Seven Months — jaimejoshi.com

Usually, I’m on top of Will’s monthly blog posts but this month - it got away from me.

The reason for that is because we’ve been doing so much more together and I haven’t really had the time to write (I usually sneak a couple of minutes every day to tap notes in my Google Keep app).

I found out I was pregnant in February 2020 - right before COVID rocked our world - and I was really excited about being the Mom who would take her child to Reading Time at the library, Gymboree and Baby Yoga.

Unfortunately, all of that stuff shuttered and our options became pretty limited. So, we improvised and Will has spent a lot of time hanging out in backyards and on patios with a bunch of adults who love him.

This ended up working out pretty well for us because it’s who we are as parents.

When I was pregnant, I wrote about how I was unsure about which “Mom Archetype” I would fit into . Now that I’m a mom, it’s safe to say that I’m definitely not a Crunchy Granola Mom (I don’t give a shit if peanut butter is organic. Jif is delicious) or a Tiger Mom. I guess I’m a little Helicoptery because I track Will’s naps, feedings and diaper changes but that’s more for me than it is for him so I can anticipate his needs a little better.

(Oh and if I ever become a Wine Mom, just exile me to that fucking cave in Dark Knight Rises. I couldn’t climb the rope in gym class; there’s no way I’d be able to climb out of that thing…and that’s what I’d deserve for being the actual worst)

I don’t want to be the type of mom who is more friend than parent (we all know what happened to those kids) but I want to show my son that this world is bright, lovely and interesting with bright, lovely and interesting people. It doesn’t cater entirely to children but if you act like you’ve been here before - you’ll do just fine and probably have a great time.

Sure do! In fact, my kid’s the one doing the Texas Two Step and he’s a blast to hang out with.

Dear Will:

If this past month had a theme, it would be “More.”

More food, more cuddles and more adventures together as a family.

Firstly - the food. This is huge. In a month, you’ve gone from a majority milk diet to expanding your culinary horizons substantially:

You’re obsessed with peanut butter, you love the guacamole from Cholo Soy (in fairness, who doesn’t?) and you’ve tried a whole range of mush pouches ranging from apple-cinnamon oatmeal with raisins (loved it) to chickpea-zucchini-pear (meh but I mean, come on. That’s a weird flavor combination) to pasta with tomatoes and white beans (loved it).

But, the biggest and most important milestone is the fact that you ate daal.

Not unseasoned mushed lentils made for babies and the infirm but actual real deal daal that Nanima made for dinner. The kind with cumin and mustard seeds, turmeric and ginger-chili paste.

You didn’t like the rice it was served alongside but man, you lapped up the rest and I have never been more proud of you.

When you were in utero, Mommy used to read Bilal Cooks Daal to you at least once a week - typically commenting on how her daal recipe differs from the one in the book. I really hope that one day, we can cook together - you sitting on the counter next to me, tasting what we cook together and telling me I should probably add a little more tamarind.

You had your first cold this month due to teething. That sucked but you got through it like a champ thanks to Baby Tylenol, warm showers with Mommy and Daddy and lots of cuddles in the nursery.

I love watching you sleep and I swear, there are moments where your face changes. I can see the baby I brought home from the hospital, I see my little lobo whose face lights up when I wriggle my eyebrows and I see what you might look like as a toddler, a boy and a young man. It’s a peace unlike any other and I have no idea what I did to deserve it, but I am grateful for every second of it.

You celebrated your friend Skylar’s second birthday and got to meet a bunch of animals at a petting zoo. You probably liked the pony best of all but I loved seeing how gentle and sweet you were with the bunny rabbits.

I think you appreciate any animal who isn’t trying to lick your eyebrows off like Indiana does. That’s just how he shows love, buddy and one day - you’ll appreciate it. Indiana loves you so much.

We’ve been spending a lot of time outside lately - soaking up the sunshine before it gets blisteringly hot. We were driving around a few weeks ago and you got hungry, so we stopped at Summa Beach Park and you got to have breakfast on the sand while looking out at the intracoastal.

Just us and a little sliver of paradise - not a bad way to start a morning.

Daddy and I love West Palm Beach and we’ve made the conscious decision to raise you here.

We were raised here and went to school here. We’ve seen our favorite bands here, shared countless meals with all the people we love and raised dogs here. West Palm is where Mommy and Daddy fell in love and Palm Beach County is where we got engaged (Juno Beach), married (Delray Beach) and where you were born (Loxahatchee).

We hope you love your home as much as we do and we can’t wait to share more of it (and the rest of the world) with you.