Odessa, 17 months old

17 months old:

I swear that I fall more in love with you every day. The experience of having a child and watching her grow is like no other and one that I am so grateful to be able to have. The love that I have for you is so different from any other love: it is immeasurable.

You are almost 1 1/2 years-old. Today I went through the tub of your teeny, tiny baby clothes making decisions on what to keep and what to give away. I cannot believe that you ever fit into some of those little outfits. I miss your tiny babyhood but love the toddler you so much! I look forward to every day that we have together.

So, I think that being 17 months old is very much about making messes. I try to be patient and let you explore but my "type A" personality tends to get in the way. My rule of thumb is any mess is okay as long as it isn't a food mess. Those are just too hard to clean-up.

Gathering also seems to be big right now. You will spend lots of time gathering items that are similar and putting them into a little pile (paper bits, silverware, soda cans etc). When you realize that I am watching you, you roll your eyes or make a cheesy grin and turn around the other direction. I think the toys that you play with the most are Q-tips, cotton balls, decks of cards, and band aids.

Your ability and interest in entertaining yourself has increased exponentially recently. You will spend twenty minutes or more looking through books, magazines, or a deck of cards. Right now your favorite books are "Grumpy Bird" and the Corduroy lift-a-flap books. We read to you every night but it seems that you prefer to "read" to us. Which is adorable.

Now I am also really noticing how you imitate everything! It is so cute to see how you carry around the cell phone to your ear with a purse on your shoulder or watching you "feed" your stuffed animals. This morning you were pretending to drink out of an empty cup, complete wit the "mmm...augh" sound effects. Other imitations: folding laundry, opening garbage bags, wrapping presents, putting away dishes, making silly faces, eye rolling, nose-blowing... The list could go on and on.

So many words! The latest one is "up". Early this morning we were sleeping in bed and you tugged on my shirt and said "up" because you wanted it out of your way so that you could nurse. You also say "Golla!" a lot and I am really not sure what it means. "Ma golla!" means "nurse me". Another favorite is "hot". You say it all the time. Many times in context and some others not. You will also put two words together which is unusual for your young age. You will also repeat almost any word that we ask you to. I got you to say "I love you" this month but it sounded more like "I la". Good enough for me.

Sleep. What new parent doesn't obsess over it or the lack of it? I did. I read all the books but never followed the advice and then worried that you would never be able to fall asleep on your own, that I was harming you for life. Now, at seventeen months old, many nights go by that you fall asleep on your own and don't wake to nurse until early morning. Wow. I really never thought I would ever see the day when that would happen. This gives me courage to follow my parenting instincts.

I don't know quite how to end this post. I feel that I need to say something profound and yet I don't know what. I guess that a simple "I La" with have to suffice.