Hello my love!
We just got back from your second vacation ever, we went to Florida! You saw the beach for the first time, and we stayed with your Grandma and Grandpa (and Bogey). You did SO well, the flights there and back were long, but you seriously couldn't have done any better than you did. You're such a trooper. We even ate at a super fancy restaurant, and you didn't make a peep, and you ate like a champ (you loved the Stone Crab, and mommy's Halibut!).
Wow I have no idea how to capture you in these letters anymore, you're so much more complex than you were even a month ago, much less a year ago.
You'll be 2 in a little over 2 weeks. I'm not having a hard time with you turning two, I think it was harder for me when you turned 1, and you were technically not an 'infant' anymore.
You sure act two.. you are so strong willed, stubborn, and impulsive.
You're also so darn smart! Your vocabulary and communication skills are off the charts (really!), you're talking in sentences, and you remember words and phrases just after me teaching you one time.
You sing the ABC song (sort of) by going "A B C.. FG YAYYYYY!" and clap your hands. Then you'll randomly continue with "Q R S T! YAYYY!!!". You sing the first line of Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but you've done that for a while now. You use adjectives a lot, and you emphasize them, like; "Diplodocus neck is so, so, so, so, long", or "Giraffe is very, very very very tall".
You're sleeping great, eating better than ever.
For Halloween you were a dinosaur.. the cutest dinosaur of all time! We trick or treated for the first time and you LOVED it.. way more than I thought you would. I think the novelty of running around 'at night' and going to other people's houses was just so exciting to you.
You're a very very sweet little soul, you're affectionate and loving.. it's just your nature. Your little being is so pure, honest, and kind. You inspire me to be a better person every second I spend with you. I think we could all be more like you, honestly.
You're also still hilarious, and you love it. You joke, you say things 'wrong' on purpose to be funny. Just yesterday I also heard you making your hippo 'talk' to you, in a different voice, he said "Hello, Jameson". You also started saying "How are you Mommy?", and your favorites, "Come HERE Mama", "Come ON Mama", and "MOVE Mama". When you like something, you'll say "moooooore?" in the sweetest little voice. Course, you'll also say "no" in the same little bird voice too. When we were in Florida laying in bed and I'd have the TV on, I'd ask you if you were ready for me to turn the TV off, and you'd say so sweetly "no?".
You have a bunch of teeth now, we're still working on toothbrushing. I got you a Spinbrush and you LOVED it (it has stickers of things you like all over it), but I think it hit one of your tender gums where a tooth is coming in and now you hate it. Great! We'll work on that.
You still love trucks, dinosaurs.. you still like to have something small in each hand (like matchbox cars, little people animals).
We're doing trucks and dinosaurs for your birthday.
You're current favorite 'shows' on TV are Caillou, and Kipper. You also like Super Why. And Elmo.
You're still using a pacifier at night and at naps, we'll have to work on that too.
Oh and the best story ever:
You told me that you loved me, unsolicited and spontaneous a few weeks ago. Best moment of my LIFE so far (other than the day I had you, of course!). You've been getting a little grumpy when it comes time to rinse the shampoo out of your hair (I have you lay down and pour water over your hair). I never could figure out what it was, the water on your ears was my best guess. So I started holding your head with one hand and pouring water with the other,and telling you that I "got you" and that you were safe and it was ok. Well that particular night, after I rinsed your hair, Oma said to you "See, Mommy held your head, and it was ok, you are safe" and you looked at me so sweet and said "Love you".
I love you too.. more than you'll ever know.
Love, Mommy
