Dear Kennedy... at 18 Months Old

Dear Kennedy,

Well, here we are at the year and a half mark since your birth. It has gone so fast! You have grown into a bright-eyed, babbling, bundle of toddler joy!

At your 18 month check up, you weighed 20 lbs (5th percentile) and measured 30 inches in length (10th percentile). You have six teeth, some lingering eczema and a whole lotta strawberry-blonde hair. You are saying about a dozen words and are beginning to express your needs and wants with a vengeance! You are seeking more and more independence with little things. Instead of sitting in my lap to read books, you like to sit next to me and hold the book yourself. Instead of letting me feed you, you now prefer to do it yourself with your own spoon. You mimic and copy actions of other people such as the little boy tap dancing on the Ellen Degeneres show or your Auntie Rachael doing a headstand ... on the couch. :) You still love your pacifier but you have also grown attached to your baby and your puppy (although each day determines which is the favorite). You sleep with a soft, cozy blanket now, not a sleep sack, and I think you kind of love it. You love to be outside, exploring. You really love fruit. I mean, you really love it. You will choose blueberries over chocolate any day. This makes for some interesting diaper changes!

Intermingled with these new autonomous behaviors are the beginnings of a little girl. I often catch glimpses of what you will be like in a year or two. I know that by then you will have lost the toddler-esque behaviors that are (thankfully) still here now. While I look forward to knowing that future girl, I hold tight to you now. This is a sweet, sweet age. You are full of kisses and cuddles and you are on the verge of all-out communication. I can't wait to hear what you will say when you can finally say it all. I think we are in for a real treat with you.

Have I mentioned that we love and utterly adore you?

Love, Mom