Seventeen months with you.

Little bear, we have shared 17 sweet months with you now.  I'd say you are officially a toddler and we cannot get enough of you!   You are rambunctious & sweet. You're the perfect blend of snuggly & independent.  Throughout each day you will bring books to me for a few minutes of sitting quietly and then you're quickly off again to explore something new.  Every day is new to you and I have a lot to learn from you in that.  You start most days happy, expectant, and smiley.

You're still a great sleeper and this month you've increased your nighttime sleeping to almost 13 hours - 7:30pm to 8am.  You take a great nap in the afternoon, usually around three hours.  

You are absolutely obsessed with your binky & you still call it "ba."  You know where we keep your extras (diaper bag, my purse, the drawer in the kitchen and your bed) and you aren't afraid to ask for it throughout the day.  Mostly you just get it in your bed for napping but sometimes you need a fix mid-day.  You would keep it 24/7 if we let you :)  When you smile around it, I smile too.  

You babble a lot and though we don't always get what you're saying and this frustrates you, usually if we ask you to use words you do know we can all figure it out.  You make a sound for "yes" and we die every time - it sounds like "uh-HHH!" and it's adorable.  In the last month or so you've started shaking your head no if you don't want or like something.   You still sign well: please, thank you (you did it recently without being prompted), more, all done & I love you.

You have 11 teeth now - all four molars came in two weeks ago in a five day span & you handled it like a champ.  You didn't nap great, you had a runny nose and of course you were fussy some, but nothing motrin & a snuggle couldn't help.  I was really impressed!

You are fiercely independent.  You insist on feeding yourself now & won't let me spoon anything into your mouth anymore.  You know how to open all of our doors which has created some extensive babyproofing.  You like to get into the pantry & help yourself to whatever snack floats your boat.  When you want a snack, you get a bowl from your drawer and sit down on the floor with your snack & bowl until I empty the puffs or whatever it is into the bowl for you.  If you want a bite of something I'm eating you sign please & then sit down on the floor for it.  Your nanny Megs taught you that!

You have officially attached to a comfort item.  Unfortunately it's not what I would have chosen for you, like a blankie or stuffed animal (although you LOVE your squirrel Earl)...it's a ball.  Any ball will do, but golf balls are your favorite.  Every time we go in the garage to leave in the car or on a walk or throw something in the trash, you ask to get a ball.  Daddy stores them with his golf stuff & you know exactly where to get one.  I think we have 100 golf balls in your playroom but you never get tired of getting a new one.

You are also a total spaz for chapstick.  You take the lid off, apply it, put the lid back on and repeat 500 times every time you see one.  If we don't give you one when you ask for it, you throw a huge back-arching fit.  It's somehow still pretty cute because it's about CHAPSTICK for crying outloud!!!  You are also obsessed with smelling candles.  You say "mmmm!" after each sniff, every time.  You insist on smelling every candle you see.  And interestingly enough, your other obsession right now is throwing things in the trash.  You'll pick up leaves on the sidewalk & ask to throw them away.  Or the paper in the driveway.  Even your own dirty diapers.  Maybe you'll be a clean freak like your mama & daddy!

You understand so much - from taking laundry down the hall to the basket by the washer, to putting your plastic dishes into your drawer when I unload the dishwaser, to bringing me your boots to put on when I ask for them.  You said Daddy ("Dla-Dla") for the first time this month and you ask for Mama if I'm not in the room but you're content playing with other people.  You giggle when your nanny Megs walks in the door & screech excitedly when Aunt Kate does.  You laugh until you go into silent-laugh-mode every night when we chase you up the stairs for bed.  You put your head on our shoulders when you know you're being taken up for naps.  You clap your hands for yourself when you throw something in the trash can.  You learned to jump in gymnastics last month, and you do the "pat-a-mama" game anytime you're asked.  You learned how to blow kisses last month, which is our sign for I love you.

You're funny and bright and serious and intentional.  You are turning into a little boy.  And sometimes I miss things about the younger Brady, like how tiny you used to be or how you used to pat my face while I fed you a bottle.  But at the same time, this is so right.  You growing up is an absolutely perfect journey for our family.  It's so messy & loud & frustrating & exhausting many days.  But it's the best journey we've ever been on.  We love you more every single day.  You make us laugh all the time, even on the hard days when Mama has to take a time-out or we have to rush through a meal because you're melting down.  You still can do the sweetest little Brady expression or mannerism that cracks us up & redeems everything in one quick moment.  It's fascinating to watch you figure out how to do something yourself for the first time, to watch you learn about the world around you, and even to watch you learn to assert yourself in our family.

At seventeen months, you are a joy to be around.  We love you more than words.

These pictures are from one afternoon last week.  You are go-go-go all the time (no wonder you sleep so much) and I just chased you around for 15 minutes with my camera capturing exactly what a day with you is like.  You're into everything and nothing holds your attention for long as you explore!  This particular day you had stolen the pool cue ball from the basement & it was your constant companion.

You are the perfect reminder to take nothing for granted.  You change so fast & even the hard days usually go by pretty quickly.  We are so grateful for you, little bear.