17 Months

Dear Madeline,

This Valentine's Day you are seventeen months old!

As I write this, I can hear you and Dada over the baby monitor up in your room.  You are having a hard time falling asleep again tonight even though you were extremely tired all afternoon.  Dada just went upstairs to check on you only to find that you had completely unbuttoned your pajamas and pulled both socks off.

Transcript:
Madeline:  "Dada?  Dada?  DADA?"
Dada:  "Yes, Madeline?"
Madeline: "Hi!" giggle, giggle.
Dada:  Giggle.  "Yes, hi.  I can hear you."
Madeline:  Nonsensical babbling as if having a conversation.

Sleeping has become a bit of a bumpy ride again recently.  You fight sleeping for an hour or more most nights no matter how tired you are.  Last week I blamed it on the full moon, but it seems to be continuing into this week as well.  

Yet, this is how life goes for you these days.  Just when one routine seems set in stone, you grow and change, and we have to learn to adapt all over again.  

We're taking away your much beloved bottle for good next week during vacation.  I'm cringing just thinking about it.  It's the highlight of your night, but you certainly don't need it anymore, and it doesn't even seem to be helping you fall asleep anymore.  

You've been experiencing a lot of changes recently because you've officially moved into the toddler room at school.  It feels so weird to be picking you up in a whole new room with new teachers and new friends.  

There are no cribs in your new room, but there's a jungle gym, bookshelves, and a story-time area.  You go outside to play on the playground twice a day.  You have scheduled toilet breaks and tooth-brushing breaks.  Hello, big-girl world!

You've mostly handled the changes well, but Dada says you cry when he drops you off in the mornings now because your new room is unfamiliar to you still.  I know it won't take you long to adjust though, and you'll love your new teachers just as much as you loved your infant teachers.  

At home, you're starting to try to assert your independence more and more.  The terrible twos are a-comming.  I can feel it in my bones.  I can literally feel it too because you've started kicking and hitting us whenever you get mad at us or we try to change your diaper.

You want to explore and test out every single last inch of this place even if it means giving your Mumma constant heart palpitations.  Nothing like walking in to the living room to find your one year old balancing precariously on the table top instead of sitting in her chair like a good girl.

And the Cheerios!!  Oh my, do you LOVE to throw all your Cheerios on the floor.  We're going to be finding Cheerio remnants around this place till you go off to college.

It's a good thing you're so gosh-darn cute!

You've become very interested in nurturing your dolls recently.  You give them kisses and tuck them in for "Night-night."  You cover them up with blankets and "Shhhh" us to let us know the doll is sleeping.

Just last week you started feeding your dolls as well.  You stuff bits of rice, cheerios or crackers in their mouths.  You stuck a straw in Elmo's mouth the other day so that he could share your water.  I think Elmo's going to need a ride in the washing machine this weekend.

Funny things you say and do:   You yell "Runnnn!" and start shuffling your feet in place like Happy Feet.  You pronounce bubbles as "Bubblesh."  You sing along with the radio in the car and try to sing the "Honey, honey, honey" song from the Winnie the Pooh movie.   You shake your head rapidly back and forth until you get dizzy and fall over.

You never stop making us laugh.

We love you, little valentine.

Sleep Tight,
Mumma