18 months

It goes without saying that your biggest accomplishment in the last month was putting one foot in front of the other. Your Dad and I could not be more pleased with your progress. You are not only a great little forward walker, you are also a fan of walking backwards, sideways, and sometimes you verge on running! All of that fancy footwork has ushered in several fun firsts.

1) Our first play sword fight- You were reluctant to walk outside at first. You preferred to crawl on the asphalt (ouch!) rather than risk falling on it. That lasted about 2 weeks, then you had the courage to give it a try. Being on two feet freed up your hands to hold a stick and you toddled up the street hitting your stick on mine.

2) Holding hands- You didn't like me holding them before, but now you put your little hands in mine without hesitation. You reach up for them when we walk on the tile on the way to the bath or when I say you have to so we can walk on the floating dock at the river. Somehow you think that when you really want to move, you move faster if you let go. That's so funny to me because walking with you makes me slow down so much! This past weekend, we had a road trip to Papa's (more on that later). It occurred to me that walking at your pace was a chance to really soak in and remember a place that is one of the only geographical constants of my childhood. So often now, I scoop you up so we can move faster. It is good for me to remember that walking at your speed has its benefits too.

3) Road rash- Walking outside has meant new and real boo-boos. Just today we were walking on a gravel path and you wiped out. You were a trooper and shook it off pretty well. No bloody skinned knees yet, but they can't be far away.

4) Big boy bath moves- You now stand like a big boy after your bath to get dried off instead of your Dad swinging all 27 pounds of you into my arms. I miss cuddling you and drying you off, but I love stealing "clean sugar" as I dry you. I also really love seeing your cute naked bum walk into the next room so you can get your pjs and night diaper on.

5) My baby is officially gone- You know I didn't realize it, but crawling was your last "baby" move. Now that you are walking you really aren't a "baby" boy anymore. Thanks for letting me hold on to that part of you a little longer than usual, buddy. Welcome to the big times!

I know walking has changed more around here, but those are the big things I can recall. The other things I have loved about you this last month are your rapidly growing vocabulary and your displays of affection. You have more words now than I can count. It seems you have a new word (or several) every day. Your latest are : "ni-ni" (night-night) possibly followed by "love you", "La-La" (Lovie), "chee" (cheese), "nana" (banana), "mih" (milk), "cruck" (truck), "cah" (car), and "ah-gun" (maybe all gone). I just cannot say enough that communicating with you is so fun and makes our life together so much easier. It is just amazing to see your eyes light up when I recognize what you are saying and respond.

Even better than that though is the different ways you have so sweetly showed affection. You often pat or rub my arm or grab my hand when you're on the changing table. You also freely give kisses when I ask, and sometimes when I don't. You love to give your Pooh bear and Lovie hugs and kisses and today you kissed several toys and pictures of animals on your rocking chair. I know there will be a day when you will not be so free your pats and kisses, so we're soaking them up while they last!