Dear Hadley,
Today you are fifteen months old. And yesterday you took several steps! These were not your “first steps” (you took two steps back in December…then broke your leg the next day) but they were the first steps since you got that darn cast off! It was very exciting. Daddy was encouraging you to walk and when, much to his surprise, you actually took two steps he squealed like a little girl, scared you, and caused you to promptly sit down. We quickly did the same thing again and you took THREE MORE steps. But after that you were DONE and simply refused to play that game anymore. But you took steps. And we will totally take it.
The other big changes this month are in your ability to communicate. You are surprising us every day with new words or hand gestures to tell us what you want or need. You are very accomplished at pointing to things. You do this to show me things you want to eat or play with but also simply to draw my attention to something you find interesting, like, “Hey Mama! Do you see that dog?!” I love that you are able to show me things that are important to you and am always entertained by the things that fascinate you.
While knowing what you want is helpful, it is equally important to know what you DO NOT want. You have finally figured out how to shake your head “no.” Want another bite? Shake your head “no.”‘ You point to something in the kitchen. Do you want this? “No.” How about this? “Nope.” This? “NO.” THIS?! And then you squeal with delight. BINGO. It can be frustrating, and often time consuming, but it works.
Aside from non-verbal communication you are growing your actual vocabulary as well. You can say Mama (which, thanks to you having a five year old sister, more often than not is simply “Mom”) Dada, Ana (of course!!), Nana, wawa (water), bye-bye, go, up, baby, and you point to yourself and say “me me” which delights you to no end.
A couple weeks ago we had another first occur around here. Not just a first for you, but a first for our whole household. You fell asleep while eating in your high chair! I have never had a child fall asleep while eating before! Ana passed out once while playing on the floor but never while sitting up, with food still dangling from your fingers. In your defense you were a little sick and hadn’t slept well during your nap. Ana was reading a book to us during snack time and while I was helping her sound out the words (and not just guess based on the pictures) you just closed your eyes and went to sleep! I made sure to take pictures from time to time to document this momentous (and hilarious) occasion.
You are totally fascinated by shoes. Or slippers. Or boots. Any type of footwear, really. You love to put them on your feet, on your hands, or even hide things inside them. Once I even found one of your shoes INSIDE one of my shoes. I thought that was pretty sneaky.
You are also obsessed with the little pink “car” your Grandpa Larry gave you for Christmas. In fact, I was a little worried that it was going to keep you from walking because you simply ride anywhere you want to go. You roll from one point to the next, turning and maneuvering with the greatest of ease. You have even tried carrying things around while sitting down, but this proved a bit tricky.
When you realized the seat lifted up, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities for you. Once day I caught you stashing your blankie in the trunk. You figured out you could ride around AND still have your blankie safely by your side. Clever, Hadley. Very clever.
Last weekend while Nana was staying with us, we decided to set up a little camp out in the living room. While you didn’t get to sleep in the tent (this time) you certainly had a great time playing in it. We left it set up for a couple days and you and Ana were constantly playing in the tent. The squeals of delight and constantly giggles coming from your little pink canopy let us know you were in pure heaven!
Hadley, it has once again been a wonderful month with you. You are such an amazing addition to my life. You give the very best cuddles and when you wrap your hand around my finger all the troubles in the world simply melt away. I love watching your eyes light up when we snuggle up in the La-Z-Boy to read yet another Blue’s Clues book (you are partial to the lift-the-flap ones). I can’t wait to share all my favorite books with you. Then one of these days you will understand why we have those round Harry Potter glasses you love to wear so much. Until then, I am happy to enjoy all the things that bring joy to you like you bring to me.
All my love,
Mama