thirteen months

Dear Joshua,

I don't know how it happened, but yesterday you turned thirteen months old.  The theme for this last month has been climbing.  You have learned to love to climb.  You climb on and off of chairs.  You climb on and off of our laps when we sit in the floor.  You climb on and off of the hearth.  At preschool they say you climb on and off of the little picnic table and stand on top before they tell you to get down.  We've even seen you climb on and off of our coffee table a time or two.  You're so proud of your accomplishments and I suppose I am too.

I also don't know how it happened that you decided you really don't want to eat anymore.  I'm not sure why.  It's sort of like you just realized that you don't have to eat what we offer.  You have gotten to where you just skip some meals all together.  You purse your lips and shake your head no.  You furiously sign "milk" and "please" until we reluctantly hand you your cup.  It's frustrating, but I'm not worried.  They still call you Butterball at school.

You can sign milk, more, please, bath, night-night, and stars.  You will blow kisses and catch kisses.  You will wave and say "bye bye" and you still carry around that darn spoon.

You've taken an interest in animal sounds lately.  You point at an elephant in a book (a book! you'll finally look at a book!) and then you'll throw your arm up like a trunk and make a pitiful little elephant noise.  You can make the Woof! sound for dog, the Ow! sound for cat, the Brrrrrr! sound for elephant, and snort like a pig (although that one's not usually intentional). 

We think you sometimes call your blanket your BaBa but we're not really sure.  When you get tired you will walk around the house until you find something with a similar texture to your blanket and you will lay down on the floor face first rubbing your nose on the blanket.

You fall all the time because you're always up on something you're not supposed to be on.  Or you're sitting in the little chair backwards and you can't get your leg out of the back.  You throw things behind the couch.  You cry when I don't let you pet the dog in the driveway.  You say, "Mamamamamamama" as you follow me around the kitchen.  You beg to be held almost all the time.  You cry when we put you down.  Occasionally you will get distracted by what Julianna is doing and you will toddle off following her whereever she goes, but mostly you just want me and you let us know it.

You've been fussy and clingy.  Stubborn.  Difficult.

And loving.  Always loving.  I would never expect you to not be.

We adore you, Joshua.  No more ear infections though.  Okay, Buddy?

Love,
Mama