Month Seventeen

Dear Colin,

Happy 17 Months! One more month and then I have to say I have a one and half year old. That is a much bigger deal to me than it is to you. Someday you'll have a baby and you'll understand.
You have a love for the outside that is greater than reading, eating and coloring. You have a new best friend who eagerly waits for you outside each morning. Mr. Squirrel sits by the front door and the two of you have quite the conversations. More than talking to Mr. Squirrel through the screen door, you like BEING outside. You love coloring with caulk, playing in your pool, splashing in Ethan and Micah's water table, riding bikes at daycare, running at the park, pushing your lawn mower, trying to run down the sidewalk, playing baseball at Grandma and Grandpas, but the cold sprinkler - not so much. Your vocabulary has continued to explode. You are not only quick at learning most words but you are great at retaining it. You say more words than I can count or want to list, can say animal sounds to dozens of animals, and now call most people by their names. Recently, you really started using my name. Yes, it was the first word you said and yes, you've always known how to say it since then but you rarely did. Everything was always "Da." Now you say it.All.The.Time. Excitedly in the morning, frustratedly in the afternoon, sweetly at night time, after you say goodnight to the fan, of course. I know where I rank - after Daddy, Grandpa, and the fan. Over the past month, you've really started (or maybe I just started noticing) that when I ask you a yes or no question, you respond; you have an opinion. "Hey Colin are you hungry?" Seat. Please. "Col, do you want to go nanite?" noooooooo. "Colin, did you go stinky?" PU as he plugs his nose. "Colin, Mommy said down please." time out. Yes, we also started (was that this month? notice my Mommy brain has really started working overtime) time outs this month. They don't seem to be overly effective as you don't mind sitting there. So instead of this deterring you from doing what you shouldn't, instead you do it again and happily walk to the corner saying timeout the entire way and sit down. But I digress. This is a fun stage; a stage where you have an opinion. "Colin do you want meatballs." Meatballs. "Colin do you want a kiss on your mouth or your nose?" noooooooooose. I love that you have an opinion and that you've never said "nooo" after I question where you want me to kiss you. I love it more than I love the image of you dancing to Mexican music with Leah.

Love always,
Mommy