Eli at 20ish Months

Dear Eli,

I kept close records of all your milestones and accomplishments, big and small, during your first year of life. I haven't done as good of a job at keeping records of all these things during this second year, though. But there are things about you that I never want to forget- how you are right now, right this second, right at this age. So here's a little summary of some of my favorite things about you at 20ish months. (And just for the record, I could go on and on and on with things I love about you!)

-You have started to pretend. You play "nigh-nigh" with your animals and with any person who will play with you, and you pretend to pick imaginary food up and feed it to yourself and others. I love watching your imagination begin to grow.

-You "fix things" with your tools. Uncle Steve and Aunt Autumn gave you "Handy Manny" for Christmas, complete with his very own tiny tool kit. You get out the screwdrivers, flip over your little tricycle, and work on it with your tools. It's adorable! But the thing that is most impressive is that Daddy and I never showed you how to do this- it's something that you came up with all on your own! You love tools, and you love watching your Daddy use tools- "fixing your bike" has come naturally to you!

-Your vocabulary is growing. You know tons of words and will use them clearly and appropriately from time to time, but I really think that you just don't care much about talking! :) You use the word "dee-dee" for a host of things- I think it's just your go-to for words you don't want to try to pronounce. You have just recently started repeating most of what we ask you to repeat, and when you decide you want to say a word right, your pronounciation is right on. But most of the time you just don't care much about words, so you babble with a made-up language all your own. You also know a lot of signs, which helps us when we can't quite figure out which "dee-dee" you want. :) You are just beginning to put two words together, too.

-You loooooooove to be outside. This has been true of you since you were just a baby. You love to take long walks, pick up sticks, throw rocks, and climb over anything you can find. We try to spend as much time as we can outside, both because you love it so much and because you have plenty of energy you need to burn off!

-You adore your Daddy. "Dadda" is the first word out of your mouth in the morning and the last word out of your mouth at night. You wake up, get out of your crib, and immediately begin to search the house for Daddy. Sometimes, when my words, "Daddy is at work" finally sink in, you get so sad that you cry! The two of you have a really special relationship, and I can't wait to see it continue to grow as you get older.

-You are a climber. You are strong and tough, and you love to climb up on anything you possibly can.

-You are a neat-freak! This is probably built into your genetic code, since both Daddy and me are super neat freaks. And I guess it's just natural for you to want to keep things clean, since you've seen your parents always try to do the same. But it's hilarious for us to watch you search for missing pieces to toys, throw away trash, and wipe up spilled juice- not because anyone tells you to, but because you just want to! :)

-You sing and dance! We love to watch you dance and "sing along" with songs that you hear. Yo Gabba Gabba is your favorite video right now (You call it "Babba."), and you dance your way right through it!

-You are a true joy. In all honesty, I couldn't ask for a better kid! You are mellow, compliant, eager to please, helpful, and so happy. You are, 99 days out of 100, a breeze! You have your moments, of course, but you are truly the joy of our hearts. You have a personality that is like sunshine- bright, clear, happy, warm. What a blessing it is to get to spend every day with you!

I love you, my sweet boy! I can't believe that you will be two years old in just a few short months. Time is flying by too quickly. But no matter how old you get, you will always, always be my baby.

WIth a heart full of love,
Mommy.