19 Months - Hasta la Vista Bopple

Well Logan we survived the holidays and things are starting to get back to normal around our house. You did really well with the Christmas decorations although our tree looked a little odd with all of the breakable glass ornaments covering the tree from about 3 feet up and 4 or 5 little unbreakable ones on the bottom. You were spoiled by everyone of course, a spring horse, toys, clothes and puzzles from us and your grandparents (and Santa) and some new books from your Aunt Lisa and Uncle Joe. Your dad and I were really excited about the books because while we love that you like to read kid, you can only read Hop on Pop about 3 times a day before you want to scream STOP - NO MORE HOP ON POP! I really am not complaining though because you are a really smart kid already and I know that having a love for reading will only make you smarter (more smart?). So keep it up, make us read to you until we end up accidentally rhyming in our conversations with adults.

One of the puzzles you got from your grandma is pretty cool - it has a bunch of pieces with animals, colors, textures, etc., that you can match together. Red goes with Strawberry, Bumpy with Alligator, etc. Not long after you got it I started drilling you on them. You shocked me the first time we did this with how much you already knew. I sat you on my lap with about 8-10 of the pieces and asked you where each one was. You got every single one right. Then I put 8-10 more out there and you did it again. My favorite was when I held up the rabbit and I expected you to say bunny or kitty or something like that but instead you said "RABBIT!" I laughed so hard. You say it so cute. Your grandma further complicated things by teaching you that the frog says ribbit. You weren't confused though, you know the frog says ribbit and the bunny is a rabbit.

Colors are a little tougher but you're getting there. I can imagine your frustration - what you thought was a block is now yellow. What was just a shirt yesterday is now blue. You're a little confused because if we point to something and ask you what color it is you say geena. Everything we point to is geena. If I ask you though, you point to the right color without a problem. Your dad also figured out that if we ask you what color something is and you say geena, all he has to do is say no, look at it, what color is it, and you usually get it right. Genius!

We also hit another milestone with you this month. While we were at Christmas Sylvia mentioned that Quade was in the process of giving up the bottle. I decided it was about time for you to start too. I'd been holding off because 1) you really liked your bottle and I didn't want to take it away and 2) no more bottle = no more baby. It also might have something to do with the fact I thought that was the only way I could get you to sleep. Turns out you didn't mind giving it up at all. I was sad though. The second night you had fallen asleep without it I gave your dad a high five but I was also sad I wouldn't get to see you wander into the kitchen in your footie pajamas, hang on the handle of the fridge and say "Bopple?, Milk?" Bopple = the cutest word for bottle EVER. Yeah I'm going to miss that. You never even asked for another bopple. We have been really lucky with stuff like that though. When you were about 7 months old you got sick and gave up your binky. When you were about 13 months old you got sick and no more nursing. It makes me look good as a parent and I have to give you thanks for that.

In two days your dad and I are going to get an ultrasound and to the annoyance of many, we are not finding out what we are having. You have your opinion, but it usually depends on what option we give you last. If we ask if we are having a boy or a girl, you say girl. If we ask if it is a girl or a boy, you say boy. You even told me you were having a sister the other day after I asked if it would be a brother or sister. I don't know how you will feel about this younger sibling by the time you are old enough to read this, but right now you are pretty dang cute. You point to my belly when we ask where the baby is and you even give it a kiss which pretty much melts your mom. I wonder if you will still like the baby when it starts giving you a pretty swift kick when you get close enough to blow raspberries. If it kicks anything like you did you may end up with a black eye.

Well things are going to start changing around here and I think you will handle it just fine, at least I hope so. I hope you understand that your mom and dad love you and want to be with you as much as possible. I wish I could stay home with you, but I know that the time I do spend at work only makes me that much more ready to hang out with you every second I can when I am home. While you may end up being at daycare at times, I hope you don't end up in counseling or taking it out on your parents when you are a teenager. Trust me, the next few crazy months (years?) will all be for your benefit in the end.

Love you chubs,

Mom

(I'll have pictures up by the end of this month - we're getting a new computer!)