Dear Calvin,
I had intended to stop writing you these letters at your twelve month mark, but you still continue to grow and amaze me every day. It would be a shame to miss out on recording those special moments. For your thirteenth month, here are the things that stand out:
- You are becoming increasingly independent. You will run off and play on your own for extended periods of time, and then return to me at the dish sink or laundry room or computer, put your arms out for me to pick you up, give me a big hug, and then scamper back to whatever it is you were doing. It's like you love feeling like a big boy on your own, but every once in a while you like to make sure I'm still there.
- Every night when I put you to bed, I fan your face with your fuzzy blue blanket. You laugh and laugh, and then once I turn out the light you go straight to sleep. You are a wonderful sleeper.
- Your daddy gives you a bath every night so mommy has 10 minutes of alone time. Sometimes we both give you a bath together. You still love the water.
- You still take two naps a day. You love sleep. For the past month you've been getting up increasingly later, taking a morning and an afternoon nap, and you still go straight to sleep at night.
- You still drink a bottle when I put you down for bed. It's horrible that I still let you, and every night I say to myself, "tomorrow is the day I'll start to wean him." But it always makes you so happy, and that makes me happy. I'm a sucker - someday you'll appreciate that about me.
- You don't remember how to just walk anymore, your little feet have to run everywhere you go.
- You love to hear yourself talk. Your current favorite things to say are apple, gob'm, and Oh Doe. We aren't sure what gob'm means, but you say it most often. Oh Doe we think may mean "oh no" because it's usually when you fall or drop something or don't get what you want. You also love to shake your head no.
- I love that you'll come take one of my fingers in your pudgy fist and lead me where you want to go - if you want to take a nap, watch tv, go downstairs, play outside, or whatever, you'll just come take us by the hand and lead us there so there's no mistaking your needs.
- You're obsessed with Gerber cheese puffs. Even when I'm trying to be tricky in the store so you don't see them, you always spot them in the cart and then try prying the lid off with your two bottom teeth.
- You are becoming increasingly determined to get your way. You wiggle down when people try to hold you; if we tell you no, you hurry to run and do it anyway before we can catch you (like throwing the comb in the toilet yesterday), and you have this long, high-pitched screech that we are privileged to hear any time you are not happy. Today at church, you were mad that I wouldn't let you run around, so you took the wooden puzzle pieces that I was trying to get you interested in, and before I could stop you, you threw them as hard as you could at the head of the man in front of you. You're a rowdy, rambunctious, energetic little boy, and it's always interesting to see what you'll do next.
- You love watching 101 Dalmations - it's the only full-length cartoon you'll watch. We think it's all the puppies.
- People still think you're the cutest kid ever.
We love you!
Daddy and Mommy
