Bugga is 10 Months Old

Well, I can't believe it. My little guy is just two months shy of being a whole year old! So, in honor of his "morthday" today (that's his monthly birthday, for all who don't know), I thought I would write a little eulogy. It's funny, because I'm sitting here dreading doing this and I'm trying to figure out why I'm dreading it. I think it's because everything I love about Bugga is so spontaneous. I'm afraid that if I try to sit down and remember stuff, knowing my memory, I'll be sitting here staring at a blank screen for a long time. I don't want to miss anything.

Maybe I'll go through a typical day with Bugga. When he wakes up in the morning between 6 and 7am, he's usually pretty vocal, trying desperately and loudly to get my attention and, therefore, his milk. He's not a sleeper-inner, much to my chagrin. He doesn't waste a minute of any day just "chilling." He's a mover! As soon as he finishes nursing in the morning, it's off to the races for him! When I insist on changing his diaper first, he has a fit. And boy can this kid throw fits. He's only 10 months old, but he has tantrums down to an art. But we'll get to that later (yes, this is going to be a long one, go get some popcorn or something). After nursing and getting dressed, Bugga heads out to explore, play, eat paper, bump his head, steal Buddha's cars, explore, play, get dirty, and definitely eat more paper. After about 10 minutes of this, he generally wants to eat solid food. Something about that paper must stimulate hunger. So, I plop him in his little booster seat, pop on the tray, and walk away to find him something to eat. At this point he always starts to cry like I've abandoned him, starving and helpless, in the middle of the desert. The kid seriously has no patience when it comes to food. He'll sit in his chair crying and waving his hands around the whole time I'm preparing his food. When I start to feed him, if I don't shovel it in fast enough, his little hands get going again, waving rapidly from the wrist, and the whining and rocking join to make a pretty formidable mode of communication. I definitely get the message. Which I suppose is the point. Ah, he has me on a tight leash, that boy.

Well, Buddha has usually joined the world by this time of the morning. He'll announce his presence with, "It's light, Mommy (like, don't even try to put me back to bed). I waked up. I sleeped a long time! It's really light!" Bugga becomes torn between eating and following Buddha around like a little puppy dog. Eating usually wins...at least until he's eaten so much I start wondering if my son has that eating disorder where they don't know when they're full. Then I usually force a stop and get his attention diverted away from the food.

And what could be better than food in my dear Bugga's world? Well, taunting his big brother, of course. And he's darn sneaky at it, too. The other day I was talking to Sara while Buddha and Bugga were standing at the couch. Buddha was blocking Bugga from all his lined up (parked) cars. Any time Buddha would step away, Bugga would quickly charge down the couch at full speed to mess up, rearrange, or steal Buddha's cars. As soon as he saw Buddha rushing to the rescue, he would drop everything and high tail it back to the other end of the couch where he would watch Buddha's auto inspection with an innocent expression. The child is truly entertaining (unless you're Buddha, then he's just exasperating).

Bugga is a vocal little fella. He loves to scream if someone will echo him. And he wanders around the house babbling all day long. He can say "da da," but I don't think he really knows what it means yet. He understands a few sign language words like "milk," "food," and "finished." He likes books. Okay, truthfully, he really just likes to eat books. Another favorite source of paper, I guess.

Bugga goes to sleep well and stays asleep well. He's off-again, on-again sleeping through the night. He was doing great last week until he succumbed to the cold I was nursing myself through. I tried so hard to keep it from him, but alas, it was no use. I nurse the kid at least five times a day, for cryin' out loud. There's just no escaping the cold when you're that close that often. So, I guess I'll have to repeat my sleep training with him this week as he gets over his cold. I don't look forward to that, but I do look forward to a solid night of sleep again. It was so nice last week!

Well, the gushing is almost over. You're probably almost out of popcorn, too. Maybe you should go get a piece of chocolate, just to hold you through to the end.

Bugga is my buddy. He has such a definite little personality. He's so opinionated and headstrong. Oh, yeah, that reminds me, I was going to tell you about his tantrums. So, Bugga loves to walk around holding on to my fingers with both hands. But I'm always trying to encourage his development and walking by dropping a finger as he gets going. Uh-uh, oh boy, he will not have it! As soon as my finger drops, he lets go of the other hand, plops to his bottom, rolls onto his tummy with a thud, and starts crying as if I've just performed the greatest injustice in the world. I'll have to try to get it on our camera sometime (no sound, of course, but you'll get the idea). I think it's hilarious. I'm sure he doesn't appreciate it, but I'll do it sometimes just to get kicks (I know, I'm terrible). I guess I marvel that a 10-month-old would even know to do that. Especially when he's never seen anyone else do any such thing. Buddha's tantrums are not so expressive. He usually just cries and screams...no plopping, flopping, or kicking.

So, as I was saying before I interrupted myself with an unavoidable tangent. Bugga is headstrong, but he's also extremely lovable and hugable and cuddly. It's one of my favorite things about him. He'll never hesitate to take a break from exploring and happily crawl into my outstretched arms and hug me, pat me, and slobber all over me.

Well, I can't think of anything else to say, though I'm sure there's much more. Lunch and dinner time are pretty much the same as breakfast - whining and flapping and all. Nap time is beautiful. And bed time is fun. It's fun to add Bugga to our bed time routine. Now we read scriptures with two little boys roaming the bedroom. We say prayers with four little calloused and scraped knees (and four bigger knees) at the bedside. And two sets of teeth get brushed and brushed as the boys giggle through our cajoling "dentist" routine. Daddy reads Buddha a bedtime story and Bugga usually explores, slaps, plucks, and grooms Daddy's face while he's reading.

And now, after the "storm" that is two boys. When all is quiet (except that rustling I hear in the backyard that's freaking me out), here I sit in front of the computer, winding down the day by trying to save a little bit of 10-month-old Bugga in writing. I hope he appreciates this later. But, if he doesn't, that's okay, because it's more for me than it is for him. I'll love reading these when at last I'm unable to bear any more children. I don't ever want to forget my "babies." Well, how's that chocolate? Woah, I said one piece. Slow down there. Sheesh, I'd better get myself a piece before it's all gone. :) Thanks for reading!