Eighteen months

Dear Thomas,

You turned a year and a half old while we were in Chelan...piloting the Sea Ray with Grandpa.  It's so hard to believe how quickly time has gone by.  Your current favorites: throwing your dishes when you're done eating, waving at EVERY SINGLE PERSON YOU SEE and even the ones you don't, and feeding Maggie bones.  You are her favorite now. 

You still take off your left shoe and left sock every time we are in the car.  Every. Single. Time. 

You still like to be cuddled for about 10-15 minutes after you wake up from your sleeps at night, or after a nap.  You 'downward dog' it if you get put down before then.  We need to soak that up, because it's the only time that you want to be cuddly.  The rest of the time, you squirm to be let down so you can go run around.  You are most content outside, in the dirt, with a big bucket of water near you to play with.

You're 22 pounds, 15 ounces (SO close to moving up to the next pound - you've been here for months!), at the 15th percentile.  You've gone through a growth spurt - now measuring 33 inches long and in the 45th percentile. 

In the last month, we confirmed with the pediatric allergist that you are allergic to all of these: cow's milk, eggs, soy, shellfish, tree nuts, and dog & cat dander.  For the most part, you don't realize that anything is different about what you eat.  I'm really grateful that you usually eat whatever is in front of you.  We've substituted rice milk for milk, use egg replacer (potato starch) for eggs, and avoid shellfish and tree nuts.  The most annoying is soy -- since it is in everything.  At restaurants, I usually bring in food for you and give you fresh fruit or veggies if they have it. 

We're hoping that you outgrow the milk + egg allergies by your second birthday, and are hoping for the best with the rest.  Those may stay with you for the rest of your life.  It's not the end of the world, but I am very grateful I am home more so I can cook for you. 

You are starting to speak now -- though sometimes I wish I had a toddlerese translator.  Right now, you say:  papa, mama, "what's this?", AJ, 'gie (for Maggie), bawk bawk bawk (whenever you're feeding the chickens), and "no". That last one is not my favorite.

You are the happiest kid.  Mischevious, but not unkind.  I love that about you.  You like to play with everyone, and are really so chill. 

I love being your Mommy, little man.  You are the best, sweetheart.

Happy eighteen months!