Happy 18 month birthday, Nathan!

Dear Nathan,
It's been 18 months since you joined us in the "outside world" and we are savoring every minute. I thought I'd write you a letter so that someday when you're older or maybe even when you have an 18 month old of your own you can read this and know what you were like way back when.

You've gotten taller this summer, but you're still stocky legged with the quads and glutes of a weight-lifter. Sorry 'bout that, buddy (you got that from me). Your hair, which was silky and brown on your first birthday, has sprouted into a headful of wild blondish/brownish curls. We have no idea where the curls came from, and we've given up entirely on taming them. You definitely will have my dark brown eyes, and you tan like me too. You have an infectious smirk that often catches the eye of strangers in the grocery store.

You spent a lot of this summer learning to swim-float-swim, and though you cried through many lessons, on your last lesson you swam perfectly to the step, stood up, smiled, and clapped for yourself. You like to go to the pool and show off, especially if you can go with your buddy Gavin, since he can swim too and you guys can have little toddler competitions. After a swimming outing, you sleep for three hours, which is nice for me.

When you're not swimming, you're hanging out with Aunt Kara and cousins Koltin and Kanen. Kanen (you call him Roo Roo) is your best bud. He screams and dances with delight when he sees you. You also like seeing your other cousins Griffin and Gracie. They both love to take care of you by feeding you or giving you your paci. You're still the baby of the family, though that surely won't be forever.

Your personality is headstrong, but caring and sensitive. You like to push the envelope; one of your favorite things to do is walk up to the TV receiver, poise your finger in front of the "off" button, smirk at us, and say "hi" in the sweetest voice to make sure we're watching. You are generally good-natured, though you have a VERY short fuse (fine, I admit it, you get this from me). If one thing goes wrong, or if Kanen takes something from you, you quickly disintegrate into a screaming crying pile on the floor. Same goes for if you are hungry or sleepy. You recover quickly, luckily. You love music and love to sing and dance. You love the demonstration button on our keyboard and will ask for more, more more if we play that or sing you a song. You try to sing a few songs yourself, too.

You also can be manipulative. When you're with Grandma Geri, you hardly use your paci at all. She doesn't offer and you don't ask. When you're with me, it's crib only, and though you'll ask for it, you understand when I say no. With Dad, you ask for it constantly and will whine through a whole car ride until you get it.

You are very organized and have a specific way you want things to be. Toys must go back in their right place, and you have to wipe down the table, your face, and your hands with a napkin before you will come out of your high chair. You like to organize the shampoos and conditioners in the shower, and also lay out your Cheerios- one for you, one for the dog.

Speaking of the dog, you are only snuggly with Jada or when you're tired (or with one of your grandmas). When you do snuggle with me, I cherish those moments of stillness. It's not surprising that you snuggle with Jada, because you love all animals. You can imitate many animal sounds and have taken to carrying stuffed animals around the house, making their appropriate sound. You also give them kisses to let them know you care.

You also love food. A lot. Although you had a little picky streak over the summer, I can't complain. You even love foods that I don't, like kiwi. You still love blueberries (you call them "boppy") and cheese (only yellow cheese now, though). You've gotten very specific about what you want, asking for help to open the pantry or fridge so that you can get exactly what you want.

If we're talking about favorites, shoes probably make the top three, too. Anytime I talk to you about going out, you yell "soos!" and go get my shoes and then yours. A lot of times, I'll find you putting my running shoes on. Dad's are too big, so you don't really bother with those.

A lot of the time you can use words to communicate what you want, but there's still lots of pointing and grunting. The worst is when you say please (peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese) but I don't know what you're asking for. I'm impressed with your vocabulary and particularly enjoy teaching you funny and difficult words, like buckle and robot. We also just taught you to say Costco, which is super cute (Cah-Cohhhhhhhhh).

I've noticed over the past few weeks that you play differently now. You are much more independent with a much greater attention span (you can also watch a full episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). You engage in more pretend play- zooming cars around while you say "rhmmmm, rhmmm," talking to your Little People, and singing songs to yourself. You'll even pick up a pretend phone and have a conversation.

On Friday, we're taking you on your second big trip this year, to North Carolina. After that, we'll be coming back home for a few days and then taking you on your first Disney cruise. We think you're going to love it! It's fun watching you learn and explore, and though we're exhausted at times, we wouldn't change a thing!

Love,
Mama