At 16 months

[aubreym]

Or, technically, 16 months and a week.  Ooops, I'm behind again.  If you're reading these, Tai, I'm sure you aren't surprised because I'm late much more often than I'm on time.  And if I am on time, I usually slide into my seat at the last minute, out of breath, with my hair all crazy.  I suppose it's possible that I might change in time, but I haven't yet.

Dear Tai,

We had your one year checkup today (I am so very behind, and Dr. Treece's office has been slammed!) and I got to see just how much you've grown.  While you aren't off the charts, you are certainly topping them.  Your head circumference is 50cm (19.7 in) and at the 97th percentile.  You weigh 31.25 pounds, which is also at the 97th percentile.  And you are 33.25 inches tall, a none-too-shabby 89th percentile.  Even though I know you have grown (you are no longer swallowed up by your crib, and when you stretch out across my lap to nurse for naps or night you barely fit), I can barely believe you are almost three feet tall already.  It looks like you'll take after your Daddy in height, which is good if you have basketball aspirations.

Your favorite toy is still a ball.  No matter who has the ball at the playground, you want a turn.  Preferably a very long turn.  You can throw, kick and you've just started to catch too.

You run (though not too gracefully and you've been known to take a face-plant or two), you walk backwards, you can *almost* catch air when you jump.  You dance to music - both music we play and music you overhear.  You aren't particular, you will dance to White Stripes and whatever happens to be blasting from a passing car.  You'll also dance to the music at our favorite taqueria.  You do a little bounce, a little twist, a little arm turn, and just today you added in a little pelvic rock.  You didn't mind when most of the restaurant watched you groove - I hope you never lose that fearlessness.  You also love to spin, to be held up in the air and then 'dropped' while I say, "Don't drop the baby!"  (I am getting strong arms.)

You still love plants and insects and dogs of every size and variety.  You kiss Little Dog with open mouth, and don't mind when Violetta nibbles your ear because she loves you so much.

You are starting to be a little wary of people you don't know, or haven't seen in a while, though you warm up pretty quickly.  Today when we were leaving Lisa and Blue's house you gave them each the sweetest of hugs - which is new as well.

You are rocking the vocabulary.  You can say:

Ball "ba"
Bug "Buh"
Dog "Daw" or 'daw daw"
Bark "bar'
woof "woof"
more "mo"
nose "nuh"
hair "ayer"
radio "ayo"
no "NO"
Mama
Dada
meow "mow"
bye "ba" complete with wave, though you often wave toward yourself
Duck "duh"
Quack "quack"
Eye "i"
ear "eyr"
book "booh"
hat "at"
hot "ot"

Sometimes you say things that I don't quite understand.   You say, "Bo" and sometimes it seems like you mean the wind is blowing, but other times there isn't any wind around.  You speak your own language still.  You look right at me very intently and say something and gesture and point and I have to admit that I don't understand.  I wish I did.  Most of the time I can make a guess, but sometimes I'm just in the dark.

You are signing, too.  I need to get myself together to teach you more!  You still sign 'nurse', and 'more' and 'all done' (though sometimes you forget that one).  You know 'eat', though sometimes you forget and just sign 'nurse'.  You also sign 'toilet' though not every time you need to go, and sometimes when you don't need to go but want to get out of doing something else, like napping.  You've been doing amazingly well on the potty front, too - you go when you wake up in the morning and after your nap.  Sometimes your diaper stays perfectly dry from your nap until your bath.

You love to watch the big kids at the park and try to play with them when you can.  You help fill up buckets with sand, and also help knock down sand castles.  You can climb up the first rung of a ladder and you try for more.  You slide by your self on the little slides, and like to go down the bigger ones with me or Daddy.

You eat like a champ - fruit is your favorite.  You eat endless amounts of strawberries, cantelope, clementines, and peaches.  You like apricots and apples and banana and pineapple.  You haven't been much in the mood for veggies lately unless they sneak in with burrito filling or eggs or other bites of food.  I figure that's a passing phase.  You still nurse before naps and at night and get a bottle before bed, but you do most of your intake from solid food already.

You're down to one nap a day, though it's usually two hours or so.  If I'm really lucky it can be two and a half hours.  Usually you wake up between 6 and 7 (closer to six), get into things in the bedroom until you have to go to the bathroom and then you tell me and I poke Daddy awake to take you.  Then you and Daddy go downstairs together and let me sleep until almost 8:30.  We wave goodbye to Daddy out the window then mosey downstairs for cereal and banana and morning play.  Around 10:30 or so you take your nap.  Then it's lunch and out for the afternoon.  

Most of the time you're in a good mood.  You have definite opinions - if you want me somewhere you point and say, 'eh!'  You know what you want and you let me know too.  You do have your tantrums - if we're leaving the park too early, or I put you in the stroller when you'd rather walk you love to arch your back and yowl.   I'm pretty sure you've shattered some glasses with your pitch.  When you get overtired you get manic and start throwing things around and being generally crazy.  But when you're well rested life is pretty darn good.

You are funny - you love to put pot lids on your head and say 'at, at'; you love me to smell your feet and say 'eww!  Stinky feet!'  and you keep sticking your toes in my face so I will do so.  You pet the dogs sweetly (when you aren't grabbing their tails or pulling out their fur) and you share your meals with them and you feed them their food (which you share too).  You like to clean - to wipe things up and brush your teeth and comb your hair.  You don't like to get your diaper changed.  You can climb up on the chair and the couch and the coffee table all by yourself.  You like to sing.

You are my sweetest boy and these words don't do justice to that.  Every day you amaze me.

I love you with all of my heart and that will never change.

Love,
Your Momma