growing up—16 months

Dear Gideon,

It's hard to believe that in less than two months you will be a year and a half old. Time is going by so quickly and in the blink of an eye you'll be all grown up. It really is difficult to imagine life without you in it, as if life before Gideon is a distant memory. Those days have made me who I am today but every one of these last 512 days has been more because of your place in it.

16 months—July 24, 2008

As always, you've done lots of new things this past month. Your vocabulary has really increased and each week you master new words. I adore the way you say "Hi" and "Bye" with and give a little hand wave with them.


You have learned to climb up the slide and go down by yourself. First by running down the slide without a care that you would land flat on your face if Daddy and I weren't there to catch you. And then learning to sit on your butt. You still get caught up if you're bare foot but we're working on that. Just remember to lift your feet.



One of the cutest things you've done this month was relayed to me by your Dad. One evening Daddy grabbed the camera and said, "Come here Gideon. Take your picture with Daddy." You proceeded to run over to him, put your arm around his shoulder, and when he pointed the camera at the two of you and said, "Say cheese", you went, "Cheese". Several times. This shouldn't surprise me for two reasons. One: we take a lot of pictures of you. Two: we eat a lot of cheese.


We like to do the itsy bitsy spider together. You really only do the spider part but that's enough for me. Any more and the cuteness might just blind me. You love to color and freak out with excitement if you see the container of crayons. Once you spy them there is no changing your mind as to what you want to do. MUST COLOR NOW.


You learned to drink out of a straw this month and think that is just too cool. This is the type of thing that just wows me. How do you teach somebody to drink out of a straw. You can't really and yet here you are doing it on your own. You've transitioned so effortlessly from a bottle to a sippy cup that I shouldn't be surprised. But that's one of the wonders of who you are. You never cease to amaze me.


Each day that I get to be with you teaches me something. How to be patient—especially after telling you to stop unrolling the toilet paper for the hundredth time. How much love there is in the world—my heart has expanded in ways I never knew possible. What the world looks like when you are just three feet tall—which can be pretty scary when there are dogs bigger than you eagerly trying to lick your face. The world is a pretty amazing place when you look at it with fresh eyes. How lucky I am that you've given me this gift.


Love and kisses,
Momma