Blogging Baby

18 Months

Emilio,

You’re 1/2 way to 2! 18 months is a pretty big milestone in the baby/toddler world.  For us, its been big for a few reasons, but the biggest is that on Monday you officially moved in to the Toddler classroom at school.  I’ve known for sometime that you’d left babyhood behind (besides when you’re sleeping in my arms, or crying for me in the night) and charged right in to toddler hood.  But seeing how much you’ve changed just in the last two weeks as you transitioned in to the toddler room has really opened my eyes to how much this process of watching you grow can throw me for a loop.  Sometimes there is slow progress and change, like learning to crawl and walk.  And then there are days when you wake up and I swear you’re inches taller, and you’ve added 5 more words to your vocab.  Overnight.  

So what have we been up to?  A lot!  Our play dates have increased dramatically in the last month, and it is great!  I love watching you interact with other kiddos, and I love watching you explore new worlds and activities.  We joined some Meet Up friends for a BBQ and a swim in the Pool, we headed to our new favorite park a few times, we spent time with some day care buds in our new wading pool at home, we went on Grandpa’s boat for the first time, we went to MA for Evelyn’s 2nd birthday party and we explored Long Beach and the Ocean for your second time, but the first time you’ve really enjoyed it.  You love water!

You make everyone happy everywhere you go.  Whether it is with your love of food, your willingness to try things out, your strutting, singing or just your smiles and words.  You’re so good natured and I’m so proud.  

You continue to add new words to your vocabulary and have really blossomed in your identification of animals, body parts and sounds.  Our favorite word that you’ve added recently is Hippo.  You love your stuffed animals, and they’ve really helped you learn animals.  But most of all, you’re learning through reading books.  It is often that we sit and just read through your entire stack of books.  You love to flip the pages and point out what’s what.  You’re happiest in the car when you have your stuffed animals smushed in around you and a book in your hand.  Your favorite books right now are: Hug, Goodnight Gorilla, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Polar Bear Polar Bear, Have you Seen my Cat, Olivia’s Opposites, and Potty.  

Bud, your favorite food right now is broccoli.  I just want to document that for future, if need be.  I love that you love to eat, I love that you know what you love too.  I’m finding it to be very true that I need to trust that you know what you need and want and to look at a whole week or day of eating rather than the meal at hand.  I also continue to be glad I can fall back on you getting what you are lacking from breast milk.  You tried Peanut Butter and Banana for the first time, and yes, you loved it.  

Emilio, you just continue to amaze us everyday.  Sometimes I just watch you and marvel to myself how beautiful you are, how much I love you, and how lucky I am that you’re mine.  You are loving and love to cuddle with us in bed.  I know if you aren’t sleeping right next to me, often with your head in my neck, you’re cuddled up with Dad on the other side of the bed.  One morning recently you woke up, leaned over and kissed both of us good morning and then got to crawling all over us and giggling.  How can we be upset about 6:30 wake ups when that is what is waking us up?  

I think one of the biggest changes I’ve seen this past month is your love of music, and your singing of songs.  You have one I call the tired song.  It comes out usually when you are a little over tired/hyper and you start singing it no matter what you’re doing.  Walking around with Grover?  Singing.  Sitting and eating dinner?  Singing.  In the tub?  Singing.  On the changing table getting ready for bed? Singing.  I love it.  I listened to Baby Beluga about 10 times with you the other night.  The good news for Dad and I who love all music and want you to be exposed to it, is that while you prefer children’s music, you also can get down to some of our tunes too.  I was playing Nick Drake the other day and you had no problem swaying along to his mellow tunes.  You love to make your guys dance too.  I just love watching the wild abandon you have when it comes to music, dancing and singing.  You are so lacking in any kind of self consciousness and it is beautiful to see.  How do I help you retain that?  

Up there?  That’s you dancing and singing as you walk along on Long Beach.  Maybe we can do that together on your 18th birthday just as a way of helping you remember to always be proud of who you are and own it.  That’s one of the most beautiful qualities you can have.  

I continue to be the happiest I’ve ever been when you run at me with your eyes wide, your face big and bright with a smile and smush your face in to my chest, or kiss me with a big open mouth kiss.  

You my beautiful boy, make me the happiest I’ve ever been several times a day, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.  

Thank You.

I love you and your wild, wonderful, who you are ways,

Mama