15 Months Old

August 6, 2009

Dear Penny,

You are 15 months old! You are amazing! You are getting faster on your feet and you can entertain yourself for longer periods of time. You love books more than ever and we go through several a day. We have been having fun exploring the library, and checking out even more books. Your favorite body part is your bellybutton and you are a little obsessed with everyone’s Belly Bs.

You love to watch Sesame Street and your favorite character is Elmo. Elmo is NOT my favorite, but I like him because you do. Watching Sesame Street with you is something I enjoy because it was my favorite show when I was little. And it is just as entertaining for me as it is for you. Neil Patrick Harris as the Shoe Fairy? Hilarious! I am tempted to order some Old School episodes and subject you to some of my '70s nostalgia. Your Opa and Oma taught me how to read, but I credit Sesame Street with helping me learn my letters and numbers, not to mention some of the best songs ever. I'm stuck on the Ladybugs' Picnic right now!

You have a lot of teeth (11!) in your mouth and you have been putting those new molars to good use. You are tired of baby food and you like to eat whatever we are eating. You love hummus and berries, especially. Making messes with your food is something I try to see as artistic expression.



Speaking of artistic expression, another thing my parents did for us was to encourage our artistic abilities at a young age. When we were living in Wisconsin, your Oma bought a huge roll of paper from the paper mill, and we would pull out one big piece of paper onto the floor at a time. We would spend hours coloring and drawing on the sheet, and then your Oma would hang up our masterpiece like a giant mural on the wall. I want to do that with you!

Your Oma knew a lot about early childhood development and education because she was a preschool teacher. I wish I could ask her for more ideas for fostering your creativity. I bought some crayons that were for 18+ month-old kids, and showed you how to use them on paper, but you were really more interested in banging them together and then throwing them. Oh well. I guess that's why it said "18 Months" on the box.



You love your family. When your aunties come over, you scream with delight when you see them. You give your Grandma and Grandpa M hugs and kisses when you go their house and they think you are quite charming. You wait at the door for Daddy to come home from work, and when you see him coming up the walk, you shriek excitedly, run in place, and sign “Daddy.” You are loved by so many. Your Opa is coming to visit this weekend and he will be surprised to see how much you've grown.

The other day, I was sitting in the living room, watching you stomp around on your little legs, with your little pigtail waving in the breeze, and I almost cried. I wanted to cry because I couldn’t believe my good fortune. You really are my lucky Penny.



You will always be my baby.

Love,
Mom