Vivi: Eighteen Months

Holy Hotdogs, Batman!  It's a blog!  

 I haven't written in a long time.  First, my brain went out to pick up milk eighteen months ago and never came back.  The cheap bastard.  

Also, I've been spending the little "me time" I have doing other important things.  You'd be happy to know, for example, that I've binge watched all of Scandal and House of Cards.  That adds up to days of my life right there.  

Plus, Maddie Bear is getting to an age where I feel funny sharing all of her secrets with the Internet.  She'll be five soon, and her existence is no longer my story to tell.  This does not stop me from Instagraming adorable pictures, however.   That is my right as her mother.  

I am sorry that Vivi will not have quite the detailed account of her babyhood that Madeline has.  We're nailing this second child thing though.  Go us!  

Anyhow, Vivi is a year and a half and is owed a letter.  So, without further ado...

Dear Vivienne,

I'm sorry I skipped recording the past three months of your life.  We love you and find you just as interesting as we found your sister at this age, but you're the second child, and this is just kinda how it goes.   I promise you're not the only second child to have suffered this fate.  It's a whole thing.  Social scientists even do studies on it.  Look it up.  

You've become such a nugget of a kid over the past quarter of a year.  Where'd that little baby go?  How did you suddenly develop a sense of humor and the ability to brush your teeth?  

 I'm always surprised by what you can do.  You can drag a wooden stool, which probably weighs  as much as you do, across the kitchen to the sink.  Then you confidently climb to the top to wash your hands by yourself.  It's enough to turn my hair grey, but it's also kind of amazing.  You're spunky and plucky and such a joy.  

If there's something you want, you go for it.  You don't wait for permission, and you  keep at it till you get what you want.  

Climbing is not limited to stools.  You climb on everything.  Up the stairs, on the furniture, up the slide... You can scramble up Madeline's bed to make yourself comfortable with a book.  We have to chase you away from the console table behind our sofa because you like to walk across it like it's a balance beam.  For a long time, Madeline took her toys to  the dining room table where she could be safe from your grabby hands.  Now, not only can you climb onto the dining room chairs, but you'll also crawl up and across the table to reach what you want.  No toy is safe!  

You stand on your head frequently, and you've even done a few somersaults.  Maybe you should take up gymnastics.  

Your verbal skills are expanding rapidly.  I've lost track of all the words you can say.  "No!" is probably your most frequently used word.  But words like "ock" (rock) "screen," (sunscreen) "oooce" (juice) and "eeth" (teeth) are also common.  Madeline is "Mah."   That's used a lot too.  

You and your big sister are playing together more and more.  It's adorable to hear Maddie say, "C'mon, Vivi!  Let's play dress-up!"  And you chase her into the playroom, so thrilled to be included, to rummage through the pile of princess dresses.  

You love wearing her shoes.  You put them on your feet by yourself and clomp around the house.  You even wear her Anna high heels pretty well.  It's hilarious, and disconcerting, to see a baby walking across the room in a diaper and heels. 

You are still a peanut.  Most of your clothes are nine month or twelve month sizes.  People with babies approach me all the time expecting our children to be the same age, and I can read the confusion on their faces when they realize that you are several months older than Little Susie even if you are a head shorter.  You are adorably petite.  

You're still a picky eater, but I feel like you're eating better than you were a month ago.  You like cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, and I'm so relieved to have found at least some kind of vegetable you won't spit out.  We make homemade, Vivi-friendly, pizza on the weekends.  You love that!  Almond-butter and jelly sandwiches are also usually acceptable.  

The rash on your legs came back with the warmer weather as I predicted it would.  Frequent bathing and ointment helps us stay on top of it.  Meanwhile, your last bad tummy episode happened on Easter.  I think this is the longest we've gone without one, knock on wood!  I hope that means your body is growing out of some of these issues.  

You love Popsicles.  You stick your face straight in the sprinkler and grin mischievously.  You like to help me water the garden.  We're going to have a great summer!  

And I love you more than words and the sun, all the stars.

Love,

Mumma