18 Months

Dear Jack

These letters have become more infrequent as time goes along. This is because you don’t like me to be on the computer when you are awake, so my time to write is limited to after you go to sleep at night.

Today, you had your 18 month check up. I was pleased to find out that you are 24 pounds, putting you in the 25th percentile for weight. I had been worried about your weight; you eat like a bird and I was certain that you had fallen off your growth curve. Luckily, I was wrong. You are also 32 and a half inches tall, putting you in the 50th percentile for height. The doctor deemed you perfect and I couldn’t agree more.

Things have been busy for us over the past three months. You took your first trip to Disney World in December. You were lucky enough to have your Grandma Jo and Grandpa Jack to go with you. You were in awe of the parades and the fireworks and the rides that we got to go on. And despite the fact that we all got the stomach flu, we had a memorable time. Hopefully, the next trip to Disney World will be filled with fewer sick days and more fun.

We also celebrated Christmas, your second. We went to the children’s service at church and then had dinner at the same Italian restaurant we went to last year. Unlike last year, you weren’t content sitting during the dinner. Instead, each of us had to take turns walking you around the restaurant. This wasn’t unusual. Ever since you learned to walk, you can’t sit still; you’ve got to be on the move, which means we are all on the move.

You are picking up new words everyday. I’ve been trying to count how many words you know and my guess is around twenty. Here are just a few of the ones that I can think of: no, yeah, hi, bye, ball, bus, car, go, duck, choo-choo, up, down, truck, bird, book, bubble, shoe, and light.

Sometimes you surprise me with what you know. Like, when I swear you shouted “paw print” at the tv when Steve asked what you have to find when you play Blue’s Clues. Or how you pull me over to the ticket booth whenever we go to the Dulles Towne Center so that I can buy a ticket to the carousel. Or how you start shouting “choo-choo” whenever you see a bookstore, because you remember playing with the train set in the kid’s section. You are understanding more about your surroundings each day.

What I think that I love the most is watching your personality emerge. You are so loving, friendly, and outgoing. You love to play with other kids, especially ones who are slightly older than you. You also love to dance. In fact, while we were in Disney, you became the preshow entertainment for the Lion King show. You ran to the center of the stage area and started to dance around. People thought that you were adorable and clapped for you. I was so proud of you.

Little Bear, I love you.

Love,
Mommy