15 Months Old!

G-Man,

I'm a little late with this letter, and I dropped the ball on this the last couple of months. I should have kept up on them better, but you're pretty fun to play with and I try not to use my computer when you are awake so we can play. If I do get my computer out, you remind me pretty quickly to put it away when you start playing peekaboo with me around the screen.


You're starting to run everywhere you go. And you really love to just walk around. Lately, I've been letting you hold my hand and walk from the car to wherever we are going - the YMCA, the grocery store - wherever. Today, we walked around downtown Marlborough for a while because you were having so much fun holding my hand and walking down the sidewalk after we went to the post office.


You still love music. I'm finding it's the best way to calm you down and keep you entertained when we are in the car. The fun thing is that it doesn't really matter what genre of music I'm playing. We listened to classical music in the car today and you loved it. Your daddy had Seinfeld on tonight and you started dancing to the theme song. We listened to the Broadway Cast Recording of Legally Blonde today and we were dancing in the kitchen.


You're learning to say some words. So far, we have heard you say:

fishy
ma-ma
da-da
An-nie (from Little Einsteins)
na-na (banana)
da-door (cracker)
doggie
duckie
toe
dan-da (Amanda)
issssss (Chris)
gam-ma (grandma)
hat

You also know quite a few signs. And you love watching Baby Signing Time. You'd probably watch it all day if I let you. It's been pretty helpful as you are learning to communicate. Though you get pretty frustrated when we don't understand you. Or when we don't give you what you want, when you want it. I'm glad this is a skill you're building so you will be able to talk to your cousin.


You love to play outside. Every time I open the back door, you want to go outside. Even if it is raining. You love to help me weed - even though you usually just pick up the mulch and throw it on the sidewalk. You do manage to pick some weeds and put them in the bucket sometimes. We've been playing with bubbles lately, and you think those are pretty neat. You seem to have the most fun when we go to the playground at Dean Park. I took these pictures of you playing there. The little house is a new favorite. You also love the sandbox. You usually find 4 or 5 shovels and walk around with them in your hands, moving them from the house to the sandbox and back again.


I've been getting more frustrated with you more quickly lately. I'm sorry. I'm working on being more patient. It's hard as a mom to balance teaching you how to ask for things and how to behave and just giving you what I know you are asking for. The path of least resistance is the most tempting one, but I know it isn't best for you (or me) in the long run. I'm starting to see how the choices I make as a parent get more crucial as you get older. It's a little scary, but I'll keep trying.


I love you, buddy. I'm really grateful to be your mom.

Love, Mom