October 23-28, 2014
Dear Adlee,
You are 21 months now, My Sweet Girl. You are curled up on
my lap as I begin this letter. You still sleep best with mom. You are Mommy’s
constant companion, and you’re a good girl. We start each day in bed together.
Sometimes, I get up before you. You had a bad cold about a month ago, and you’ve
been moving to Mommy’s and Daddy’s bed in the middle of the night since then.
You start every night in your bed. Mommy reads you stories and sits with you
until you fall asleep.
Back to the beginning of the day; for breakfast, we eat fruit
and scrambled eggs or oatmeal. Sometimes, I let you have some of Daddy’s
cereal. After breakfast, we shower together. I sit on the floor of the shower
and play with you. We talk about the baby. You pat my tummy and say, “Baby.”
For most of the past few months, we walked to the post office next, but that’s
tapered off lately.
On Wednesdays, we go to the library for story time, and then
to the grocery store. At the library, you’ve shown a greater understanding of
what you should be doing. Now, you sit near Mommy and participate in the songs.
You like to move closer when the story is read, and sometimes you stand right
in front. For the past couple of weeks, you have gotten a shaker out for the
baby boy whose mommy and sister sit near us. It’s very sweet that you want to
take care of him. At the grocery store, you love to ride in the cart that has
the car in front. Depending on your mood, you say, “hi,” to the other shoppers.
If we’re home at naptime, you cuddle up on my lap sometime
in the afternoon and fall asleep. I was putting you up in your bed at naptime,
but since that cold, you need me to hold you for most naps. Often, we play
outside after your nap. You like to run to the other end of the yard with the
dogs, and play hide and seek in the small evergreen trees. You still
occasionally like to get in the chicken pen to chase the chickens. Sometimes,
we’re still outside when Daddy comes home from work. You are always excited to
see him, but your reactions vary from shyness to running up to him, from quiet
smiles to shouting and jumping.
Throughout the day, you play with your toys but mostly with your
dolls. You make beds for them, let them rest, and go back to pack them into
your shopping cart. Sometimes you borrow some of your diapers and wipes so that
you can take care of them. You love to write with pens on small legal pads or post-it
notes. You do have crayons you use occasionally. If we watch TV, we watch Curious George episodes. You ask by
saying, “Ah-ah.” Lately, you’ve been interested in fish, so we watch Planet Earth: Shallow Seas. You ask to watch
that by saying, “Dish, Dish.”
We’ve had a potty chair around the house for a few months
now, but on my birthday, you were suddenly very interested in using it. So, we’ve
been potty training you. You do a great job when you are reminded to go. We
have quite a few accidents, but that’s okay. You are good about going in public
restrooms when we are out and about, you’ve even used a port-a-potty!
Your vocabulary is growing and changing. I couldn’t make a list
of the words you say. You daily repeat words I say. You’ve said a few two-word sentences,
like “Socks off.” You like to eat snacks much more than meals. You like Goldfish,
fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese, yogurt, and, recently,
raisins. You have 12 teeth now. We’ve just started clipping your hair back
because it’s long enough to get in your eyes. One of our favorite conversations
happens when I ask you who has tails and who doesn’t. You really know. You are
getting good at puzzles. You call all letters “B,” and you call all bugs “bees.”
You are more and more helpful to me every day. You follow simple commands like,
“Shut the door,” and “Bring me ______.” You still love all animals. You had no
fear of riding a pony for the first time at the pumpkin patch. You like to name
what things belong to Daddy, Mommy, and Adlee. It’s so cute that you think anything
that flies in the sky, any truck, and any tractor belongs to Daddy. I could go
on and on about how wonderful you are and how proud your daddy and I are of
you!
I love you, Sweet Girl!
Mom-mom (or Mommeeeeee if you need something)
