17 Months

Baby Bear,

You turned 17 months old last week. In just a few weeks you'll reach another milestone, 18 months old! How are you 1.5 already? You are growing fast and furious these days, you are in 18-24 month clothes, you are shoe size 5, and you are learning how to do things crazy fast!

Easter was a couple of weeks ago, and it's been my favorite Easter to date. You make everything infinitely funner. Dad and I wondered if you could do an egg hunt and if you would even know what to do. But, of course, we worried about nothing, you surpassed our expectations. I don't know how you can be so smart, you are just a tiny baby!

Dad gave you your basket, and we went outside. You ran straight for the first egg you saw, you picked it up, looked at it, and then dad told you to put it in your basket and you did. And that was that, you were off! All over the yard picking up egg after egg. It was really quite comical like I said, it's crazy seeing a little baby do stuff like that! I mean, I really didn't expect you to catch on so quickly!

Of course you got spoiled like usual and ended up with 3 Easter baskets and lots of clothes and toys. None of which you were interested in except for two winners, BUBBLES and CHALK! You LOVED the chalk, again we just gave it to you, showed you what it was and away you went to draw up a storm!

Last week we also had your first park trip. You are so incredibly adventurous! We set you down on the sand and you were off! Climbing stairs, playing in the sand and you especially loved the slide! Every time you went down the slide you screamed, "Wheeeeeeeeeeee!" You were the smallest kid at the park, but you didn't seem to notice, you just wanted to play.

Being outside is your favorite thing right now. Especially at Grandpa Chuy's house, you scream and scream and pound on the door until someone takes you outside then you run and throw rocks and dance. I'm convinced your love of being outside is all dad. You LOVE it, your face lights up, you lift your little face up towards the sky, and if we're lucky, a little gust of wind will blow your hair and you just take it all in. I hope you continue to love being outside as you grow older. I am sure dad is going to love taking you fishing, and hiking, and snow shoeing, and all the stuff he loves to do right now, but doesn't have anyone to go with him. Now he has a little partner.

As much as we love you, not all is sunshine and rainbows in our world. You have definitely hit a rebellious stage. You are hitting and throwing tantrums like a champ. In the last  couple of weeks, you have given me a bloody lip, stabbed me in the eye, and given me a bloody nose. Your favorite method of punishment is head butting. Ouch. Still painful, but in a playful manner, you also like to pinch and bite, you have a keen sense of where the most sensitive parts of our bodies are and go straight there, like dad's nipples, LOL.

At the same time though, you are starting to realize that we have feelings. When you stabbed me in the eye, it was a total accident, but boy did it hurt, I was crying and holding my eye, and you grabbed my face and stroked my cheek and gave me lots of kisses. It really caught me by surprise because that is not something we taught you. It was instinct for you to know what to do to cheer someone up. Sometimes when you get upset and hit me, you immediately realize what you did and give me kisses. It's heart melting to say the least.

As you get older, you are becoming more and more cuddly and it couldn't make me happier. When I was pregnant with you, I used to day dream of you jumping into bed with us in the morning and just cuddle, and luckily you've been doing just that lately. It's not too often, but when you do, it is pure magic.

On the flip side of that, you are the most head strong little boy, I really fear you got that from me. I am actually quite scared for the next couple of years, you are only 17 months and are already giving us a run for our money.

Developmentally, I think you are right on track. You are running and jumping (with actual air), you can blow, you are playing your guitar and singing while you do it, you read along to books, you are still loving dancing, still trying to feed yourself with a spoon, and saying lots of words. You aren't saying too many things that are understandable, but you babble a lot. Currently you say:

Mama (my favorite!)
Dada
Tere
Kitty
Juice
Cheese
Banana
Ball
Balloon
Hat
Where'd it go?
What's that?

But you understand everything we tell you. You pick up things, you bring us things, you help us get you dressed, you turn on the lights, everything we ask you to do, you can do. I hope you start talking more over the next few months, I think it will help the tantrums if you can express yourself, plus I love your little voice.

Next month we have 2 doctor's appointments, one for your well-baby check up, shots and stats :( and one for your plastic surgeon appointment. It will be your 1 year anniversary of being helmet free! Dr. Morales wants to see you every 6 months for the next couple of years to make sure the bone is coming in at the pace it should. These appointments always make me nervous as for the rest of your adolescent life, we'll have to worry about a second surgery.

I suppose I should document the story of your Craniosynostosis, maybe next time, I'm not ready to relive that right now.

I love you so much baby bear, you continue to amaze me every day, and even after all these months, I still stare at you in amazement every day and wonder at how beautiful you are, how smart, funny, quirky, and how lucky we are that we get the honor of being your parents.

Keep growing and amazing us boy.