Happy fourteen month birthday to you today! Little Stinker.
Ho, ho, ho comes to see you in just a couple of days. I don't think you'll know what to do with yourself anymore when people stop asking you "What does Santa Claus say, Joshua?" because you've walked around this whole month forming your tiny little mouth into a perfectly round circle and sucking in enough air to say Ho! Ho! Ho! Jonathan and I have decided that we're going to take the picture of you sitting on Santa's lap at the mall with us everywhere this Christmas just to let everyone see you walk around with it and point to Santa saying, "Ho ho ho!"
One night earlier this week we were checking out in Harris Teeter and you saw a Santa helium balloon for sale at the register. You got very excited and eagerly pointed, asked me please could you have it/touch it/hold it/whatever said, "Ho ho ho!" over and over again. The cashier got your a Harris Teeter balloon and you were pacified, but oh how you wanted that Santa balloon for a brief time.
When we visited Santa at the mall I truly thought you were going to grant us one of those priceless family mementos in the form of a picture with the toddler screaming his heart out positioned carefully on Santa's lap. I even warned the photographer as we approached that you were not going to like me walking away from you there. Once again you surprised me. You sat hesitantly, but you sat there listening to your sister talk to Santa and looking curiously at the photographer as he waved silly toys at you.
Praise God we had no ear infections this month and not really any sickness after you got over that forever long cold just after Thanksgiving. You've been a mostly happy little boy.
You are so empathetic and whenever sister starts crying you look at her inquisitively. You show great concern always about Julianna's feelings. But you can scream with the best of them when she takes one of your toys out of your hands.
Even though you still won't eat squat, you use a spoon so well when you do eat that I marvel at your skills. I don't know when you're going to start teaching sister how to eat with a fork or spoon, but I hope you get on that soon, Buddy!
You're not scared of the vacuum cleaner like your sister was at this age and you really surprised me one day when I grabbed a kitchen towel to wipe up a cup of water that Jules spilled and you went over right behind me to grab the other towel and help Mommy wipe up the mess. Nevermind that you walked all through the water. I'll take your help any day, baby.
You flirt with women we see out at restaurants and whenever we're around family members you always prefer to go to the older men. It's really funny that you have distinct preferences, but I guess that's what makes individual you.
The only words that you will say continue to be Dada, Mama, ball, bye, and occasionally NahNah which we think means Julianna. You have however, added the word "No" to your vocabulary recently. You shake your head to go along with that one and if it weren't for the enthusiasm with which you do it, it would certainly drive me crazy.
I know I sound like a broken record, Joshua, but you are ALL BOY. I've lifted you off of the coffee table a hundred thousand times the past few weeks and once you figured out how to push a small chair over to the couch to get up on the couch and grab pens and pencils off of the end tables I knew I could forget sitting down for one minute. Climbing is the name of the game for a fourteen month old boy apparently and you've spent the better part of the month with bruises on each cheek and now a slight black eye from falls you've taken.
And speaking of pens and pencils, being in preschool has really helped you learn a lot about coloring and holding a crayon, pencil, or paintbrush. If you see your sister holding any sort of writing utensil you furiously sign please over and over again until we let you have one too and then to my surprise, you use it properly 99% of the time.
I really appreciate the early mornings with you because they contain the few precious minutes when you want to be held and cuddled. You love to sit in my lap when you wake up in the mornings and drink your milk while holding your blanket. If I'm rushing around getting ready you follow me everywhere and the first chance you get whenever you see me squatting down you come over and back up as if to sit on my lap, even if I'm just doing something like putting on my shoes only to get right up again.
There is no doubt that you have a sweet, sweet spirit. You are loving and show your love for us daily. You eagerly reach out to hug on sister when she gets down on your level, you pile on daddy when he's laying in the floor, and you reach your arms out to go to me no matter who is holding you at the moment. Don't ever stop loving, Joshua. We'll certainly never stop loving you. Even when you destroy my kitchen in a heart beat.
Love,
Mama
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