18 months

1.5 years going on 15

you are completely unaware that you are still an infant

technically, i suppose, you're a toddler

either way, you are NOT a big kid but you seem to insist that you are

your vocabulary seems to grow by the hour

we are learning to choose our words carefully, as you tend to repeat them.

lessons learned.

you are still completely obsessed with animals, but have moved on from cows to bulls

"boo",  you say. asking us to turn on bull riding.

lots of rodeos over here

you are fascinated with a magazine at your Honey and Pa's house called "Cowboy"

basically, you just like to look at every page and point out the horses and cows.

at least 50 times a day

you gallop everywhere, neighing as you go.

you are definitely less interested in any toy and more interested in a ball, book about horses/cows/livestock and our phones (naturally)

you finally had your adenoids removed 2 weeks ago.

after a long saga with an elevated PTT (saving that for non-blogging material)

we have always thought that you were a happy baby, but oh my lands! you are a different kid now!

incredibly happy, eating and sleeping better (which you already did really well) and we haven't wiped your nose in a whole week.

considering that you had nasal drainage for 5 months straight....this is huge and really wonderful!

your ability to communicate constantly surprises us!

we can have little conversations now.

i can ask you questions, you answer with a head nod or "no" (got that word down) and we proceed.

you can also tell us when you're ready to "eeeeeeeeeeeat" and what you want.

of course, we usually have to translate for others-but at least we understand.

you follow our direction really well/ obey and seem to understand what we're saying to you and stay engaged long enough to communicate

as Mamaw Jo says, you have a strong sense of purpose

so it doesn't take long to figure out what you want or need

we have tried to teach you to be friendly and wave or say "hi" and "bye" to others and you caught on and like to wave to everyone and say "bye" with gusto!

you also love baseball and basketball.

your dad got our old tee, bat and wiffle balls out of the barn, so we spend lots of time dodging your bat 

and unsuspectingly hard and misdirected throws.

on the occasion that you make contact, you get super excited and say "did it!" and the crowd goes wild

you got a big kid haircut and hated it- the drape, having to sit still, someone coming at your head with scissors- i can't say that i blame you

 but i think it suits you just fine

you really are a very easy keeper and are becoming increasingly capable 

you can now stand on a stool to brush your teeth...perhaps it's not perfect, but it's a good, strong effort

you still have an extraordinary amount of energy, but it seems that you are better able to control it and direct it towards a specific focus

sitting still and being quiet aren't your strongest qualities, but you are doing so so so much better 

especially during church. and we are so proud of you!

you make life better

i genuinely like being with you and miss you terribly when we're apart

your dad and i find so much joy in being your parents 

we smile and laugh at you all of the time and are constantly surprised by how quickly you learn 

your happiness is contagious and we are delighted by your sweet spirit

every day is better with you, that is true