Monday, June 21, 2010

Monthly Update: 17

Dear Foster,

Today you are 17 months old, and yes, sigh, I skipped a month.  Let's just pretend that you were never 16 months old, okay?  Except, wait, that was a really fun month!  So much fun, in fact, that I did not have any time to write this newsletter.

We vacationed in Perdido Key, Florida, just missing the oil there, and then hosted guests for three weeks straight.  Somehow during all that wonderful chaos, you became a little boy. 

You went from wearing Robeez to Stride Rite.  From Gerber 'Lil Crunchies to Goldfish.

You learned how to climb on and off of the couch, get on and off your little four wheeler, and you're eerily close to being able to turn a doorknob.

For heaven's sake, SLOW DOWN!  You're growing up way too fast.  Naming letters of the alphabet one minute and unlocking my cell phone in order to call your daddy the next.

Lately you've been sleeping twelve hours a night, which makes up for the fact that you've kinda sorta sometimes maybe dropped a nap.  Problem is, it's the wrong nap.

Toddlers are supposed to take an afternoon nap, but not you.  No, you're so exhausted from SLEEPING 12 HOURS STRAIGHT, that you have to take a morning nap.  Of course, all that sleep means that you're not sleepy in the afternoon.  Tired, yes.  Sleepy, no.

I've tried in vain to keep you awake in the morning.  To put you down after lunch, but all that does is guarantee that you'll take a short nap and then act like a sleep deprived little turd for the rest of the day.  Not fun.  Not to mention, I hate keeping you awake when you're sleepy.  It just feels wrong.

This month you've started being even more adorable than you already were.  There's the kisses, of course, but recently you've started to play with my hair as I cart you around on my hip. 

Did you know that I love having my hair played with?  That's the one reason I'd like to have a little girl someday...someone to play with my hair!  (Just kidding.)  (Sort of.)

I'm not sure which sign of affection I like more, the kissing or the hair playing, but the love I feel for you is so strong, I often wonder how I could ever love another child as much.  I mean, just look at poor Lucky.  He was our firstborn.  Our baby.  I felt the same way about him when I was pregnant with you.  But, the moment you were born, he became a dog.

You're really easy to love, though.  You're cute, smart, and funny.  What's not to love?

Speaking of love, you LOVE your grandma.  BA-BOO-WA is what you call her.  None of us can figure out how "grandma" became BA-BOO-WA, but you say her name about a hundred times a day.  I jokingly refer to her as Barbara now.  Her name is Carolyn.  Isn't that funny, or is it just me?  (I crack myself up!)

Anyway, you love your grandma and she loves you.  Your daddy and I are very thankful to have her and your grandpa so close.  Let's face it, we have no idea what we're doing in the Parenting Department so we need all the help we can get!

Music is your newest fascination.  You love it.  You've always liked it, but it has even replaced belly buttons, and now instead of asking to see my belly button all day, you're asking for music all day.

I had hoped to avoid "kids music" because is there anything more annoying?  But, your BA-BOO-WA gave us a kid's songs CD to take on our trip to Florida in case you got fussy in the car.  And fussy you got.

For some reason you refuse to sleep in the car.  I guess you're afraid of missing a Jeep or two (you point out EVERY Jeep on the road).  Or, maybe you're afraid of missing out on a road trip snack (i.e., JUNK FOOD).  Either way, that CD is the only thing that got us through the eight hour drive to the beach.

We actually had a lot of fun singing those songs to you.  Doing the hand motions.  Making you laugh.  But now that we're home, we'd like to move on to more sophisticated music, if you don't mind.

I've tried to introduce you to Jewel and Elvis (how's that for sophisticated? Ha!), but the whole time those CDs are on, you're in the back seat saying, "music, music, music..."  As if.  Foster, that IS music!

So, here we go looby loo, on to your eighteenth month and I'm looking forward to more singing, much dancing, and as always, multitudes of laughing.

Music is love in search of a word. ~Sidney Lanier

xoxo,

Mama