Dear Caleb,
You are 18 months old! A year and a half! How in the world is that possible? (How often do I say that?) You have blossomed into this amazing little boy who is a whole lot more toddler than baby! You are a blur of motion most of the time. You are all boy, all action, all the time. Everything you can pick up becomes something to hit with or throw. I have wondered when you'd really begin to talk but the past few weeks, you've come out of your shell. I hear 2-3 new words each day! You also pick up sign language at an amazing pace. I find myself making up signs for fruit because you're desperate for a way to ask for the fruit you love, but don't have the words to do so yet. The only sign you refuse to use is banana, but that's ok because one of your newest words is "bana". I think it's precious and I try to find ways to make you say it throughout the day.
At your 18 month check up you were 85% for height, 75% for weight, and 98% for head circumference. I was quite surprised to find out you were ahead of every single developmental milestone Dr. Thomason mentioned. Not sure why that surprised me as much as it did - I've always known you were a smart boy. You can identify a star without fail and usually know a heart. You're also finding more and more letter "C's" in books. What a brilliant little man you are!
You have a host of words that make a regular appearance, and several that we only hear once in a while. My favorite is when you run across the room screaming "Mama" as loud as you can! You also say daw (dog), ow-si (outside), doll (ball), yesh (yes), tar (star), daaa-da (Daddy), aw don (all done), das (lights - especially Christmas lights), and mmmmm (moo). Every now and then we catch an "I love you" and it melts every heart that hears it. You also say "a-da" or "a-za" all the time but we have no clue what it means! You have typical toddler babble, but "a-da" is often said when you are pointing to something and wanting me to understand what you're saying. One of these days I'll figure it out little boy...
Your favorite toy, by far, is your box full of balls. In fact, I told everyone that you didn't need anything for Christmas except lots and lots of balls. (Don't worry - your grandparents were more than happy to oblige!) There's not a day that goes by that I don't stumble over a smattering of balls in every room in the house. You also really enjoy the potato masher. I think you're confused about why Mommy keeps such a fantastic toy in the kitchen! You run all over the house, hitting everything you can think of. Nothing is safe - including the dogs! After we took down the Christmas tree we left the furniture where it was and transformed the tree corner into a toy corner. It took you about 3 seconds to realize what a fantastic invention this is and now spend your day dumping out toys and cleaning them up. (And occasionally throwing a few balls across the room!)
You are also very much obsessed with stars. If you spy a star and we don't recognize it, you will stop everything and throw a fit until we acknowledge that there is in fact a star there. Gaga writes you letters with star stickers all over it and it is the best day of your week! We spend a good hour taking the stickers off the letter and sticking them on your hands and arms. When you're having a rough day, nothing will turn it around quite like an episode of Team Umizoomi. Your daddy and I have several episodes memorized and have found ourselves singing the theme song - even when you're not around. Praise the Lord for modern technology that lets us watch it anytime, day or night. You've grown quite attached to your waffle weave blankets. In fact, if I don't get the laundry put away fast enough, you'll insist on carrying both of them around at once. I must admit, when you were born people gave you lots of things that they hoped would become your security item. I (not so secretly) always hoped you'd choose the waffle weave blankets. It warms my heart to see you carry them around the house. I love sticking them in the diaper bag each time we leave home. It's a precious part of being a toddler I know you won't keep forever. But for now, it's a part I cherish more than you can imagine!
Lately, our home has become a flurry of activity as we prepare for the biggest change of your young life! In just 2 short months you'll officially be a big brother! We talk about baby Noah growing in my tummy and have told you that you're going to move into a big boy room (which isn't much more than an empty room with half-way painted walls at the moment), but I often wonder how much you understand. It's a big life change that's coming, little man. Please know how often I pray that the Lord will prepare your heart in ways we can't. I rest in knowing that when He chose to give us you, He knew that He'd also give us Noah. God knew what your family would look like long before we did! He knew you'd be a big brother at 20 months and He knew Noah would be the baby brother. God is amazing and has a perfect plan for your life. I'm awe-struck that I get to a front row seat to watch it all unfold.
When I look back over the last 6 months, I can see how your personality has grown as you stretched your legs into toddler-hood. Your food allergies to milk, egg, and peanuts remain but we're starting to see signs that maybe they're not as severe as they used to be. Maybe you'll grow out of some of them! You have a stubborn, independent streak that doesn't surprise me at all. But you are also happy and easy going most of the time. Your heart is big and you love deeply. Your laugh can light up a room and it fills my heart with joy overflowing. Those gorgeous blue eyes still captivate me every time you turn your head, and your blonde hair gets blonder by the day! After your first hair cut, I let it grow for quite a while and was thrilled to see the curls come back. It's starting to get long again and part of me kind of wants to see if the curls will come back once more. I love you more than I ever thought possible, my sweet pumpkin! You are my dear little buddy and I'm so blessed to be your Mommy!
I love you! Soooo much!
Love,
Mommy
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