18 months!

Dear Zoe,

Yesterday you turned 18 months old - now you're officially 1 and 1/2. Crazy crazy crazy how much you've grown and changed in the last little bit.



I don't know when it happened, but it seems like suddenly you could understand everything I say and are miraculously able to talk right back.

Here are some snippets of our everyday exchanges:

ZB: "Sha-da? Sha-wa?"
CH: "You want to take a shower?"
ZB: "K." (and then you head into the bathroom and start taking off your clothes)


CH: "Can I have a kiss?"
ZB: "No."

You always say no now. Rats. But you can usually be talked into a high five.


ZB: (grabs shoes and walks to door) "CAR?"
CH: "You want to go somewhere in the car?"
ZB: "K. CAR!!"


ZB: (standing by the front door) "Ow-SIIIDE!"
CH: "Don't you want to eat your breakfast?"
ZB: "No. Side."

You're such a big girl, and boy do you have some strong feelings about things. There are many days where you will stand by the door and say "side!" or "ow-side!" until I give in and go out with you. You're not as easily diverted these days...I can rarely lure you away from your quest to break out of the house with a banana or a wadded up piece of tissue paper the way I could when you were, let's just be honest here, a BABY. Nope, you know what you want. It's a good thing, Zoe B.



You have started singing - I hope I can catch it on video. You sing the Elmo's World song...but in a way more awesome way than Elmo does. You say "la la la. la. la la la. ELMO."

You love the pool and have the greatest time jumping into my arms and climbing (with assistance, of course) back out up the ladder. Good thing we got pool passes!



As always, you love love love your brother and sister and every car on the road is driven by your 'da-da' and you frequently go over to the computer and say "Jesh!" or "Buppa!" You and your Buppa have a special bond, I think. He says that you want up in his arms and once there you just stare into his eyes for the longest time. (I think understand this - his eyes are the most striking ice blue. Either that or he is transferring his special powers to you. Probably both.) We spent the day in Lawrence today with your Grandma Jackie, Grandpa Russell, Aunt Jill and cousins Sophie and Dominic. You had a grand time with Aunt Jill and Grandma Jackie trying on all their jewelery and learning to say things like "ring" and "necklace" because lord knows you're not going to learn those words in this house. Ha!



You are super rascally, but in a great way. I love it (most of the time!) when you do stuff like paint your chest with mayonaisse or toss your dad's cheez-its into the pitcher of water. Cracks me up. Lightens the mood one might say.



I was thinking about trying to night-wean you a few weeks ago. You were waking up a ton at night and I was having to nurse you and nurse you and nurse you and I thought maybe you're big enough now to not nurse at night. But then I didn't figure into the equation how much it melts my heart to hear my sleepy girl say "nursh" in the middle of the night. It is so cute that I completely ditched my night-weaning plans. That and you started sleeping a lot better not long after that plan was hatched. So, forget that crappy idea. You might be a toddler now, but at night when you're all cuddled up to me nursing with your little tiny feet resting on my hip you really still are my baby. And you always will be.

I love you my sweet bean.
Mama