8 Months!

Dear Naomi,

I can't pinpoint when exactly, but at some point this past month you decided to start flapping your wings.  We've seen you stand, and heard all your new baby talk.  You love roaming the house and I can honestly say that it is getting harder to keep up with your little crawl.  It's sad to see you not able to fit in some of your older clothes, but also exciting to see you growing so quickly into new ones.  You grunt.  You laugh.  You show excitement for things and you absolutely love Olive and Q.  You are a champ at the park and you've made the playground yours, not afraid to climb over or through anything in your path.

There is so much more.  So many small intangible details that I could write about for hours.  But the gist of it all is that we are so immensely in love with you and all of your new beginnings.  And I know that you love us too.  I think my most favorite happening from this past month is for the first time, you leaned in to give me and Mama a kiss.  It was quite literally a melting moment for us.  My other favorite thing, walking in the door and seeing you greet me or your Mom with so much happiness and unfiltered joy.    We've learned so much about who you are, but you've also helped us learn so much about ourselves.  And just when we thought we had this whole love thing figured out, you taught us to never put a boundary on it, because it grows with each passing day, if that's even possible.  

Thank you Naomi.  Thank you for another amazing month and for showing us so much more of you. 

love,

Papa

Toshka, the one and only.

Dear Naomi,

You finally got a chance to meet your Great Uncle Toshka.  Toshka, or Tosh as we often refer to him, is a staple of loyalty and love in the family.  He's now in the winter of his years, but has lived seasons full of life.  Toshka is the first family dog.  Long before Olive or Qtip ever came along.  Even though those three have spent a little bit of time together on occasional visits, none of Tosh's wise temperment ever rubbed off on them.  But that's okay.  Every dog is different and we love Olive and Q for all their little quirks.  Afterall, Tosh is one of a kind.  Regal, loyal, handsome, strong.  

 

He was a natural with you.  Patient, curious, gentle.  I could tell that he would look after you and keep you safe.  He comes from a breed that was used to watch over children, so it's no surprise how his mannerisms were with you.  We hope for you to see him more often.  Perhaps as you get older and more capable, you may even get to hold the leash on a walk with the old boy.  For your mom and I, having these pictures of us together is such a sentimental thing.  You see, Tosh is not just a pet to us, he's a symbol of the family.  I have so many memories of visits to Tilden park where we would hike through the hills, occasional visits to Ocean beach, and of course the countless times we enjoyed walks over looking the Bay.  Although you were sleeping in your stroller, you had a chance to experience this for the first time as well.  

 

On the day that we first saw Tosh, we visited him and his siblings at his owners home not far from your Grandparents house.  We were there to pick out a little puppy as a gift for Nadia - which of course was a gift for all of us.  We had a hard time deciding and needed to think more about the decision, but as we were leaving the house, Tosh (then a nameless cute little pup), came running out after us through the front door as we walked towards the car.  That pretty much sealed the deal for us and the rest is now history.  As I look back at all the days past, I can't help but think how much better our lives have been with him in them.  It's easy to say that he needed a home, that he needed us.  I much more like to say that we needed him, and he helped make our home.  

love,

Papa

The pumpkin patch

Dear Naomi,

Your very first Halloween is here and we took you to your very first pumpkin patch!  We are excited to get you all dressed up in your first costume, which Mama took very seriously in finding.  I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak of the costume which I know everyone is going to go crazy over.  We had a great time at the patch - in an L.A. sort of way.  After all, the patch wasn't at some distant farm like we had planned, but instead nestled right in the middle of West Hollywood and it was literally 90 degrees.  We found shade, trying our best to keep cool we found shape inside tee-pees, and most importantly, we took lots of fun pictures with you surrounded by pumpkins twice your size.  I would say it was a success.  We were joined by our good friends and best neighbors Emily & Cory whom you might remember from flying to Philadelphia for their wedding.  When we set up a little photo area for you, the crowd gathered to see who this amazingly cute little baby was, trying to eat a pumpkin.  In a place that featured a water slide, face painting, petting zoo, and lots of Halloween fair, you were definitely the star attraction.

love,

Papa

First steps in the ocean

Dear Naomi,

This is one particular moment I have very much been anticipating.  I've longed to see you experience the ocean and the beach so that you can start creating your own memories of how beautiful and special a place it is.  I myself have so many fond memories of the ocean and being at the beach from a very young age from when my family used to take me and I can even remember as far back as 2-3 years of age sitting and playing in the sand.  As crazy as that sounds it's true.  Maybe that just speaks more to how amazing that first impression was for me when I first saw the ocean.  Your Mom and I have also created so many beautiful memories through the years which have made the ocean a very special place for us as well.  It's a place where dreams are born, and memories met.  It's a place of groundness and meditation to calm the soul, and a place of inspiration to soar into the many depths that dreams and creativity reveal themselves.  And just seeing in how you gazed into the horizon with wonder and braved taking your very first steps into an unknown, I know that this was just the beginning of many great memories and a start of your very own relationship with the sea. 

love,

Papa

7 Months!

Dear Naomi,

Wow.  What a month.  The picture above I think says it all.  The past month introduced us to so many firsts, none more noticeable than you starting to stand.  What's crazy is how fast everything happened.  One minute we were rejoicing in you learning to crawl and sitting up with ease, to one day just popping up to stand like you had been doing it behind our backs for weeks.  It is such a remarkable thing to see you becoming so capable and determined.  I can only imagine what's next, although I bet my imagining will only last a short while as soon you will be walking, talking and reaching for the sky.  We love to engage with you in your baby talk and often have conversations with you, even if we don't know exactly what you are trying to say.  It was also a month full of other firsts.  You had your very first airplane ride, traveling across the country to Philadelphia and touched the ocean with your feet for the very first time - both of which will be receiving their very own posts as well.  And we've also been introduced to a not so fun and challenging first....teething.  But that's a whole other story all together :)  

Your laughter and smiles are a welcome and frequent presence for us which light up our days like nothing else can.  Thank you Naomi for a month filled with so many remarkable milestones.  Here's to a next month full of more.

love,

Papa

standing.

naomi standing from Charles Ellison on Vimeo.

Dear Naomi,

It seems like yesterday that you were born Naomi.  Seeing how far you have come in such a short time, all I can really say is just how proud of you I am.  You are so full of life and light and because of that, you bring so much life and light into our lives.  With each day, we learn more about your personality.  We learn how determined of a soul you really are.  You never hesitate, you never express doubt.  You share an undeniable quest to experience all the wonderful things that this life has to offer us.  You are brave, and you are strong and even in you little failures, you endure and continue on with that beautiful smile.  You are now helping yourself stand on your own.  You do so almost effortlessly.  Watching you and all your little miracles is the most inspriring and moving thing that I have ever experienced.  Mama and I love you so much Naomi. 

love,

Papa

Bath time

Dear Naomi,

If i'm lucky, I get home just in time to partake in all the evening fun.  The feeding, the last bits of play, the night time ritual, and of course the bath - my favorite of all.  I don't what it is, but being next to you as you move about in the water, mumbling your little babble and playing with your water toys, is the best way for me to unwind from a long day.  Your always so calm in there, and you love to peak around to see that Mama and Papa are there watching.  And when you notice one of us, you send us a little smile of acknowledgement.  

I can't wait to take you to a pool soon.  The thought of being in the water with you and helping you float around seems to good to be true.  But I promise to make this happen soon.  

love,

Papa

Play

Dear Naomi,

Ever since we got you this nice cozy play pen, you've had your very own space to explore and just be when you need a break from Mama and I smothering you will too much love.  We love to watch you be in your own world.  

love,

Papa