18-month letter

Dear Mateo,
You arrived at 18 months about two weeks ago, and, as usual, we can't believe it. A year and a half seems like such a long time, although, of course, also like such a short time. A year ago, you were six months old and on the verge of crawling. Now you're running around and talking up a storm and have become quite an active participant in our world.

I was just reading over your 16-month letter (we seem to have skipped 17 months!) and was struck by how much more you're talking now than you were then. You are such a verbal little guy and clearly delight in expressing yourself. You've started to pronounce words so that they sound correct - such as saying "phone" instead of "fote." In addition, you're putting together several words at a time consistently now.


You love to repeat after us and everyone else - you're our little parrot! However, you are also saying things spontaneously more and more. Today, we were at a friend's house and you wanted to know where their cat was, so you walked into the kitchen and said "find kitty." When the phone rings, you'll say "phone ringing." You can not only fill in words in your favorite books, but you can repeat simple sentences and sometimes whole pages of some of them. Birthday Monsters is a big favorite right now.

You're also starting to spontaneously tell us things, like "kitty hiding" or "need more pushes!" (on the swings at the park). Ever since we celebrated Auntie Edlyn's birthday in California, you've been saying "happy birthday Auntie Edlyn!" Tonight, we celebrated Uncle Galen's birthday, so I'm sure you'll be adding that to your repertoire, too. You really love to talk. People always seem amazed at how much you can say, and frankly, we are, too! We can't claim any credit for it, but we sure do love chatting with you.


You seem to enjoy getting together with your little friends more and more. We go to a weekly playgroup as well as often having several playdates on other days, and one of your favorite things to do is list all the kids you know. Sometimes you'll get particularly infatuated with one or another kid and go around asking for more more so-and-so.

We've been spending one morning a week hanging out with your friend D, who is a year older than you are, and then he and his mama watch you for a morning a week, as well. This is just a temporary thing to help out with a gap in their childcare, but we all have been enjoying it. You and your buddy love to play together and it's good for me to practice managing two toddlers at the same time!


I'm trying to think of some of your favorite things these days. You love flowers and have enjoyed inspecting (and trying to sniff) the flowers your Apa arranged for our shower last weekend. You'll say "pretty flowers!" and want me to bring down a vase so you can look at them all. I think you like all the colors, as well as the idea of sniffing them. You're also pretty excited about lawnmowers and trucks of all kinds. You still love our kitty cat, all of your grandparents, going to the park, and, of course, going to a coffee shop for a cookie and water with Apa!


You've been showing a lot more awareness of where Mommy is when she's not with us. When she leaves in the mornings, you'll sometimes say some combination of "Mommy work, drive car," and you've also learned the concept of "right back," as in Mommy or Mama will be right back. You and Mommy have spent some really nice time together lately, which has been great for both of you. Here you are cuddling your sister in Mommy's tummy:


Mateo, it's pretty likely your sister will be out of Mommy's tummy by the time your next letter rolls around. I know it will be a big change for all of us, but I'm really excited to see you become a big brother and for us all to learn to be a family of four! We love you more than we ever thought possible and that will never, ever change.

With all our love and lots of kisses,
Mama and Mommy