12 Oct
T1 at 18 Months
Grunty, little baby, P, Boo boo,
I stopped writing monthly updates 6 months ago. You turned 18 months today though, and I felt it was time. Did you know this is the only time in your life when people will notice your half birthday? Growing up I always felt like October 15th was pretty special, but no one else agreed. Maybe I can give you a little bit of the magic I craved as a kid, because turning half a year older is pretty darn cool. Especially at this age, when you change so quickly and have so many milestones to celebrate. You walk with no problems now, have entered nursery at church, and get excited when you see us walk in the door. Is there anything sweeter, more beautiful than your smiling face than the times when I come home from an early morning farmer’s market run? I don’t think so. You unconditionally love every single thing about me, and that is a lot to live up to. One day you will realize how incredibly imperfect I am, and that will be hard to navigate. For now, I’m happy to be your mama, whatever it is you understand that to be.
I thought I could describe you best at this age with some of my favorite pictures from the past six months. Meal time is mess, but fun because you eat almost everything I put in front of you, and that brings me so much joy. I lavish so much attention and praise on you, trying to make sure you understand that eating vegetables and trying new flavors and textures is a wonderful thing. I want you to love and enjoy food the same way I do, and I think this begins when you are very young.
Your hair still hasn’t grown in evenly, and we’ve cut it several times so far. It grows fast, and you look cute both when it’s long, and when it’s short, so it works no matter what I think.
We visited your aunt in Utah, and then spent over a month living with grandma and grandpa in Washington. You were the center of attention everywhere we went, and I now understand why girls move back home to live near family. I want you to grow up the way I did, surrounded by grandmas and grandpas, and aunts and uncles, and cousins.
You haven’t shown a love for swimming yet, but you do love taking a bath. You run over to the bathroom door and point, letting me know you want me to open it so you can rush inside and start trying to climb into the tub.
You make this face for one very specific reason. Your dad and I find it hilarious.
You’re a rather adventurous little boy. At our family reunion there was a huge hill in the backyard, and it didn’t take you long to figure out you could move down it by tumbling around on your side. If we leave a chair pushed away from the dining room table, you love to climb up on the table to see what’s been hiding up there. Lately you started going into the bathroom, climbing up on the toilet, and then sitting down in the sink to play.
You still like to put things in your mouth, and when we were in Poland you couldn’t get enough of your grandpa’s backyard, filled with fruit trees. Last week I came home from the farmer’s market and you dug right through my bags until you found a pear, and took a huge bite.
In Poland you learned what the TV does, and how it can play Teletubbies. Oh no! I’m not sure I understand the appeal of that show, but you love ot run over to the TV and point to it until daddy turns it on for you. Mommy still shakes her head no and declares it unnecessary. In Poland you were extra spoiled, you even had your own little chair to watch in!
Sometimes I stroke your face and feel amazed that such a big personality can fit inside such a little body. I go back and forth between telling you that you’re a little baby, and letting you know that big boys don’t do naughty things like whatever you’ve just done. I suspect this is an enduring part of motherhood, thinking you’re so big one minute, and then finding you to be so young and small the next.
You know a few signs, though milk is the only one you use. So far the only word we’ve ever heard you use unprompted is shoes.
You LOVE to go outside, more than anything in the world. If I open the apartment door, you run out and try to convince me to take you to the elevators, because you know that’s how you get to the wonderful place with the grass and the trees.
You love to have me sing “itsy bitsy spider” (I admit you seem to like it best when I do it, which I love) and when I turn on the song Little Sack of Sugar you turn around to sit in my lap so we can jiggle jiggle jiggle tickle tickle tickle together.
Pushing things is another passion of yours. The shopping cart, the stroller, a little bird toy we brought back from Poland.
And there are plenty of tantrums. This day it was because I wouldn’t let you eat raw green onions (you were just taking a bite and then spitting them out, too wasteful!) and most of the time I just let you put yourself back together. As I write this, you are currently sleeping, down for an early nap because the tantrum that you started up just wouldn’t stop. Those are hard days.
This face? This look? I can’t get enough of it. If you can replicate this through your teen years the girls are going to be swooning.
Those blue eyes I wanted so badly? They’re still here, though I have no idea if that will last. If they turn brown I’ll love them just as much, as you’ll remind me of your father even more.
You have two favorite things. The iPhone (and device where you can swipe and use your iFinger), and your bottle. On the recommendation of the speech therapist we are currently in the process of eliminating your bottle and it’s pretty miserable. We’re going to get through this though, right?
Unfortunately you can be really aggressive with other kids around. So far all the other moms have been nice about it, and I think it’s really about how excited you are to spend time with them. Sometimes you grab at me or push me the same way you do with them, and because I don’t fall over or cry you get confused and think you can treat everyone that way.
Every night your dad and I climb into bed and recap the funny things you did that day. I can’t think of a single sunrise that has passed where I couldn’t recall something that made me smile, often doubling over with laughter as I tell your father the new hilarious thing you came up with. Wherever you go, you bring joy. I love that about you.
Thanks for being my little baby, my reminder of what’s important in life. I love watching your personality develop and the little ways you demonstrate how much you love us.
We love you, you tiny tempter-tantrum-throwing wiggly-worm.
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
He is growing so quickly and still cute as can be! This is such a great gift that you are giving him, recapping all of the moments of his childhood and showing him how he is becoming more of a person every day. I think he will truly appreciate this when he is older. I can’t wait to do this for my own children!
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1I love your dress in that last picture! Where did you get it?
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Jenna Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
I thrifted it, but it’s Old Navy
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Love, love, love! It’s so fun that you’ve let us sort of watch him grow and see him get older. He’s one cute boy!
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3just lovely!
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4Great recap..
But what I’m really lovin’ is your outfit, especially those boots!
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5LOVE that last photo! And what a beautiful letter to your son.
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6What a sweet letter! He is getting so big!
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7Absolutely precious. The letter, the pics…all of it. You are such a good mama!!!
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8What a cutie patootie! So according to my mom I was a terror when they tried to wean me from the bottle. Then one day right after a thunderstorm my mom was getting me out of the car, and my bottle fell in the gutter. As it was being washed away, my mom said “Buh-bye bottle!” and had me wave to it as it rolled into the storm drain. From then on out, I drank from a sippy cup! I guess my baby psyche told me that the bottle ran away or something. Who knows!
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9this was lovely. I think it’s my favourite update you’ve written so far
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Teale Reply:
October 12th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
I clicked over from Reader to comment this exact same thing! Definately my favorite letter to date!
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The best most warm fuzzy motherhood post you have ever written!
And i agree on how it’s amazingly beautiful to love a little wiggly-temper-tantrum adorable kiddo so much! I feel the same exact way!
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11That first picture might be my favorite. He’s such a handsome little guy! April can’t come soon enough!
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12What a great recap! Thanks for sharing.
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13This is so sweet. Makes me want to fast forward and have a little boy of my own.
Also, the last photo is awesome. Terrific family picture!
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14Such a cutie that T1. I love this recap, and I bet you’re going to love looking back at all the stuff he’s doing now. And I wanted to tell you… I think you can count on the blue eyes… it’s really unusual for any big changes after 12 months, really even 9ish.
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15Good lord, that is one beautiful child.
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16Too cute!! I particularly love the first photo — that expression and the little folded hands are hilarious!
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17So sweet. I love having a baby boy and I’m so looking forward to watching him grow and writing him sweet letters like this. Love the striped shirt with grey collar. Do you thrift most of his clothes too?
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18this was unbelievably sweet. so much joy and love, with a healthy dose of humor and realism, in this post.
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19Such a sweet post. P is adorable. Jenna, you are looking AWESOME! You look super tiny in that last picture!
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20You look AMAZING in that last shot!! I love the color and finish of your boots and that dress looks great!
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21I’m so glad you do these posts! I love your family picture at the end! So cute!
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22A beautiful post! T1 is just so adorable. I wish I lived next door so that he could play with my Max all day long
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23The picture of him biting into that pear is so. adorable. That little wrinkle in his forehead… gah!
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24This was lovely to read - so full of sweetness and love.
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25pumpkin pictures are fantastic! happy 1/2birthday T1!
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26Jenna,
I love this and you look absolutely BEAUTIFUL in that last picture! Oh, my, gosh.
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27What a lovely, sweet post.
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28A bit off topic, but, seeing that last super cute family and wondered: when/if you hand your camera over to someone to take a family photo what settings do you use?
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Jenna Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 11:31 am
The correct exposure for the setting of course, but depending on the person’s understanding of “red dot on the subject” I’ll raise and lower my aperture accordingly. If it’s a clueless person, something like f4 is probably a good idea.
I take a picture first before I hand it over, and get the settings I want.
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