Saturday, June 09, 2007

Irregular Monthly Newsletter: 18 Months







Well Big, while you officially turn 18 months old on the 9th, you were emotionally 18 months at least about 10 days ago.

Something clicked in you and you now regularly show preferences for things other than food, like footwear (often you prefer your rainboots, colorful and easy to get on but with that pesky corollary that they are also easy to fall off) and you display negative emotions at a much regular frequency than, say three or four months ago.

You've been working on your upper eye-teeth for a while. The tooth issue has been a breeze for a while as you still only have ten (six on top and four on the bottom). But now the doozies are coming in and you have been sleeping in fits and starts waking us with loud exclamations of aches and pains.

You seem somewhat more needy lately, which is, honestly, a time that I love to share with you. At night you've been waking up a bit and it only takes a little back rub to calm you back into sleep.

You climb on everything, including the diningroom chairs. Often, I'll look away and back again and find you teetering expertly, one toe on the tip of the chair which has, by that time scooted away from the table, your body hanging on for dear life.

Unlike Seven though, you rarely fall, even though I often get the feeling that you're about to crack your head open.

Achievements:
You can literally drop kick a ball (one of Seven's friend's mom's saw you do this at a soccer game and was blown away. I didn't know that there was anything special about it).

You're getting better at eating with a fork and spoon, but the more 18monthish fact about this is that you absolutely refuse NOT to eat without the utensils. As a result, you eat everything with them, even clear finger foods.

In the same vein, you copy Seven in the mornings by eating cereal out of a bowl with milk. This has obviously been a source of personal pride for you. You look at us as if to say I'm no baby! Give me some MILK with my Cheerios!

You are passionate about scooters (see previous post).

Your languge expression has not yet exploded (as some say will happen) but you clearly follows and understands everything.

New clear words include "truck" and "bubble" but still no purposeful "mama" or "baba".

"Wee-ooo-wee-ooo-wee-ooo" which previously was devoted to only apparent rescue vehicles now seems to be applied to yourself when you need or want something. Instead of your usual grunt-and-point, you've started to "siren" your need.

Just so you know, it doesn't make us move any quicker.

You definitely understand the command to give someone a "raspberry" and do so whole-heartedly. At bathtime, at bedtime, in the morning, afternoon and evening, you've been known to go up to Seven or BioMom, pull back an article of clothing and blow onto their skin, and then smile radiantly at the sound you've made.

We love you like crazy, Big.
-Baba and Mama and Seven

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