It's Father's Day!

It's Father's Day, baby!

You gave Daddy a package of underwear, which is a family tradition I am passing along to you. Each Father's Day, my siblings and I would give our dad these three things: a pack of underwear, a pack of socks, and a Chunky bar. Your daddy would not like the Chunky bar. (It has raisins! He hates those.) And he doesn't currently need socks. By next year, he surely will!

Daddy holds you at the Deanna Rose Farmstead.

You love Daddy. You LOVE Daddy. You think he is tons of fun. (After all, he never makes you take naps.) And he is really soft on you. You know what he did this Father's Day? He bought you a swimming pool. And not just a tiny pool, but an inflatable "family size" pool that gets up to 18 inches deep. He loves you!

When you are older, I hope you will be a lot like your daddy. He is kind, gentle, patient and friendly. He's also very smart, which you are, too. Many, many people love your dad. They will love you, too.

When you're big enough to go fishing with your daddy, ask him to tell you the story about the big bass that got away when we were fishing in Arkansas. He probably can't wait to go fishing with you.

Until then, you and your daddy have stuff to do! Trucks to push! Balls to throw! Breakfast to eat together! (Daddy usually lets mommy sleep in and he feeds you Cheerios while you watch Curious George.) Enjoy, sweet boy!

One of your first piano lessons. Daddy is so talented!

Dear Best Baby in Whole World

Sweet baby! Hello! You are napping in your crib right now. Thank you!

As promised, we bought you a sandbox last weekend. Then the next day our neighbor sold us his swing set for $10. What a steal! It came with an attached plastic slide, which I thought you hated... but you love it! I hold you steady and you swoosh down the slide again and again. You even try to launch yourself down the slide. This is great! Maybe next time we go to the park you will finally enjoy the slides.

We have more news. You've been seen eating veggies multiple times now. What has gotten into you, child? You stuffed your mouth with green beans last night. You did it! You are also willing to eat carrot. Dad and I are simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief. We didn't want you to be a child who only eats cheese and crackers.

Today I asked you to bring me your truck, and you did. It was heavy for you and hard for you to carry, but you lifted it high and gave it to me. Yesterday Daddy asked you to bring him one of your new toy balls, and you did. You really know what we are talking about! Certain topics around the house may have to change. :)

N-A-P-T-I-M-E is still a dirty word.

XOXOXO, my love!

What's going on?

Doodle,

Something is afoot. Only you know what it is, and you're not saying.

You began sleeping through the night a few weeks ago after we let you cry it out. You did not like that, but you quickly caught on to the joy of sleeping for long, consecutive hours. And thank you for that. As your loving mother, I found the experience devastating. You were far more resilient.

Then you got fussy about a week later. Perhaps it was teething, but you were still fussy when your grandma from up north came to visit. She was here from May 29 - June 3. You were cantankerous. Toward the end of her visit, you also decided to stop sleeping in your crib for naps. You had major meltdowns (I think it made you panicky) and would not sleep a wink. Since then, all naps have been taken on Mom's lap. I try every day to place you in your crib for your afternoon nap, but you cannot handle it.

Your dad and I think you are having separation anxiety, triggered by your crib. That is the last place in this house that you want to be.

So Mom's not getting much done around here.

We appreciate that you are still willing to sleep in your crib for most of the night. You have been successful in worming your way into our bed three times since Grandma left, though.

In other news, you are getting around the house in record speed. You walk very well! You like to walk laps between the kitchen, dining room and living room. (Funny, that's just what I used to have to do to get you to go to sleep!) You push trucks, trains and other toys around that circle, too.

You've also conquered shoes. You used to hate them and scream if we put any such thing on your feet. Now you understand that wearing shoes means you're going outside. You love outside! So you let me strap on your sandals or tug on your shoes whenever I want. Thank you.

Outside, your favorite thing is dirt. The more, the better. The dirtier, the better. Add water to make mud? The best! Daddy and I are planning to get you a sandbox this weekend. We don't have a truck, so we are having your friend's dad help us.

You also love to play with balls. You say "ba! ba! ba!" when you see a ball. You've said a few other things, too. You say "boh boh" for book. (You love books!) You've said "giddy" three times for kitty. And today, when I told you no, you responded with "noooo". Of course, you also say "mama" too. Usually you say that when you are complaining and want me to fix something (like take you out of your crib!). 

Today I handed you a package of cheese from the fridge and asked you to take it to Daddy, who was sitting at the table. You trotted that cheese right to Daddy and handed it to him. Wow! We were both impressed. I didn't know you could understand so well, considering you still like to turn on and off the TV and printer, and you still tug on Howie... even after being told not to.

Lastly, you turned 15 months old today. Here are your stats: You are 30 inches long and you weigh 21.5 pounds. That puts you in the 14th percentile for height and the 10th percentile for weight. You have five teeth, and two bulges where more teeth are getting ready.

So that's what's going on. 

We love you, darling. You can take your naps on me again tomorrow, but starting next week, let's get back in the crib, OK?

XOXOXO