperately have.

Over the past month, your dad and I have officially decided that we must be your biologic parents after all. For a while, we weren’t too sure, but you have removed any doubt that we may have had. Why the epiphany? It’s easy: you’re determined and you like to move fast.

Your determination manifested in the desire that you suddenly had this month to deconstruct some of your toys. You tried to remove parts of your CD player by anchoring your feet on the base, holding onto the toy bar, and pulling as hard as your little arms could. You got mad (really mad) when the toy bar would not come off. So you screamed. And tried again. And again. And again. Then you begrudgingly gave up, looked at me, and pouted. Yes, you are my son.

You are also your father’s child given your apparent appreciation for going fast and cars. We took you on your first boat ride this month. The faster the boat went, the happier you were. You then took this new-found appreciation of speed and decided to apply it to your very own car. You learned how to propel yourself in your red car that is also a walker. (yes, I know that walkers are a mortal sin for children and that we will forever damage our child by allowing him to use one and that he might drive off a cliff in his red car walker; I get it) At first, you could only make your car walker move in reverse. But in time, you are learning how to propel yourself forward. And you like it. So much that you squeal in delight while grabbing the windshield so you can turn into the curve. So yes, you are your father’s child, too.

Another significant milestone this month: your first girlfriend! I’m not quite sure how I feel about this, but your dad is quite proud, especially because she is an older girl of 12 months. You met at the gym, where her mom runs the daycare. She is smitten with you and tries very hard to make you laugh. She also really likes your new haircut, which makes you look even more like a little boy and less like a baby. You also really like to play peak-a-boo with her and anyone else, for that matter. Peak-a-boo is your favorite game and you’re getting better at it ever day.

Simon and Charlie are truly becoming your best friends. You like to taunt them by laughing at them every time they bark at you. You also try to pet them and pull them closer to you…by using their tails. Fortunately, they seem to like you and don’t mind the ways in which you demonstrate your affection. They see the benefits just around the corner. Solid food is now a staple of your diet so Charlie is extremely pleased with that fact. You like to take Simon’s toys from him, providing encouragement that someday you might have a purpose for him.

Your dad is doing an amazing job taking care of you while I play the role of a working mother. Fortunately, you still remember me when I come home and you adore your daddy more than ever. As always, we love you, buddy, and we're having so much fun with you. Until next month…

Love,
Mom