12/13/14

16 Months

Dear Ellis-

Hi there! Sometimes I wonder when you will read these letters. Will you be under 18 and still living here with Dad and I? Will you be in college? Will you be married with kids of your own?

I am not sure who these letters are more for, you or me? I write them so that I can remember you because you are changing so fast, and I forget pretty much everything.   

 

It's for you too, though. I’m sure you’ll think it’s fun to see how you were when you were little. I always love hear my parents talk about how I was when I was little. It’s neat to see their faces light up as they remember that part of their lives. See, being a parent to a little person is a lot of fun(and work) and I think it is helping to make me stay young just like teaching young people does for me. I get to relive bits of my childhood. It’s okay to pull funny faces and talk in baby talk and to laugh at the little things in life. I do lots of stuff for you that you can’t do for yourself, but you do lots for me that I could never have without having you in my life.  I know you won’t always need me like you do now, so I am trying my best to love it all, from changing diapers, to wiping your boogers, to putting your shoes and clothe on, to carrying you when you’re too tired, to feeding you in the wee hours of the night. Sometimes those tasks seem like a burden or chore, but really I need to remember that this is a season in our lives that I soon will only be able to live in my memories. Always remember to live in the moment, Ellis. Don’t get too caught up in planning for the future because it isn’t guaranteed, and don’t dwell on the past either. Learn from your experiences and move forward. Of course, you should cherish the good memories but be quick to forgive both yourself and others. Too much good time is wasted on regret and bitterness. Learn to move on.

You are such a great little guy.  You are so smart and are learning so much daily.  Your vocabulary continues to grow quickly, just like your body.  Some of your new words are: milk, bottle, snack, bubbles, stroller, Santa, moon, Jesus, teeth and yeah. You are also signing more and all done which helps a little with communication with you. Sometimes it is frustrating when I don’t understand what you want and I can’t help you.

 

You are wearing 24 month clothes and are close to 2T. Your pants are still a size smaller because your legs are just a bit behind. You still hate shoes and socks. I worry you may get frostbite while we visit Wisconsin for Christmas in a week. We have been spoiled with an extra long fall around here.

You are still a little show man and you know how to get everybody’s attention. You love the attention but are totally fine entertaining yourself too. You love to watch videos of yourself and also stand in front of the stove to see your reflection and do tricks for yourself. You find yourself hilarious most of the time. You are walking well these days and often come close to running. We are in trouble. You also are starting to climb which makes me very nervous.

 

You still love Reno. You chase him all over, which drives him nuts. You also love to feed him your snacks which sometimes makes up for all the chasing for him. 

 

You are an unpredictable sleeper. Sometimes you sleep through the night but that is rare. You fight naps and usually only take one per day.  Sometimes it’s for two hours, sometimes it’s for 30 minutes. We never know what it will be.  Usually, you go to sleep around 8:30, but sometimes you party like a rockstar and refuse to sleep until midnight.  You usually sleep past eight, but sometimes get up to see me off to work. At least you keep things interesting. I guess we don’t really need to figure everything about you out just yet.

 

You still like sports even though you lose interest sooner these days. You love to watch train videos on YouTube and also still watch Chica. You also like the Ellen show lately, but mainly because there is a dancing reindeer on there for her 12 days of giveaways! You giggle and go on everytime he comes to dance. You also are quite the dancer and also spin and spin and think being dizzy is pretty funny.  Your little laugh is so contagious.

It’s getting late, so I better get to sleep. I cannot imagine life without you. You make my life full. I love you more and more each day and feel so blessed to be your mommy. Thank you for teaching me better patience and for making each day an adventure. I love you Bugaboo!