Dear Dexter (18 month letter)

Littlest Dexy,

Here we are in the middle of November and halfway to your 2nd birthday already.  On 11/13/12 at 7:05 a.m., you will be 1 and a 1/2 years old!  You are so happy, easy going, and such a joy to be around.  You're also a mischievous little guy who likes to flash a sly grin when you're doing something you know you're not supposed to do.

You're FINALLY getting some more teeth.  You'd had the same 7 since you were about 10 months old but now you're getting the fourth on the bottom and your incisors on the top.  You've been a little wild and crazy and sometimes grumpy lately, which I attribute to these mean teeth coming through, but overall you're handling it like a champ.

You love to eat. Period.  You like your milk. We still give you milk in the mornings and before bed because you love it.  You gulp it down and sometimes, if we're lucky, you'll go back to sleep in the morning afterwards.  Sleep - that's what we need to talk about.  You still wake up EARLY!  Not 5am early like you used to every day, but sometimes 6.  Here recently, you've started occasionally sleeping til 7 and maybe that will become the norm over the next few months. Please and thank you. 

You started sharing a room with your brother over the past couple of weeks and so far I'm really pleased!  You guys get along and play together better than ever and we haven't had much trouble getting you guys to go to sleep at night.  Usually we put you to bed a few minutes before Theo or else... you'll be up yelling and wanting to play for 45 minutes!  I can hear Theo through the monitor telling you "Dexter! It's bedtime!  Go to sleep!"  He's one to talk, isn't he? 

You're talking more and more and saying things I've never heard you say before.  You say "I want" followed by the thing that you want all the time.  Whether it's "to eat," "a bath," "to play," "down," "up," "to read," "Neee" (our cat Niko), "potty" (you don't really do that...you just watch your brother sometimes), etc.  The list goes on and on.  You will repeat anything and everything that we say (or at least try).

Boy, you want to be JUST like Theo.  Wherever he is, there you are.  If you're not there, if I wait long enough, you'll show up.  You want to play what he's playing. Read what he's reading. Watch what he's watching. Sit where he's sitting.  You two are too cute.  Watching you guys together makes mama a happy gal.

You like our new house. You've got lots of toys and lots of room to run around.  Your favorite thing is probably playing on the slide in the library.  Yes, the big plastic slide is in the library until we finish the basement or find some other place for it.  You are brave and like to stand at the top of the slide and take off running down it.  This does not always end well.  You should stop doing that, or at least learn something from it.

You're so brave. You know no danger.  You know no stranger.  I was just telling your dad the other day that I don't think I've ever seen you bleed.  Your brother was only about 9 months old the first time he busted his lip...and he's done this several times since then. He's had various other boo boos.  But I can't think of a single time you've had a cut or busted lip.  I hope I didn't just jinx you!  I guess you're somewhat cautious in your adventures...you haven't led us to the ER yet.

I still love that you have blonde hair and blue eyes. We call you Blondie a lot.  And Dex. Dexy. Deezy.  Deezy von Weezy.  My sweet.  And again...the list goes on.  You're wearing mostly 18-24 months clothes.  Still in a crib. You've never climbed out (yet).  You still like 2+ hr naps in the afternoon.  You still have the biggest smile and brighest eyes of any little blondie I've ever known. 

I'm really looking forward to the next six months to see how you change and how your vocabulary grows. How your independence and relationship with Theo grows.  I'm looking forward to watching you develop your own interests and talents even more and fostering those things for you.  I'm looking forward to holidays and lazy Saturday mornings with cartoons on the couch.  I'm looking forward to being with you and just being your mama for the rest of my life. 

You're my sweet.  You're my baby and you always will be. 

xo,
mama