Dearest Baby Boy Who is No Longer a Baby –
You are seriously no longer a baby. I mean, you will always be MY baby, but you are clearly a toddler. A running, climbing, vocal, sponge of a toddler and I am loving every minute of it!

Kid, you blow my mind almost every day by popping out with a new word, dance or skill. The other night we were cleaning up from dinner and Daddy-O said ‘say all done’. You looked up and said ‘all done’. While Daddy-O and I stared at each other in disbelief, you acted like it it was no big deal and you’ve been saying it since the delivery room.

Daddy and I were also talking the other night that you are so purposeful now. When you walk somewhere, it is for a reason. We might not know it, but you sure do. You are ‘helping’ around the house by putting your shoes in the basket and carrying the broom around.

You are also very purposeful when you are unhappy. We are working on gentle hands because when you get worked up you tend to slap, but when we say no and hold your hand you immediately burst into hysterical tears. I am thinking it is because you are frustrated and also because you did something that made us upset. You are learning though, just like we are.

Here are some highlights from your November:

{Snuggle Bug} You are our snuggle bug! You stride right on up and settle into our laps and lean back. You also have managed to climb on the couch to sit with us and usually cover us up with blankets. What I love most about this is it’s on your terms. I always joke about stealing kisses from you, but it is the best feeling in the world when YOU chose to snuggle. And damn if you aren’t the best snuggler.

{Words} Your vocabulary is quickly growing and I can’t even keep up with my list! Applesauce (app-o-saw), airplane (air-pain), up, baby (bay-BE), Wubba (bubba), bellybutton (bell-butt), Curious George (or-g), bye bye (buh-bye), Oh Toodles (oh toooooo)

{Thanksgiving} This year’s Thanksgiving was vastly different. You aren’t a baby, remember? You and your cousin Mollie were such troopers with all the activity. Grandma’s carrots were your favorite. You got lots of time with Mollie and even hugged each other!

{Christmas Tree} We were so excited to put up the tree this year because you were going to love it – and we were right! We put it up while you were napping and the minute you saw it you started pointing like ‘look! A tree’! We ‘decorated’ it together and you were very interested in the ornaments. We are letting you take them off the tree and play with them (since they aren’t breakable at your level) and thankfully the newness has worn off. Grandma came over to babysit one day and it was the first thing you led her to.

{Interests} Your interests are changing every day, but you are still a lover of books. Not so much being read to, but reading yourself. We’ve gotten in the habit of putting a book in the crib with you and that buys us a little more time between when you wake up and when you want to get up. Also Curious George, anything stick like (brooms, windshield scrappers, etc), chewy fruit snacks, and doing choreography to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, BINGO and Itsy Bitsy Spider.
The next few months are going to be really busy with the holidays and moving – but just having you around makes it more fun.

I’ll eat you up I love you so!
xoxo,
Momma