Dear J,

You are a marvel to us. Your body is a marvel to us. You are a five month old in nine month old’s clothing, growing so quickly that it’s early March and most of your clothes are tiny t-shirts and shorts, covered in anchors and sailboats. Summer has arrived early in our household.

And I have never seen such constant movement. Out of empathetic curiosity, we sometimes lie down beside you on our stomachs, kicking our legs in the air for as long as we can. We only last a few seconds. You continue for so long that sometimes W trots over and lies down behind you, nipping at your feet like it’s a game you two have agreed on. Where does your boundless energy come from?

Right now, you are lying on your stomach, pushing up on your arms, kicking your legs as fast as you can. You haven’t yet figured out the symmetrical finesse of moving arms and legs in unison, so for now you are still a whirlwind of static motion. But soon it’s going to click.

And when it clicks, you will suddenly be army-crawling across the floor. At that moment, our pup will bid farewell to her final moment of peace and quiet in this home. At that moment, the game changes for the whole family, and our joyful responsibility of bearing witness to your life will include following you around the house, watching as you explore every nook and cranny of our little kingdom.

Keep practicing, J, you’re almost there.

Yours,

Papa