Dearest Lorelei,

You are 18 months today, and are no longer a “baby” - and yet, you will always be mine.  You are so full of compassion and energy - from sharing your toys with strangers (kids) to the rock you gave as a “present” to the young boy who was a few years older than you yesterday (he kept that rock).  You seem to know when mommy is down and you offer hugs and kisses and funny faces.  You love your daddy and have grown incredibly close to your Mimi and Gramps.  Actually…if Mimi goes out of your sight, you will scream for her “Mimi!!!” and become frantic.  You adore reading bedtime stories and being rocked to sleep and bath-time with Mimi and you love playing chase and rolling on the floor with Gramps.  Uncle Josh has taught you how to play the guitar and you love strumming them and putting the guitar pick in your mouth just like he does.  You love to dance, and you love music.  You love exploring and the outdoors…you love simply figuring things out…learning.

You are being so incredibly sweet about mommy-and-L time changing dramatically in the last month and a half but I still feel horribly about it.  I feel like I am somehow letting you down, like I’m just not as strong as I should be.  But, considering…you are doing great with it.  You are such a big helper and you are my very own little sunshine - one of the few things that can turn me into all smiles, no matter how crappy I feel.

You are about 23 lbs, now and we’ll probably start potty training soon.  Eh…after my first trimester ends (hopefully 2-3 weeks or LESS!)…right now, we’ll just let you get acquainted with the new potty.  But, no pressure.  This one is totally in your ballpark kid, we’ll only do what you want to and when you want to on this one.  But, since you already seem to know when you have a messy diaper (the pulling) and you change yourself randomly in your crib (thanks alot)…I figure you may be ready.  We’ll see.  I’m thinking you’ll like being diaperless once you get the hang of it.

You still love reading, although you like real pages now.  And, catalogs.  With toys.  You love showering yourself (washing your hair and body and rinsing) and helping around the house with sweeping, sorting utensils, putting things in the trash, and picking up.  You can repeat some of the ABCs and you know most of your main body parts, too.  You love to tickle and be tickled, and have this new obsession with mommy’s big water mug with a straw.  You want cups with straws, too.

You are so perfect…easy and fun and wonderful.  When it’s time for bed, we ask you if you are “ready for bed” and you will gather your blankies and a babydoll (another new obsession) and head for either your room here or at Mimi’s (depending on where we’re at).  And, in the mornings, you will jabber and play until you are ready to be scooped up (and then you’ll call out “HEY!  Dada?  Mama??  HEY!”

I love you, kid.  So very very much.

Love,

Mommy

Welcome back!