PhotoHunt: Colorful

Today’s PhotoHunt Theme:
COLORFUL

19 Months

Dear Braden,

I really should have written you this letter allll the way back on May 16th. That was when you turned 19 Months old. That was when you officially crossed over the half year away from 2 mark.

However, I have been playing the avoidance game with my letter to you concerning your 19th Month. I have really wanted to write it, but every time I thought I just might get to it, I found something else to do instead.

I’m sure this is somehow related to the sorrow that is attached to my other memories from that time period. I am very sorry about that, son. I want you to know that my pain will never be more important than you. Sometimes, though, I just need a little (or a lot of) time to work through it.

Thank you for helping me do that.

What I really owe you right now is your 20th Month letter (which you will have by next week), but I can’t bring myself to write it without adressing the month I let slip by, first.

And while I won’t have a truly complete letter for you about your 19th Month without torturing both of us, I do want to give you some highlights…

You used to say, “aba” or “arpa” for “airplane.” I made the mistake of telling you that they are “up in the sky.”

Now you gaze up into the sky at the planes flying by overhead… and call them “gite!” It’s maddenly adorable. I’m sure you’ll straighten that out at some point. That, and your tendency to call fans and lights “esh-wheet!” because whenever you pointed to the ceiling fans/lights and said, “liiiight!” I said, “That’s right!” So, your non-”r” pronouncin’ self calls them all, “esh-wheet!” now. No one ever accused me of being the best mother out there. Forgive me?

Another weird word thing you started doing during this time was calling both bears and dogs, “Meat.” And I SWEAR, this one was not my fault! You started off calling dogs “ogg-ogg” and bears “bit” (that whole inability to pronounce “R’s” thing). For some reason, one day, you just decided they were both “meat.” While it is kind of gross, it’s also really funny. Especially the way you hold off the “T” whenever it’s on the end of a word. “Meeeeeeaaaaaaaaaa……TTTT.”

In an interesting addition to your exclamations, you started screaming, “I DID IT!” every time you put one of your bath-toy ABC letters on the bathtub wall. I didn’t even know kids your age could use, “I” appropriately. It’s obvious you’re a genius.

Aunt Karleigh visited this month, and she found a different way to play with the letters. She’s obviously also a genius.

On the health front, we finally gave in and ordered an allergy test for you. We’ve avoided it previously because of the sticking you with needles thing, and the MONEY thing. In the end, we just needed to know for sure that we weren’t wrong when we assumed you were able to eat the foods we were feeding you.

There’s something about being your Momma that makes “guessing” when it comes to your health a really crappy seeming and unacceptable thing to do. You were cleared of all allergies. We were able to give you all the foods you love again, and after completing a simple (yet huge – a full half) reduction of your liquid consumption, your bowel movements have become manageable instead of liquid hot magma.

Chalk (“CHOT!”) has been a huge obsession. You are IN LOVE WITH chalk (and crayons). I have begun to worry that if you could, you would BE chalk (or crayons). But, I kind of love it that you love that stuff. I see me in you when you love stuff like that. Let’s hang out a lot, okay?

Oh yeah. We’ve been putting you on your potty to pee for months. Generally, you start peeing, and then we put you on it to finish. We’re proud every time.

Then, you did this:

And you didn’t pee… but DUDE, you sat on the thing all by yourself! I WAS SO EXCITED. If you only knew how happy that kind of thing makes me!

I am never disappointed in my desire to watch you learn. You never stop!

You’ve been interested in your and our “eyes” for some time, but you experienced a Face Parts Explosion this month. You now point out “Eyyyyye!” and though you don’t say it, also ears and nose when questioned. I’m so proud of you, Face Parts Boy.