these days

• You are 15.5 months old.
• You are 26 lbs now. Your Dad says it's like picking up a 25 lb spring salmon.
• You are popping out molars like crazy these days and yet thankfully you haven't been too terribly affected by them. Though we have had to dip into the Advil a few times this week.
• You love to snuggle, hug and kiss and I'm so glad for that. We're soaking it up now while we can.
• You walk everywhere. And you are turning into a climber these days too. For that reason the laundry basket stays up on our bed during the days so you won't flip it over, climb on top and then perchance topple off. So far though, with supervision, you've got good balance and bravery.
• You love to wave and say "bye bye" when Daddy leaves for work and then yell "Da!" when he comes home again.
• You are emotional, impatient and very easily frustrated. I wonder where you got that from?
• You only pay attention to Baby Einstein or Oprah on TV.
• You are so gentle with your brother and insist on kissing him endlessly. That and what we call giving "The Forehead of Blessing".
• You love my homemade banana bread and spanakopita, especially, and you aren't a terribly picky eater though you are passing through an Applesauce Addiction phase.
• Your big words are "Mama", "Dada", "hah" (hot), "co" (cold), "bbb, bbb" (ball), "bah-by" and "uuuppppp!", which is always said very emphatically. You also use sign language for "please", "more" and "all done" and I love when you say one of those without any prompting from me.
• You love to read. You love your books. You love to sit quietly and flip the pages, studying each picture very intently. So far, you can occupy yourself quite well on your own though you also love to go to my two Moms groups so you can play like crazy for a few hours with all the other kids.
• You can dribble the ball for a long time using just your feet, just as you should, a skill that your Daddy is thrilled to bits to see! You knew early on that our favorite Liverpool player was also born with a club foot and so we certainly see soccer in your future.
• You are a good sleeper and have one afternoon nap every day. Your bedtime is 7:30 or 8:00 but you insist on waking up each morning at 6:30 am on the button. And in the dark, dead of winter these days that's rather painful for your parents, let me tell you.
• You end up throwing most of your small toys down the stairs these days, just for fun. Not sure how we're going to break you of that one!
• You just discovered that you can walk backwards.
• You like to have control of the remote, the phone, my cordless mouse and my alarm clock ... and get quickly upset when any of these are then taken away.
• You are a very happy boy. But you are testing your independence and control these days as well so we are also experiencing your screams of frustration. So when you are upset, you are very upset!
• Biting is your preferred method of showing your anger. And hitting. Looks like we're right on target for your age!
• You can point to your tummy, toe, ears, nose, and hair.
• Your biggest entertainment is acting out for yourself in front of our bedroom mirror. I've caught you pretend laughing, fake crying and flirting with yourself just to see what it looks like. It's hysterical!
• You are Henry, our first boy ... and for all that you are, do we ever love you!

• You are 3.5 months old.
• You are just over 14 lbs now and you are certainly eating well as you quickly gained 5 lbs in 2 months!
• Your life is much less exciting and definitely more predictable than Henry's but, boy, are you ever lots more fun and interesting than you were a few short months ago!
• You absolutely l-o-v-e your bath. Sometimes you've even started laughing as soon as I've put you in.
• You are grasping the dangling toys on your play mat now. Big accomplishment, little man, and we know it.
• You hardly cry, except for when you are hungry or wanting to fall asleep. You're pretty simple that way.
• You still love to be swaddled to sleep.
• You are our placid, easygoing child. We already can see that you are very different from your brother!
• You're a talker and your Daddy and I love to have conversations with you.
• You still have 'wobbly head' but you sure love to be upright now and have a good look around. You're rather tolerant of tummy time but we really need to be more consistent with that.
• You have your Daddy's physique, that's for sure. Wide shoulders, a loooong back and a tiny bum all the way at the bottom. You are his son, oh yes, are you ever!
• Your eyes twinkle. That's how I know a big smile is coming up fast.
• You really have the most gorgeous smile. I just haven't been able to capture it on film yet but it's the most flirty, wonderful, sharing smile. I love, love your smile.
• You've already slept 12 hours through the night a few times. We just can't seem to make it a permanent pattern yet but thank you for those random gifts of an all-night sleep!
• You love your big brother. I can see it in the way you look at him and talk to him when he's close. You also happily put up with his pets and kisses and in-your-face-closeness.
• Your laugh is pretty darn wonderful.
• You are our sleeper. And let's just say, your brother was not! So these past 3 months have been great, thank you!!
• You love to stretch and when you were fresh and new you had a Gold Medal in stretching. It was rather amazing.
• You are Walter, our second boy ... and as we get to know you more and more each day, do we ever love you!

I just want to remember all the little details of these days.