letter: month fourteen

this month the two of you have turned from babies into little boys. watching you grow and learn and interact is a true treat, one that i will do my best to document—and one that i will cherish for always.

alex:
you have always been a lover of books, but this past month has been like no other. you just can't get enough. we read you a story and you sit contently to listen. you really pay attention and love to turn the pages. when the story is done, you are obviously not. you take the book, hold it up, turn on the puppy dog eyes and expect it to be read to you again. and, if we aren't quick enough, you take the book and cram it into our chests. i'm sure if you could talk, you would say, "read!" you can be quite demanding!

other than babbling mamamama and dadadada you really aren't saying much. tonight you did say "hi" and it totally sounded like you had a southern accent. ha! i do worry that you aren't talking yet, but you do make your own sounds so i guess that's ok. for now at least. i will definitely mention it at your 15-month well baby visit.

you've taken clapping to a new level this month. you like to clap and do it often. especially after you've tasted something you like (did i mention you've started to use a fork??). you also start clapping at the mere mention of elmo's name. you have a special thing for elmo. if you hear the start of his theme song—la, la, la, la—you go bonkers. arms a-flappin', legs a'kickin', smile stretching so wide we can easily count all 5 and a half of your teeth! you also put on this little show each morning when we come to get you out of your crib, after each nap, and when we open the car door after a drive, no matter how long or short. i must say it delights my heart that you are so happy to see my face!

you've been pretty curious lately—you like to open and close things. over and over. and you like it even more when mommy or daddy say open and close while you're doing it. you also get a kick out of over and under as well as near and far. and you discovered your ears! we ask, "alex, where are your ears?" and you smile and reach up with both hands to cover them up.

oh, and you started to dance. baby, you've got rhythm!

max:
you are zipping around like crazy. you like to walk now more than you crawl. you are so small and cute and have such a big grin it really fills me with pure joy to watch you. you still don't love your shoes, but you've started keeping them on for longer bits of time. you've gotten quite stable on your feet and once or twice i've even caught you running! and then there is the climbing ...

you balance on the baseboards, climb up your push cart and the other day i found you standing bolt upright on one of your play chairs. while climbing comes easy, eating is still difficult with you. i'm hoping one can survive on blueberry waffles, bread, bologna and mini nilla wafers. that's seriously all you want to eat. everything else ends up on the floor—making you eddie's new best friend i'm sure. if you don't start eating more by your next checkup, i'm afraid it's back to the occupational therapist for you. yes, that's a threat. and yes, i'm afraid we'll follow through.

even though you aren't eating much, you are still sucking down a ton of milk. enough that you went from 18#2oz at your one-year check up to 19#6oz last week. pretty impressive. you still haven't hit the 20 pound mark, so for now you and your brother are both rear facing in the car. we were really hoping to turn you—we bought a minivan this month (*gasp* *gulp* *cough*) and thought—new car, new view. but, better safe than sorry. now we're thinking maybe santa will turn your seats in time for christmas.

i've noticed lately that you have started to mimic mommy a lot. i make a noise. you make the noise. i stick out my tongue, you stick out your tongue. it's pretty neat and i must confess that i'm having a bit of fun at your expense. don't tell anyone but the other day you made a noise that sounded an awful lot like the word sh!t. shhhhh! our secret ;)

i love you boys.

xoxo,
mommy

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