Month 7

Dear Desi,

Happy seven months! Seven! I can't believe it's only been a month since your last letter! You've learned to do sooo many things this month I don't even know where to begin! It's like you came up with something new every week. No, every day! We've lowered both cribs, we can't leave you alone on the bed anymore, and allow you to crawl on the floor! Yes, crawl! On the floor! It's the only surface big enough that you can't fall off of.



At the end of last month the most you could manage was a slow and uncoordinated creep. Now you're like a baby on a mission, like you've got a homing device. You zero in on something you want (usually the remote control, mommy's celphone, or something that belongs to Ate Lia) and you go after it superfast! For now you're still dragging your tummy across the bed, but in the last week you've been going up on all fours rocking back and fort, like, "here I go, here I go, here I go..." and then you drop to your tummy again, "Joke lang!" I know you'll be really crawling on your hands and knees really soon and I can't wait for you to finally be able to do it. Because you're so determined and when you accomplish something you're trying hard to do, you always break out in this big proud smile!



Like when you're able to climb up the side of your crib in order to stand, and you quietly and industriously keep at it until you stand, and you yell "Ah!" to say Look at me! I did it! We are so proud of you every time. You can't do it yet in your play pen because it doesn't have bars on the sides, and you can't get a grip on the netting around it. And you try and try but get frustrated, and of course you yell. And then I'll come and help you up and clinging tightly to my hands you, raise yourself to a level where you can reach the top edge of the play pen and yay! You're standing on your own and damn proud of yourself.

The cribs still take quite an effort to climb so right now, your favorite thing to brace yourself with are the bed harangs on Mommy and Daddy's bed. As soon as we lay you on our bed, unless you are distracted by some toy, you make a beeline for the edge with the blue netted fences and promptly raise yourself up, all by yourself, whether the TV your facing is on or off. You like to just raise yourself and stand there, sort of try to move from left to right (you've done it once or twice, but never very steadily). Sometimes Ate comes and stands beside you and you try to grab on to her but she's too quick to move away. Don't worry Desi, you'll get her soon enough.



Aside from the crawling and climbing, you're also honing your grabbing skills. You love it when we put Ate Lia's bucket of Dora blocks on the bed. You like to grab the box, upend it, scatter all the toys and proceed to choose which one will have the honor of going into your mouth. You're teething mightily right now, and everything you grab needs to be tasted and chewed. If only you were partial to teethers. You like them well enough, but you also like to chew books and remote controls. If you find a piece of clothing with the tag still on, you particularly single out the tag for a good biting. And because of my absent mindedness, I've had to fish pieces of paper out of your mouth a couple of times.



We spend time together every afternoon, while Ate is taking a nap, and the yayas are resting, that's our one on one time. I haven't been as strict with your not watching TV as I was with Lia, but lately, I've been more disciplined in turning off the TV and focusing on you instead. Especially now that you've learned to play games! Before if I cover your face with a lampin (cloth diaper) you just wiggle your arms and legs until I grab it from your face and say Bulaga! You really loved that game. You'd even stick out your tongue to taste the diaper. But now you've learned to grab the lampin yourself. So now the game is Where's Desi? I'd cover your face and say, "Where's Desi?" And you'd pull the cloth from your face and I'd say Ayun! It's so fun! You love this game even better. AND you've displayed some object permanence already as well, because you can also play Where's Mommy? If I cover my face with the lampin and say "Where's Mommy?" You crawl over and grab it and find me. You are so super smart! I'm relieved so far TV hasn't affected your brain. So far. Hopefully. :-)

It can be really tiring to keep track of your kalikutan, but on the whole, I find it thrilling and endearing, to see you pick yourself up and go go go! Especially because you are such a nice baby. You go with everyone! You rarely cry, you're even eating really well now, no more messes. Well, no more big messes. You're very observant, you don't mind being fussed over and meeting new people, you just look at them with your big-eyed frown that is really so super cute. At home, in familiar surroundings, you like to take part in conversations, you "talk" a lot and loudly, so adorable, you are everyone's delight.



I really only have one request. Can you please, please sleep through the night already? Or, if you really need to wake up to nurse, can we do it just once. Even one really long one, I'll take over the 4-5 times a night. I often start the morning exhausted and weak, like I've been exercising all night, instead of sleeping. People are marveling at how thin I am already so soon after giving birth. And I thank you for that because your appetite is to blame. But I'm thin enough, I don't need to lose any more weight. I'd love to have more rest at night. I'm afraid if this goes on I might go into drastic measures. Measures that will make my heart break more than it will make you very very angry.

That being said, I don't think I can stand not having you beside me at night just yet. Even if you kick me in the gut or tickle my ears, or grab at my shirt, mouth searching for your milk, even if I wake up exhausted several times through the night, I love being near you, smelling you and holding you. And most of all, I love being there when you open your eyes in the morning to a new day. And you would hit me in the face and make me wake up, and then you'd give up and look for your Daddy instead who would cuddle you, play with you and then take you down stairs. You would even cry if he leaves the room without you. Clearly you know which parent is useful in the mornings.


I love you so very very much, Desi. I am proud of you and I'm happy you're my baby.

Love, Mommy