16 Months

I'm writing this letter a few days shy of your 16 month mark because this is a hectic month and we will be out of town on the 30th. I only make note of the few days because it seems like so much is changing lately; your Dad didn't see you for 3 days recently and remarked that you weren't even the same kid he'd said goodbye to. Perhaps 3 days from now you'll be speaking in full sentences! I honestly wouldn't be very surprised. Well, maybe a little surprised.
The most important milestone worth mentioning this month was Christmas, which was so different from last year.
Last year you weren't even able to sit up on your own and this year you tore through both of your grandparents' houses, dragging all your presents with you whenever possible. You loved pointing out the Christmas tree, lights, and the ball ornaments we dangle from our chandelier. At least 5 times a day you would run into the living room and point at the "tee!", then run back into the dining room to look at the ornaments - "ball!!", then back to the tree to point at the "liiiight!" One by one you would remove the non-breakable ornaments that we hung low on the tree and hand them to me, patting your chest proudly and saying "hep" (meaning you were being a big help) when I took them.
Your words get ever more impressive these days and everyone comments on your chattiness. We spent 5 nights in Bellingham visiting both of your Grandmas and Grandpas for Christmas. During our trip you learned to say most everyone's names - You've got "gumma" and "gup" for Grandma and Grandpa, "wenny" for great aunt Wendy and uncle Javi's name is always pronounced perfectly and in conjunction with "ball! kick!" because he gave you a soccer ball and spent hours kicking it around Grandma and Grandpa C's house with you. You didn't get to see your uncle Scott and aunt Emily for very long, so these names will probably come later this week when we get together to exchange gifts with them. Aunt "kati" made the list of your words on the tail end of our trip and you enjoyed going around the table and pointing at each of us during Christmas dinner, trying to correctly identify everyone. Hilariously, Grandma and Grandpa's dog Toby is STILL a topic of discussion at home. We've been home for a few days and you still ask me about Toby regularly. When we were staying at Toby's house, you would wake up from your nap every day by calling for "Tobo!", eventually getting the pronunciation correct by the end of our stay.

I'd list all your other words, but I had to stop keeping a list. You essentially say EVERYTHING now; I'm hard pressed to think of a word that you can't or haven't said yet. I suppose that's not really true. It isn't as if you're reading the dictionary, but when it comes to everyday words, you've become quite the parrot. I'm just waiting for the day you wake up and shout a full sentence from your crib, totally shocking your Dad and me.

We haven't been playing your game of "wawa" as much this month, I think much of your energy has shifted to playing with your stuffed animals and baby dolls - baby stella, sweet pea, and Minnie Mouse. Your Dad and I gave you a baby doll and a tiny stroller for her at Christmas. I often find you flinging baby out of the stroller and climbing in yourself, then you throw a fit when you find yourself stuck and can't get out. Perhaps your favorite gift this year was the tiny broom and dust pan set. You love to sweep and say to yourself, "swep..... ceaning.... brooma"

Many of your other interests have a definite lean in the tomboy direction - fire trucks are a passionate topic for you, buses and motorcycles are very exciting, and you seemed more interested in the rubber snakes your older boy cousins were playing with at the Culver Cousins Christmas party than the dollhouse nearby. Soccer is also very popular right now.

Your love for bath time has doubled this month with the discovery of "shwimming". To "shwim" is to roll onto your back and float while your Dad holds you up on the surface of the water. You also like to shwim by laying in the bath on your belly and dipping your face into the water to take a "sip!" (cringe). You were in the tub the other day and I was sitting nearby when I accidentally let a fart slip. You looked at me in a concerned manner and said, "Poop?" I said, "No, just a toot" and now every time you toot, you look at me very seriously and say, "Tut".

You had a nasty cold this month that started a week before Christmas and lasted forever, in fact your nose is still dripping a bit. You never sleep well when sick, even a runny nose will send you into a fury when the middle of the night comes and you can't breath easily. The first 3 nights or so are always the worst. I caught your bug this time so we were both drippy (but in good spirits) for Christmas. We've recently recovered in the sleep department, which is such a relief. Your Grandpa C was also sick over Christmas and every time one of us would cough, you'd look at everyone and say "cough" in a very adult tone - just in case none of us was familiar with what a cough was.

You are still rather defiant and I still feel like I'm spending a lot of time asking you to get down, sit down, be careful, or be gentle.
We were in the bathroom last week while I was brushing my teeth and while I turned away for approximately 5 seconds, you managed to empty the garbage can of all your snotty tissues. When I saw the mess, I asked you to please pick up the toilet paper and put it in the garbage. I laughed so hard when you went over to the roll of toilet paper (which was resting on top of the toilet where you can't unravel it), picked it up and stuffed the entire thing into the garbage can, all the while looking at me for approval.

The one area in which you (thankfully) are cautious is with regard to anything hot. You like to point out all the hot items in a room multiple times so that I (and everyone else) can be aware of them. At the annual progressive dinner last week, you would point to each candle and tell everyone, "HOT" as if simultaneously warning and chiding everyone. Same with fireplaces and tree lights.

Your temperament is the same as always - highly energetic and adventurous, extremely social and never shy, always proud, and affectionate in tiny bursts. You've started to really grasp the concept of playing with others this month.

You and Mae during a playdate. You with Reid at the annual stocking exchange party.

We've had quite a few family get togethers this month that included older children and you've had the best time chasing them, being chased, squealing when caught, falling to the floor together very dramatically and giggling, racing up the stairs together, petting dogs, playing with fridge magnets together, being lifted by the older kids, and just generally being a kid. Because you really are a kid these days and not so much the baby I used to have. Here's to another month of adventures.

xoxo
Mom