15 Months

Amalia,
We find ourselves once again at the 25th of the month, adding one more month to your tally.  I have to tell you, I'm not sure how or when it happened, but there is hardly any baby left in you.  You are all toddler.  A funny, sassy, sweet, pícara, happy, studious, observant, goofy, loving, incredible fifteen-month-old.

The way you talk and use your words is astounding.  I've lost count of your words, and you add new ones daily.  One of your favorite things to do is read books with animals in them, and make the animals' sounds.  You can do frogs, hens, roosters, chicks, donkeys, dogs, cats, mice, birds, owls, sheep, cows, horses, turkeys, pigs, ducks and probably more that I've forgotten.  You have distinct words for all the members of your family, and often the first word you say in the morning is "Sisi".  You ask for milk and water, say please and thank you, can say popcorn, cheese, apple, bread, bean, and I swear you asked for broccoli the other day.  You are constantly asking for a book, and can request Maisy by name, as well as Babies on the Move (you say Mooove).  I love your darling little voice.  Today you requested to brush your teeth quite insistently.  You can identify your eyes, nose, knee, ears, mouth, teeth, hair, belly, hands, feet and toes (with words for most of them).  You can say shoe and baby, kitty and nurse, all your most favorite things.

You dressed as an elephant for Halloween, and were a little unsure about the hood on your head.  You enjoyed walking with your sister, though, and would say "trick or treat" at each house and hold your bucket for candy, with help of course.

You learned how to stack a tower of three blocks this month, and I was so proud.  You would clap your hands after creating your tower and were so proud of yourself.

 You explored at the Children's Museum this month, especially enjoying the water and ball rooms.

 You love doing anything that makes your feel big.  You sit with your sister, you want to do everything yourself and the way that the grown-ups do it.  You are smiley and so independent.

 You absolutely love to read, by yourself or with anyone with a lap to spare.  You will ask for "Melmo" on tv and in books.

 You got to see snow again, this time walking by yourself and exploring the world around you.  It was hard for you to stand back up after tipping over because of your boots and mittens, and weren't crazy about that cold, wet stuff on your fingers.

 You are snuggly and lovely and happy and so much fun to be around.  You've also been biting, which is less fun, though you always laugh, thinking it is really funny.  You grab things from Sofia, pull her hair and pinch her face.  You also hug and kiss her more than anybody, and love to wrestle with her on the floor and play any game that she or you imagines.

You are wonderful, my peanut butter.  Happy 15 months.  I feel so fortunate.

Love,
Momma

14 Months

Eeek!  It is nearly Halloween, which means it is nearly the 31st, which means I missed the 14 month mark by nearly a week!  Sorry, Mali!  :)

You, my dear child, are no longer a baby.  You are all toddler, and you want to be all grown-up.  A few weeks ago, you started throwing a fit when we tried to put you in your booster seat at dinner time.  Eventually, I gave in to your crying and let you eat on my lap, and then I let you walk around and eat from your tray without actually sitting.  After a few days of this not-so-great arrangement, I finally figured out that perhaps you just wanted to sit at the table with the rest of us.  Lightbulb!  We found a booster chair that sits you right at the table.  And you love it.  You make a mess, you dump your plate of food onto the table, you toss your spoon and fork on the floor, you grab the food off of our plates and try to touch the hot pots on the table.  And you are so proud.  It is working wonderfully.  What a big girl.
You also make many animal noises. You can neigh, moo, meow, woof, baa, cluck, and quack.  Your vocabulary is always expanding, including milk, backpack, Sofia (which is now definitely a Seesee), apple, banana, sit, please, baby, uh-uh (complete with with head shake) and so much more.
You love to read stories, and are quite picky about which book you want to read.  If it isn't right, you will throw the book and go pick another one.  Your favorites have flaps to lift, babies to look at, or animals to imitate.  "Book!"  is a common cry around this house, and you'll often push your sister off a lap to get your very own story time.  You will also pull her hair, pinch her face or hit her.  To be fair, she takes your books or takes your spot on Mama's lap, too.  Other times, though, you two are the sweetest to each other.  You give each other kisses and hugs, wrestle together on the floor, play babies, puzzles, books, animals and dollhouse together.  You have tea parties with your dolls and roll the ball to each other on the floor.  You love your sister above all else.
You are also adjusting to having Mama be at work.  I started a long-term subbing position this month, and while you are enjoying your extra time with Daddy, you miss Mama terribly.  You are waking up a lot at night, perhaps to have extra rocking and nursing time with me.  It could also be related to the molar that just popped through the upper right side, or the cold you have been fighting.  Either way, I'm still tired.
You are a very funny fourteen month old darling.  We love you so much, sweet girl.
Love,
Mama