You are now 18, nearly 19, months old. I first sat down to write to you at the beginning of the month, but as is fairly typical, time flies and the month is now almost over. Even so, I wanted to put into words the growth you've seen in the past few months and who you are right now. I hope you'll enjoy reading these someday.
It's hard to believe that a year and a half has passed since you joined our family. Sometimes it seems that you've undergone a metamorphosis over night. You now weigh 25lbs 2 oz and are 33 inches tall. You wear 24 month clothing. You started walking when you were 13 months old. That was only 5 months ago, but sometimes I can barely believe that there was a time when I could put you down and expect you to be there a minute later! Now you're all over and into everything. I can't describe how much fun it is to see you run and laugh, to watch your funny walk when you're being silly and don't bend your knees, to see you climb on the playground and slide down the slides. Sure, that means I'm always searching for higher places in the house to hide things from you and that I find you in areas of the house that I never anticipated, but that's ok. As frustrating as it can be when you get into everything and anything, I know that it's simply how you learn about the world around you.
You're now talking up a storm. While you're still mainly in the single word stage, you still manage to communicate fairly well. You learn new words every day and know and use about 8 or 9 signs. You can make the noise of just about any animal (as long as we know what noise that animal makes!) and you can identify objects in photos and books. Sometimes you refer to animals by their sounds. Instead of saying elephant (a hard word!), you say "brrrrrr" by buzzing your lips. You call a crab a "pinch" (what a crab does). When we point to a bunny or frog you bounce and say "hop, hop"!My personal favorite, you currently call me "mom mom".
Since we've just celebrated your 2nd Christmas, and Christmas is an easy time of year to remember and reflect on, we've often been reminiscing about who you were this time last year. During Christmas 2012 you were 6 months old and could sit up unassisted, but were not even crawling yet. I didn't have to worry about which decorations I put out, like I did this year. This year, every ornament on the tree and around the house has been carefully selected and specifically placed with toddler durability and safety in mind! Last year, the best "gift" you received was the wrapping paper on the present. This year I can not describe how wonderful it is to see you playing with and enjoying the thoughtful gifts you've received from family and friends. Last year we took you to walk through a light display and wondered if you enjoyed it, or even really understood what we'd done. This year you ooh and ahhed and let us know clearly that you were having fun. Seeing your enjoyment makes us very happy and makes everything more enjoyable for us as well.
Last year, we made decisions for you. This year, you have opinions and thoughts and want to have a say in all that we do. This is both wonderful and frustrating at the same time. We love that you're growing into your own person, but it can be difficult when you want something and can not understand why 'mom mom' and daddy do not agree with you. You usually want anything that you shouldn't have and quickly loose interest in anything that is safe or appropriate for you to play with. When we then have to take the unsafe item away, you don't understand and become angry or sad. We're sorry. We realize that it is hard being a toddler!
You have likes and preferences. You have a few tv shows that make you very happy. Right now, Daniel Tiger and Super Why are the top two. You like to sing and dance along. The Little Mermaid is your favorite movie. I adore how you "ahhhh!" at the same time as the little fish, Flounder, and when you "aaa aaa aaa" along with Ariel's singing. You enjoy rocking on your Toby horse, now that you can do it all by yourself, and rock so hard that you slide across the floor! You don't really have a favorite food, which I prefer, but you'll never say no to frozen blueberries or grapes or turkey sausage. You show no preference or opinion when it comes to your clothing, but you continue to make it clear that you do not like bows, clips, or barrettes in your hair. You have your very first best friend, and her name is "Telsey" (Kelsey).
Tara, you are a delight. Even though this week you've suddenly begun having terrible sleep issues again, you still move through the day happy as a clam, ready with hugs and kisses at a moments notice.
I feel like I am missing so much. I find it very hard to sit down and put into words everything I want to say about you. I find myself thinking about these entries during the day, thinking "Oh, I forgot to mention x,y,z!". I know that in 6 months, a year, longer even, I won't remember everything about today and the person you are now. That makes me want to record it all, to have this always and never forget. But in the moments that I'm not writing, I'm with you. I'm living our days, instead of writing about them. When I think about what I'd rather have, I'll take the minutes with you every time.
I love you baby girl. Sleep well tonight, ok?
Mom Mom
