15 Month Update

Dear Lana,

Today you turned 15 months old. The past month is probably best described as the month of “NO!” It began innocently enough, when I asked you, my mostly non-conversational child, if you had poop in your pants. To my surprise, you responded with an emphatic, “NO!”, and a string of head shakes and denials. The stench from your diaper tipped me off that this wasn’t the case, but “no, no, no” was your story and you were sticking to it.

Since then, you respond to almost every query with a “No” and a head shake. Only the very best things in life, like graham crackers and shopping trips, earn a hiss of approval (your version of yes) or a “peease.” You even tell yourself “No” sometimes, usually when you’re in the middle of a pressing task like the relocation of the contents of our pantry to the living room. When you are consumed with an activity like this your brow furrows and you mutter instructions to yourself as you go. Occasionally, you’ll stop in your tracks, shake your head, and say, “No, no, no,” as if you’ve mulled it over and reached the decision that a can of peas on the sofa is pure insanity. You make a quick about face and then head off in the opposite direction, transporting the peas to their new and improved destination in the laundry room.

Your love of books has grown in the past month to the point of near obsession. We read between three to 10 books before breakfast each morning and some are so good that they require repeat readings throughout the day. Your favorites right now are Great Day for Up! and Walk the Dog. The former is a Dr. Seuss book that your grandmother brought over and has the name "John" penciled in carefully by a little boy who grew up to be your Dad. The latter is a bargain book that I bought from Amazon while I was still toting you around in my belly. I remember showing it to a coworker and laughing when he asked if it was a book about chores. I’m still considering publishing my own line of books based on that idea. The first titles will be Empty Your Diaper Pail and Unload the Dishwasher. Look out, J.K. Rowling.

Your other favorite pastime is walking around and talking on the phone. We’ve given you plenty of decoy phones -- and I’m talking really good decoys like my old cell phone that’s still in fine working condition. You have no trouble, however, recognizing these phones as frauds and insist on walking around with our home phone tucked beneath your chin. You repeat “Hey” and “Bye” over and over as you stroll from room to room, and occasionally you utilize caller ID to ring my cousin’s cell phone or get bored and pitch the handset into the tub. I really have to hand it to V-Tech for making a product that still works after being dropped repeatedly, thrown considerable distances, and submerged in water. If only televisions were so durable.

All in all, it’s been another delightful month. You’ve turned into a social butterfly and I love nothing more than to take you out and watch as you charm the people you meet with your beautiful smile and your hearty greetings of “Hey, hi and bye.” You make everyone around you happy, most especially me.

Love,

Mom