Dear Del 21 Months

Dear Del Del,
You are charming the pants off of everyone you meet. People keep telling me how lucky I am to have to laid back kids. I never thought I'd think it but yeah... I'm starting to agree. There are days when I feel like I haven't seen you or your brother all day (sorry about that!) and I realize it's because the two of you hung out and played fairly peacefully all day needing minimal mommy/daddy interferance.
Anyway, about the charm. You are free with your hugs and kisses and it melts every heart. You're willing to be held by pretty much anyone after you get to know them a little while.
You love cars. You push them along the floor, walk behind bigger cars/trucks leaning over pushing them, or attempt to ride on anything that you can possibly fit your diaper butt on and scoot along the floor with. Wheels- that's what it's really about. You'll push around a stroller, a grocery cart, a push toy... the laundry basket, the 8gallon garbage pail we use for recycling, your brother...
You also hug anything soft...including that brother of yours. You ask where "No-no" is whenever you can't find him. When you haven't seen him for a while you're quick to give him a hug hello.
You're still into repeating what we say and we love it. It's usually w-a-y off base but it's cute all the same.

 

Your communication skills are super impressive. You can tell me all kinds of things. I can infer, honest. But you point/sign/say/act out until I say every part of the story you want me to say. If you're trying to tell us something and we're not watching you you'll simply place a hand on our opposite cheek and turn our face to you. Problem solved.
If someone gets hurt you'll cry for them too. The other day Noah did a very ouch-y header on the hard wood floor and cried and cried. You started crying noises, then walked up to him, headbanged him, pointed to the floor, and started crying again. Thanks, because we missed it the first time. When YOU get hurt you've started pointing to the hurt spot and making a kiss noise until the kiss has been planted effectively.

 

Everyone keeps telling us that you are so cute. We think so too but we're the biased parents. Here's the thing- you keep getting more adorable. I really could eat you up. Your giggle, your babbling, your funny run... yes, cuteness, runny nose and all.
It might help that you are very in to your "thank you" sign. In fact, you were recently teaching the kitten at the house we are house sitting at to say thank you. You give her a toy you think she might like and then sign "thank you" at her over and over.

 

Your second Christmas was very fun. You were excited until the gift of choice was opened (you love the doll I made you, thank you!) and then you refuse to open any other gifts. Noah was happy to help you finish. I was a little embarrassed (not sure if that's the right word to use) that when you'd finished opening the gifts at our house you spent a good 15 minutes carrying around your baby and sweeping with the new broom you and Noah got. Hmmm, and we thought we were not being so stereotypical. Well, we're not. I'm not sure if you've ever seen me sweep... maybe I shouldn't admit that.
We had 5 Christmases in 3 days and you even got to see both sets of Grandparents at the same time on Christmas day. That's pretty awesome and I'm so thankful that it happened.

 

I hear you climbing up the stairs saying "momma, dada, nina, poobah, mimi (grammy)," in a high pitched voice over and over. Love it.
Love you,
Momma

Dear Noah 43 Months

Dear Noah,
Okay, seriously. It's crazy. Your height, your talking, your negotiating. All of it! Crazy.
The other day I looked over my book to see if you were standing on something- surely you couldn't be that tall. But you were! See, crazy! And it's tricky. You may have a 5+year old body but you're still just 3.5 and you love to be carried, especially when you're tired or sick (sick has been your middle name for most of the month!). It's really tough to carry around this mammoth pre-schooler. Really tough. But I try to remember that you won't be asking to be carried much longer (I think) and soon (too soon) you'll be lifting me up, just to prove you can. We talk about this.
How you'll be taller than Mommy and Daddy and you ask why you got bigger first. I think you think Del and you have always been a pair- there was no pre-Del time in your mind.
You talk.
Constantly.
I'm not complaining, really.
It's refreshing to hear what's inside of that head and it's hilarious what you come out with. You recently asked if everyone has a tongue. Then why? Why do we have tongues? Earlier you asked why animals don't have thumbs.
You will ask for something, not so nicely. Then ask louder, if I'm not responding as quickly as you'd like. If I tell you no for whatever reason you say: "but I want/need it because..." and your reasons are always sensible and you usually get what you've asked for. Negotiating works. Demanding, yelling, crying doesn't usually.

 

Lately when you ask a question you repeat whatever the answer is. So if you say: "why are we...?" and I am in a hurry and answer: "Because" you'll say: "Ohhhh, because... okay!" and that's that. I recently realized I often respond the same way when someone answers my question. I'm not sure if you got it from me or I got it from you. The point is you're asking "why" a lot more.

 

You're still super independent and you love to get Del in on your games. Whatever you're doing you call it a game. You run from one end of the house to the other, Del following behind, and you both laugh hysterically and say it's the "running game". You are always telling Del to follow you as you go do whatever it is you want to do. Usually she tags along. If she's not interested you get a loud "MEAH" (translation: "No!")

You mimic now. Del taught you how. And it's not just Mommy (you insist on checking your emails and taking pictures with the big expensive camera) or Daddy (you want to help wash the dishes and use a hanky), it's also Del. She started this silly thing where she tickles her underarms when she doesn't have a shirt on. She says her version of "tickletickle" and giggles and giggles. As soon as she starts... you start too. Most of the time this is entertaining for Daddy and me. Sometimes it bites me in the butt. I laughed earlier at Del throwing something... so then you threw the same object and it wasn't so funny. Sorry about that.

 

You have your Daddy in you so much. The doll house oven door doesn't stay shut. You kept shutting it and it kept falling open. After thinking this over for a couple of seconds you pushed the doll house sandbox up against the door to keep it shut.

This morning you asked why the water goes down the sink drain. I explained that the sink slopes towards the drain. Before I was done with my explanation you had the cabinet opened and you were peering at the pipes under the sink trying to figure it all out. Daddy told me later that you were recently upset with the new play kitchen you and Del have because the "water" from that sink would "drain" into the "fridge".
Oh the thinking that you do!

 

You're not really a people person- at least not a stranger person. If someone even looks like maybe they might think about looking at you (aka anyone within eyesight) that you don't know, you snuggle your face right into a familiar leg until the person passes by. Most people expect a conversation from you (remember, you look like you're 5+) and while they are busy trying to engage you Del is busy waving and saying "hi" to them. They usually miss that. As soon as you two figure out how to get her to divert the stranger's attention you'll be all set. She'll get to say "hi" and you won't have to.

Well, this may be the longest letter yet! So much to say! I thought the growing and changing would slow down. There wouldn't be so much to say every month... but it hasn't happened yet. I didn't even talk about the sickness that led to coughing-til-you-puke, or Mommy working much more regularly, or how school is going....

You're a busy kid!
Love you Baby,
Mommy