Greetings Little One

Violence!

Tonight you kicked me on the head hard enough to really hurt. 

A few minutes later, you bit Mommy (twice!) as she was feeding you strawberries.

Hopefully not a sign of things to come.

Mommy and Clara in New York

I received a phone call from Mommy a couple of weeks ago.  She said, “Emily and I are walking down the street in Manhattan pushing our babies in their strollers.  My dream has come true.”

For three days, the two of you stayed with Aunty Emily and Uncle Michael in New York, helping Aunty Emily take care of Ari.  You did some shopping, went out for lunch, but most of the time, you just stayed inside the apartment, hanging out with the new baby.

Mommy reports that she spent a good deal of time chasing you around their apartment, which according to her is the least baby-proof place on Earth. 

You also handled the train ride into the city beautifully and slept like an angel in Ari’s room. 

I missed the two of you dearly, but I’m so happy that you had the chance to spend some time with your new cousin! 

 

Nomenclature

Mommy’s new nicknames for you (and I’m not sure of she’s aware of it) are Boo and Boo Boo.

She uses them all the time.  Probably more often than your actual name.  

I have been referring to you as C-town and Side Dish as of late, but with considerably less frequency. 

My new favorite photos

You still love your chair, little one, and now it’s monogrammed with your name, thanks to our good friend, Donna. 

A future bibliophile?

I have no basis of comparison, but I think you’re showing the signs of being an extraordinary reader, little one.

My anecdotal data:

Mommy reported that you removed every book from your basket yesterday, more than twenty in all, and spent the morning reading through each one, turning from page to page without missing a page.

This morning, I handed you a book to read while I was changing your diaper.  It was upside down when I handed it to you, so you turned it right side up before beginning to read.  Knowing to turn the pages from left to right is pretty good.  Recognizing that the book was upside down seems pretty impressive to me.

We’ve caught you reading books like PAT THE BUNNY and HORNS TO TOES AND IN BETWEEN on your own and following the instructions on each page.

And all before seventeen months of age!

Helpful?

This morning you helped Mommy empty the dishwasher by placing a few items in your stroller and rolling away with them.

I questioned Mommy’s use of the word “helped.”

Mental block

Mommy can’t throw away stuffed animals, as much as she might hate them. 

Tonight she attempted to throw away a worn-out, hand-me-down stuffed bunny but couldn’t bring herself to toss it into the trash.

“I can’t do it,” she said.  “You could do it for me, but only if I don’t know about it.  So don’t tell me if you’re going to do it.  And if I see it in the trash, I’ll have to take it out.”

She’s either extremely sweet or slightly insane, little one.

First puddles

After a visit to my childhood home in Blackstone, Massachusetts, and lunch with my high school friend, Laura and her two children, we returned home to Connecticut just as the rain was ending.  After spending more than three hours in the car today, we decided that it was time to let you play outside. 

This included playing in your first puddle. 

So cute.

 

Breakfast and a chat with Gramps

The chase