15 Months

I think I would best describe this last month as having been one of transition. For you and for us. You are incredibly verbal now, with well over 20 words at your disposal, but aside from telling me that you want milk or noodles, your ability to communicate your specific desires is still limited. I think you are finding this increasingly frustrating and so am I. I feel like we are close but still some months away from me being able to ask, "What's the matter?" and you being able to respond with an intelligible answer. And the wait in the meantime is not one that either of us seems to be enjoying. Let's just say the day involves more moaning and whining than it used to.

This month has been filled with immense joy for me as a parent, but it's also been a time of struggle. Some of the self doubt that plagued me in the first months of your life has returned now that you are a real toddler. How often can I say "sit down" when you stand on a chair before it means absolutely nothing to you? Twice? Is there a better way for me to teach you safety? Why do you climb right back up to a standing position on the chair just after tipping the chair over, falling and sobbing for 5 minutes? Do you not understand me when I ask you to "come here" or does that request just not interest you? And will it ever interest you to follow my directions? How do I avoid becoming a rule monger?

We had your 15 month check-up yesterday and you measured 31 inches and 21 pounds - which means you are in the 75th percentile for height but only the 25th for weight - Daddy's girl if ever there was one. If I had one word to describe you this month it would be BUSY. The fact that you never (ever) stop moving might be contributing to your skinny minny proportions, but a another factor could be that you are still a pretty picky eater - subsisting primarily on noodles ("nunals"), copious amounts of fruit (satsumas are a current favorite, as are "APah" (apples)), cheese and crackers, and the occasional feast of guacamole or bite of broccoli.

You've become quite adept at what I'm told is called "symbolic play" this month - kissing your stuffed animals and making them kiss each other (while saying "Mwa!"),
feeding your stuffed animals when snacking (you repeatedly tried to make Sophie eat your french fries at The Counter this week), holding your sippy cup to your Baby's mouth and putting your beaded necklace on her, then yourself, then back on her.

"wawa" - this is what you call the activity where you stand at the sink in the downstairs bathroom and throw rocks in the sink while the faucet drips water. The frequency with which you request this 'game' is ridiculous. At least 5 times per day you throw yourself dramatically at the bathroom door and beg "Waaaaaawaaaaaa!!" And the passion you feel when we say no to your request is hilarious (and irritating). But the times when we do 'play' (typically after dinner) are so cute.

Dad noticed that you clearly set an agenda for yourself each time - it may not be clear to us what it is, but you seem determined to drop a certain number of rocks into the sink, remove them and re-drop them before the 'game' can be considered over. If we end it too soon... well, it's best we not talk about what happens then. Let's just say it involves much discontent.

You saw your first snow this month! Watching the first fall was mesmerizing

but you didn't like walking in it one bit. We drove north in the snow and had a wonderful Thanksgiving with both sets of grandparents and aunts/uncles.

Your word list is expanding daily and you've become an excellent mimic. It seems like you essentially try to repeat the last word of every single thing I say. For example, yesterday morning Dad suggested that he needed to replace the batteries on the fire alarms and you repeated, "Firaaaa". You typically get the first consonant correct, but that's usually about it. Dad showed you a book with a beetle the other day and you said, "belelelel" in this hilarious imitation of the word beetle.

The newest words this week seem to be "kick" - accompanied of course by an actual kick, "oh no" said with a strong midwestern accent, "rock" which refers to the rocking chair and the rocks that go in the sink, "brrrr" which is said with a fake shiver when I say the word cold (which I did a lot during the snow flurry we had last week), and lastly, "pea" which means please - and boy am I pleased when you remember to use it.

I will sign off this letter with my favorite story of you this month:

You were looking at a printed ad in a magazine with your Dad the other day. The ad featured a picture of a man from the waist down, wearing short-shorts and running barefoot. You pointed at one of his feet and said "Foof", then pointed at his other foot and said, "foof". You then carefully pointed at his shorts and said, "Poop".

Seriously, you are hilarious.

xoxo,

Mom