FYI

You made your inner ear turn red the other night by stuffing Goldfish crackers into it! Thought you might want to know that.

XOXOXOXO

Time warp

Darling, I'm sorry. You grew so big so fast, and I haven't written about it. Here's a bunch of snapshots of what you've been up to:

Over Labor Day weekend, we took you to Omaha to help celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. We stayed in the corner room of the element hotel. It juts out over a street corner. You spent a lot of time standing on the couch, watching the cars and trucks go by. Trucks were your favorite!

The next day we went to the Omaha Zoo and wheeled you through the apes and aquariums. I think we liked it more than you did. You took a nap through part of it. When you were awake,  you were eating string cheese. Boy, do you love string cheese.

You sprouted several more teeth, including your first molars. This was very hard on you. You missed a lot of sleep and cried a lot in the day. We learned to alternate the baby Tylenol with the baby Advil so you could always be on some pain relief. Molars are mean. You now have three out of four of your first-year molars, with the fourth one bulging on your lower left.

You know what your teeth are. You also know tongue, ears, toes, knees, bum, feet, hair, and head, in addition to all your earlier body parts (eyes, nose, etc.). You're really smart. Today you saw a plane go by and you tried to tell your 22-month-old friend... you tapped him and pointed at the sky and said "Ah! Ah! Ah!" But he didn't notice.

At this point, you weigh 24 pounds. You're pretty tall, but I need to measure you. Your feet have grown and you wear size 6 shoes. We put you in squeaky shoes for church. :)

We took you to the Feast in Vail, Colorado. Before we got there, we stopped and visited Mommy's college friend. Her boys have about 150 Hot Wheels, and you were almost always clutching one or more. So Daddy and I bought you 10 Hot Wheels at the Feast. We also gave you a big die cast Ford F150 truck, which you carry around all the time now.

At the Feast, you kissed Makayla. A couple days later you kissed Elaine. A couple days after that, Makayla two-arm shoved you onto the ground. You poor thing. You're a lover, not a fighter!

Now we are at home again, and you are happy. You're getting back into a groove with sleeping. You've slept through the night three times since we got home. You also get to go outside more now, since it is cooler. You love to play in the leaves and to pull our green Roma tomatoes off the vine. You think they are "ball-ball".

Speaking of "ball-ball", you say more words now. Today you said, "No, mama!" when I was picking you up. No, mama?! No picking you up? No kisses? I know you don't mean that. You love kisses, and you almost always prefer to be in someone's arms than down on the ground. I think you still love being in my arms more, but Daddy is really growing on you. He's home a lot more lately, since he lost his job in September. Actually, two days ago when I was trying to get you to take a nap, I sang you a song that had the word "Daddy" in it. That made it impossible for you to sleep! "Dada?" you said, raising your head. "Dada?" Sigh. Naptime ended, promptly. No more mention of Daddy at naptime from now on. Momma learns a little every day.


I love you, Noodle! You are my favorite little thing, and the cutest little boy there ever was.

All the lights are on

Well, there you are! Honey bun, you have reached an impressive level of comprehension. You really know where you are, what you're doing, and you understand what's going on around you. It's as if suddenly, all the lights are on inside your head.

Sometimes you tell me when Daddy gets home from work. You see him pull into the driveway and say "Dad-Dad!". If the trash truck is coming, I only have to say "Sam! Trash truck!" and you race to the window. When it's time to go somewhere, I tell you we need to put on your shoes, and you go fetch them. Of course, at times you pretend not to hear me, or you simply don't respond when I tell you to stop playing in the cat food, or to shut my cabinet doors. But you do hear me. You hear very well.

Today you showed me that you are totally ready to go down the stairs by yourself. I learned this by thinking your voice sounded strangely muffled, and I found you in the lowest level of the house. I was shocked... but then relieved. You sit down on each step, and you are very careful. I'm really impressed!
 
You say quite a few words, but your favorite is "ball-ball". Today you walked toward me holding something very small in your hand. When you got to me, you said "ball-ball?" and handed me the corpse of a shiny fly. We washed your hands after that. You also think an apple is a ball-ball, and any round thing of various sizes. How cute.

You always like getting your hands washed, by the way. You don't like it when wet food or drinks spill onto your hands or clothes. You come up to me, showing me the wet area, and fussing a little.

I like that you are inclined to be clean, but not fussy about real dirt. Real dirt is just fine with you. When we were in Michigan, you sat down in Grandpa's garden and shoveled dirt onto yourself. Your legs were nearly covered in dirt. You would have kept shoveling for a long time, but we had to move on.

Speaking of Michigan, you LOVED it there. You played outside so much! You saw cows (you let one lick your finger!) and you fell in love with Grandpa's tractor. If you were outside, chances are you were on your way to the tractor. You would take the nearest person by the hand and lead them to the tractor. Grandpa took you for a ride nearly every day and it made him so happy. I took a video of you riding on his lap. Each time you locked eyes with me during the ride, you said "Wooowwww." It's one of my favorite things I've ever seen!

All my family members were home and you were sweet to all of them. Even the men, of whom you have sometimes been scared.

You are not a fan of the lake, and you have lately stopped being a fan of bath time. At least the part when you have to get washed. You do not seem to like getting your head wet anymore. I think it's because your face has gotten wet a couple times when we tried to bathe you "shower style".

Lastly, a sad note. You were sleeping through the night 80% of the time before we went to Michigan. In Michigan, you learned again to wake every night. You are still doing that. Remember, my dear love, that I am a nicer and funner momma when I am well rested. You are a nicer and funner boy when you are well rested, too. If that doesn't add up to you, please learn to cry "Dad-Dad" when you wake up at night.

I love you!
Mom-Mom

A twip is what a toddler takes when he wides on a pwane

Tomorrow you and I are getting on a plane and flying to Michigan!

I'm so excited! You may or may not understand, but I've been telling you about the trip lately. We're going to fly on a plane, and we're going to see family, and we're going to the farm! There are cows and a dog on the farm!

Daddy is staying home to feed the kittens and prepare dinner for when we get back.

Now, this flying takes much strategic planning. Did you know that I shipped diapers to the farm weeks ago? Did you know that I downloaded apps and things to amuse you on the plane? Did you know that I bought special toys and foods to distract you while flying? Did you know that I'm hoping you'll just fall asleep anyway? And after all that... I'm still hoping there will be a strange-looking person sitting next to us to intimidate you into a quiet, contemplative state. Just in case.

Please don't pay any attention to your advancing molars while we're flying. No one wants to hear 90 minutes of wailing. Just look out the window (we've got all window seats - both ways!). Check for birds. See if the clouds are shaped like pigs (a new fascination for you). And keep your eye on that strange man, who may or may not be trying to eat some of your in-flight cheese.

We're going to have a great time!

XOXOXOXO

Mom

What you say

Hey there, little man! Your vocabulary is growing! Here's what you've been saying, and what it means:

Woowwww, wowww: I just did something cool!

Daggun!: This is exciting!

Ahhh?: I want some of that.

Nuh-uh: No, I am not going to do what you asked me to do.

Burr: Bird

Bah: Ball

Booh: Book

All: Owl

Per: Peeper

At?: What's that?

Da-dirt!: I see a car!

Grrrrr, grrrr!: I see a truck!

Eeeooo, eeeooo: I see a cat!

AHHHEEEEEE!: Don't touch what I'm touching!

Uh-oh-oh: I dropped something, intentionally or otherwise.

Mom-mom-mom: Fix it.

Ha ha!: Ha ha!



You learn something new - or lots of somethings - every day. Right now you are playing and saying "Wow, oh wow, oh wow!" That's one of my favorite things to hear. You must have gotten it from Daddy or me, obviously. We have already started spelling words so we don't get your hopes up. You know what it means when we say "outside" or "walk". We're having a drought and a heat wave this summer, and it's been so very hot that we haven't been able to go outside much. As a result, Daddy and I spell those words.

My smart boy, you also know what I mean when I say "There's a big truck outside!" You race to the window to see it. You love big trucks! Construction equipment is even better. So it was very exciting for you when the water main blew at the corner of the street this week, and a giant front end loader was parked in front of our house. I took you outside and you touched it. It was a big moment in your week!

We're going to church today. Try no to be too vocal during services. Though I don't think anyone would mind hearing you say "Wowww, oh wowww, oh wowww!" It is completely adorable.

XOXOXO

Mom

Everything is just a phase

Doodle-doo,

You grew again. A few days ago I thought you were plumping up a bit - your cheeks were rounder and your tummy stuck out a little more; you were eating quite well. Then I noticed yesterday that you were suddenly bigger. You're definitely taller and you even feel heavier. When did you do that, sweetheart?

You've extended mercy on the parmesan cheese and you leave it in the fridge now. Lately when I open the fridge, you like to assist me in closing it. It is so helpful, as you know.

These days, you come into the kitchen any time you hear me filling a glass of water. You'd like some, thank you. You understand me well enough that you now permit me to take a drink of my own water before insisting you have your own swizzle. Thank you for that.

On the flip side, you've watched me fill my glass with water so many times using the dispenser in the door of the fridge that you know how to do it yourself. You put your sippy cup up to the water dispenser yesterday and it shot water all over the fridge and the floor. This must be why there is a "Lockout" option on the dispenser. We use it now.

Your 16-month stats: 31 inches long (I'm going to have to measure you again!) and 22.5 pounds.

New this month: You give kisses! I learned this by accident. We were reading the "Elmo Loves You" book. At the end, Elmo asks if you will give him a kiss. And right after I read that line, you kissed him! So now Mom and Dad ask for kisses all the time and we love them. You just lean in and touch our face with yours. No lip-smacking sounds yet. So cute.

All your molars are pushing on your gums. It bothers you some, and I can feel them making ridges under your gums. Poor baby. We feed you ice cream to soothe your mouth and we've still got you wearing your teething necklace. You also eat Hyland's Teething Tablets. It helps.

I love you darling! Here's a kiss from Mom.

<KISS>

This picture makes my heart burst!

 

The parmesan is missing again

Tiny thieving baby,

You are so quick and clever. When I open the refrigerator to get a single item, you usually race to the fridge and swipe the parmesan cheese from its spot on a low shelf. You know right where it is and you snatch it so fast! You parade your stolen goods around the house with glee. I used to try to stop you, but I now find it very funny.

Also, YOU are very funny. You've developed quite a sense of humor. You like to run around wearing a hooded towel like a cape. You smash your face into the couch cushions and giggle. You growl. You spin in circles until you make yourself dizzy. We have so much fun with you!

At dinner time you have been more adventuresome lately. You are willing to eat carrots, green beans, hamburger meat, and more. You often eat eggs for breakfast. Sometimes you even seem tired of cheese, which is amazing. I think your taste buds must be educating you. Food is good! Cheese is not the only food in the world! Let's eat!

You say a few words: "walk", "no", and "momma". You also make some appropriate sounds, like "moo" when you see a cow, and "woof woof" when you see a dog. You love to see dogs! You go apes over your "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?" book. I think it's your favorite book, but you really love books. 

Now. This morning you waltzed into the kitchen and didn't come back right away. That isn't like you. I heard too much silence, so I went in to check... and I found you standing on the third step down the stairs toward the laundry room. What a heart attack! Clearly, you can handle stairs, or I would have heard a whole bunch of noise as you tumbled down them. But your momma is not ready for you to be going down stairs. Not at all. So please let's not do that again for a while.

All my love,
Mom