Letter to My Baby: 12-15 months

December 23, 2011 

Dear Ryder,

You turned 15 months this week and in a few days we will get to celebrate your second Christmas.  As always, these last couple of months have been filled with so much joy as your daddy and I have watched you grow.

You are talking more and more every day.  At first, your babbles just became more detailed and complex.  Now you have several words that you say, and even more words you understand.  Your words include daddy (“dada”), banana (“nana”), beep beep when driving your cars (“bee, bee”), ball (“ba”), swing (“swee”), Sesame Street (“see”), teeth (“tee”), bath (“ba”) and kitty (“kee”).  You also mimic a lot of words that daddy and I say, but don’t yet say them on your own.  You know “hungry” and when you are hungry you go over to your high chair or to the pantry to show us that you want to eat.  You   give us such big smiles and happy giggles when you are able to communicate and we respond to what you say!  You also get really sad (or mad) when we have to tell you “no” to something you want.

Because you don’t have many words, you have become very good at communicating in other ways.  You point to things you want.  You also like to have Momma or Daddy pick you up to take you places.  You throw open your hand in the directions you want to go.  We call it “the royal take me there.”  You love it when Daddy comes home because he holds you all evening and takes you on all kinds of adventures around the house.

You are also starting to master using spoons.  You love it when I hand you a spoon and let you practice feeding yourself.  You also love mixing a spoon around in a bowl, or taking food in and out of the bowl.  You love to pull the mixing bowls out of the cupboard, and experiment with how to put them away again.  You put bowls on your head and get frustrated when it doesn’t stay!  

I mentioned that one of your words was bath.  One day I was in the living room and you crawled up to me and grabbed my hand, obviously asking me to follow you.  You led me down the hall and into the bathroom.  You then toddled over to the bath, pointed and said “ba.”  Of course I had to give you a bath right then!  Now you get really excited whenever you hear us turn on the shower or bath water, and when I tell you it is time to take a bath you head straight towards the bathroom.

You are always exploring the world around you.  You can now stack blocks on top of each other.  You understand that keys open the door, that you talk on the phone, and that toy cars move across the floor (with the appropriate sound effects of course).  You dance to music and recently, with Dad’s help, have started to conduct music when it comes on.  You like to brush your teeth (i.e. chew on your toothbrush) and ‘help’ momma brush hers every morning. 

 

You still are a cuddly little guy who doesn’t like to be away from momma and daddy.  You cry when you think I am leaving you and don’t like being left alone in a room too long.  You love hugs and snuggles with soft comforts, like the cat, a pillow, and your blankie.  

For Halloween you were “Puff the Magic Dragon.”  It was very cute to see you crawling around with your dragon suit and little green tail.

You also finally decided to try standing and walking just shy of your 16 month birthday on November 15.  Like crawling, once you committed to walking, you took off and never looked back.  I am happy to see you walk but will also miss your little scurries around the house.  

At your fifteen month check you were right around 23 lbs (50%) and 32.5 inches (75%).  You are hitting all your milestones.  Right where you should be.

I love you.

Momma