Joey, You are 14 Months Old!

Mr. J,

     It's a Sunday morning and Daddy is at work so today it is just me and you.  Today, you are a big 14 months old.  You are sitting on my lap right now like you do, kind of balled up in the hole created by the nook of my arm and the bend of my legs as I sit haphazardly on my side.  The October chill of fall is here this morning and so you are wrapped up in a blankey, clad in gray and green dinosaur jammies that are the tight kind which only little ones can wear and get away with.  Binky in your mouth.  Elmo was getting snuggles but he has now been cast aside and is laying by my feet.  The real Elmo is on t.v. and you are enthralled. Right now, you are a majorly loyal Elmo fan.  You are absentmindedly rubbing your one hand with your other hand's little finger as you watch that red monster check the email he received from a frog, wait, no, it was actually an email from Grover,  You don't notice when I rest my head near yours and breathe in your gold wisps which are certainly finally starting to come into their own.  Soon we will have breakfast.  These are the moments life is made of.  These are things I want to remember, you are so snugly sweet.

At 14 months you are really starting to come into your own.  You are starting to be so much more little boy than baby.  Granted, you are a really little boy .. but the baby moments are hard to find.  We are very proud of your sweet spirit.  Here are 14 things about our 14 month son.

1. You are very loving.  You still will give kisses whenever asked and started blowing kisses too.  Often your kisses are given even when they aren't asked for.  You kiss babies in books, Elmo, the big light up pumpkin on the porch, the list goes on.  You know kisses equate with kindness and love and it's just great to watch.  Last night I reminded you to be nice while you were standing near Jake and you came over to me and gave me a big kiss!

2. You have had your first real illness and are still kind of fighting it.  Double ear infection, sinus infection, eye infection and teeth coming in (which still haven't appeared!) all at once.  You took it like a champ,
3. You have three teeth, the two bottom middle ones and your top middle one on the left side.  The top one is now visible when you smile..
4. You have taken a liking to running circles around the fan that is in the living room. 
5. You are very physically adept and a great climber. You love to be flipped and thrown around.  You have started bending over and putting your head on the ground when you are standing up, allowing you to see between your legs.  You try to do forward rolls but can't make it forward.  I'm not sure whether we should encourage this or not.  It looks dangerous.
6. You are brave. You get off of our bed on your own even though it requires an approximately 6 inch drop for you. You do little slides and ladders all by yourself. You can now climb to the top of the big kids' play structure at the park on your own! You do the steps on your hands and knees, but this month, after watching the big kids, you have tried getting up the steps while staying completely vertical.  You will get it soon, you just need your legs to be a little longer.
7. You are tough.  We realized this month that you have only cried two times in your whole life from falling! To us that is incredible, but maybe it is normal.  The doctor and the pharmacist both commented on what a pleasant baby your were even though you were so sick when you had to go to the doctor this month.  You handled all of your discomfort so very well.
8. Your blonde hair is getting thicker.  It look so so different than in your 12 month pictures. You are making progress.
9. You can say Mama, Dada, Mom, Jake, Ball, Yeah, No, Done, Spoon, and Down. There are other words people believe you can say but I find them questionable so they don't quite make the list yet.
10. You sleep great throughout the night.  You even slept through the night every night while you were sick.  You are down to one nap now and it lasts some where between one and two and a half hours.  This is due to the influence of daycare.
11. Daycare is going well.  You cry when I drop you off now but are otherwise doing just great.  I think it would be easier for you it you were a five day a week kid, not that I want you to be there that often at your age.
12. You love to tickle, especially feet and faces! You learned this from the two-year-olds at school.  They LOVE you and flock to you as we leave each day.  We always stop so you can play with them a little.  The girls always tickle you under your chin and that is how you learned to tickle others.  You totally crack up when you go to tickle someone's feet.
13. You are still a great eater.  You are little more finicky in some ways but still will eat a vast array of foods.
14. You love to color now.  You really understand what crayons are for and have such fun with them.  It's cute! We have one of your first works of art hanging in our living room.

Happy 14 Month Birthday Sweet J!

We love watching you grow :o)