Jack, Luke, and Wendy's 18 Month Letters

Dear Jackie,

What a joy you have been these past 6 months! You are my chubby Buddah baby, and I love you that way! Weighing in at 28 lbs to your siblings' 24 lbs, and being a half inch shorter than Wendy, and a full 2 inches shorter than Luke, you are by far my squishiest baby. This extra lining may have been the reason that you didn't walk until 15 months. But you finally got up on your little feet and toddled down the hall. And you've been going ever since. Recently you have started dancing, and it is the cutest thing! You stick your tooshie out and bounce up and down. It cracks you up! You have also discovered the fun of walking in circles to make yourself dizzy.This cracks me up!

Even though you are more mobile now, you still enjoy having some quiet and restful alone time. As a little baby, I would sometimes need to put you in your crib for 15 minutes of quiet time. You loved that. As you have gotten older, how you spend that time has changed. For a while, you would watch TV from another room. You would find a place to sit and watch without having to be with the crowd of siblings you've inherited. Now, you will ask to sit at the kitchen table. Not in so many words, of course, but I can tell when that is what you are wanting. And you will sit there for several minutes, just watching the chaos unfold around you. :)

You said your first word, besides Dada and Mama, at your 12 month check up. It was "Tiger." And you have said a few other words since then. But about a month ago, you entered a quiet phase. You would babble every now and then, but that was about it. You even stopped signing. That is also when you started screaming and biting. Luke is your target. It's not a pretty sight. But thankfully, we've had a respite from that the past few days. I have this feeling that you are simply frustrated with not being able to communicate verbally like you wish to. One day soon, your language is going to just take off. I can feel it.

There are so many little things you do that I love. When I tell you to do something...you do it! 9 times out of 10. It's absolutely incredible. As much as you love dumping baskets of toys, you equally enjoy putting things AWAY. This comes in handy during clean up time. :) Most of all, I love how you tap your chubby fingers on the table or your thigh as if waiting impatiently for something to happen. Those tiny little fingers. Just drumming away. Love.

Jack, you are so full of joy and love. Your laugh is contagious, and you can brighten a gray day with your smile. You are such a special little guy. And I feel amazingly blessed to have you as my child. Thank you for the love you bring to our family, and to my heart.

I love you dearly.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Lukie,

You have done a lot of changing since your first birthday. You started walking a couple weeks after, and you wasted no time learning to climb and run. You are very strong and agile, which is a scary combination for a Mom. :) It is a rare occasion to see you sitting still, which means that you are a slender little guy. No extra chub on you. Also, your eye color and hair color have continued to change. Your hair is officially blonde now, and seems to be getting even lighter. Your blue eyes now have a golden ring around the pupil (just like your Daddy), and the blue has turned a more steely gray.

At the beginning of this last 6 months, you spent your time yelling, banging on things, opening (and emptying) my cupboards, climbing on everything you shouldn't, and generally tearing things apart. In other words, you moved quickly into toddlerhood! When you want to do something that you know you shouldn't, you try to sneak away and do it. This is one of those times when it's hard to keep a straight face.

Your relationship with Wendy and Jack is beginning to grow. And while it's very typical, they are not all that forgiving of your habit of taking their toys or crawling over them. But then, there are those times when I see you laughing and playing with each other, and my heart is full.

A few little tidbits I don't want to forget about this age:

1. You never take a long enough nap. You cry most of the afternoon, but I haven't been able to figure out how to help you sleep better. 2. Every time someone comes to the door or prepares to leave the house, you are at the front door hoping that this will be the time when you get to make a break for it! I look forward to Spring so I can let you run wild in the back yard. 3. You are still too busy to cuddle much, but you are beginning to want it more.  And when you want some time together, you get VERY jealous when someone else tries to get a hug or share some space on my lap.

You love to be tickled, and will say, "ticka, ticka, ticka" when you are in the mood to play. Your language in general has blossomed in the past couple of weeks. You add a new word to your vocabulary every few days, and this has really helped bring your frustration level down. Sometimes you even sing with me, which is something I do quite frequently. I'll sing a little, and then you will sing your little part. It's ADORABLE!

Mostly, I just love having you around. You are so sweet and loving, even through all of your toddler actions. I can see how much you love each and every one of us, and I enjoy spending my days with you.

I love you Lukie!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Wendy,

You have grown these past 6 months! You started your 12th month wearing 9-12 month, and even some 6-9 month, clothing! Now you are wearing 18-24 month clothing and you are a half inch taller than Jackie. Way to grow! If only your hair would catch up... :)

Wendy, I am just so in love with you. And I'm not the only one. If there is one thing you are, it's social!. Kisses, hugs, "shy Di" glances, waves. You're all over it. It is so endearing. Countless times throughout the day you will give me hugs and kisses without being prompted.

Along with this, you are very observant of social cues. You have figured out that when we pray we fold our arms, and I will often see you doing it too. So cute! For awhile you enjoyed gathering a bunch of toys and giving them to me so you could hear me say, "Thank you," which you would then repeat. Gotta say, I don't hear it much anymore. ;) By watching us, you have also learned that when we are done eating, we put our dishes away. As you can't do that by yourself, you will hand me your cup, and then your spoon or fork, and then your bowl or plate. This is how you end every meal.

When I change your diaper, you will tickle your own belly and say, "ticka, ticka, ticka." Recently you have started tickling Jack and Luke's bellies too, and they think you are hilarious. It's so much fun to watch you play with them. Most of the time you all play so well together, but when Luke gets even remotely close to the toy you are using, you will drop it and throw a preemptive tantrum. It's evident that you expect him to take it, and you are probably right. So we have been working on signing "mine." So far, it's not really working. :/ I also caught your brothers ganging up on you the other day. I heard you screaming from the other room, and when I ran in, Luke had pinned you on your back and Jack was batting at your face. Truly, I did not expect to see something like that for a few more years. But you love them. :)

You really enjoy your big sister too, and I can tell that a special relationship is starting to grow there. The two of you have a lot in common, and you love to dance with her. You love music in general. As soon as someone says, "music," you start to move. At the first note you hear, you're moving your body. I have said to several people that you and Liv are two different kinds of dramatic. Liv dresses the part, and then becomes it. She dances the music, and then feels it. With you, it comes from inside. You feel the music, and then dance it. It's so interesting to watch. And just like Liv, you are beginning to memorize the dance at the beginning of The Backyardigans. :)

Two little things I don't want to forget about you:

First, for about 2 months, you were fascinated with teeth. You wanted to look inside everyone's mouth and feel all of their teeth. It was a funny little phase. Second, you love your "Dolly" we bought you for Christmas. You snuggle with her at bedtime, and have started wanting to carry her around a little bit.

Wendy Jane, you have such a sweet spirit. You are full of love and you are fun. Plain and simple. You are a joy to be around, and I love you more than I can ever express in these letters. Thank you for blessing our family with your presence every day.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy


To All of You:

We are all still amazed at how easy going all of you are. This is what I know...Heavenly Father knew EXACTLY what He was doing when he sent you to us. He knew what you would need, and what Daddy and I would need. He knew what Charlie and Liv would need. I am in awe every. single. day. of just how much forethought went into our family. And we had no idea. :) You all came to our family when you were supposed to, and with the siblings you were supposed to. I could not be more thankful to my Heavenly Father for that. You have blessed your Daddy and I more than you will ever know, and more than we can understand at this time. But I am grateful. <3 br="">

For your 18 month birthday...baths. :)