15 months!

Dearest Violet,
Today you are 15 months old! We went to the doctor for a check up and you were 26lbs 10 oz and 32 3/4" tall. You're growing so much Mama is going to break her back carrying you around! Suddenly, you are a real little person and I've started to realize that you actually understand some of the crazy things that I tell you. You now know how to go to the book shelf and pick out a story before bedtime. For the last several nights, you've consistently picked out your two favorite books - "Mazy Goes to the Park" with the intriguing pull tabs that animate Mazy doing various things and "Shapes" which has such interesting textures to feel. You get them off the shelf and then back right up without looking and plop your little butt down on my leg to read them. So cute, so trusting!

There have been many developments in just the past couple days. Today you made your first sign with your hands - for "more" - OK, maybe Mommy was also tipped off that this mean you were hungry for dinner by the fact that you were also shaking your high chair and demanding to get in it saying "up! up!" but it is very exciting how well you made that first sign and now I'm encouraged to keep doing more. Just today you also pointed at your nose for the first time in a very cute way when I asked you where it was. Two days ago you learned how to kiss and now you love to lift up your chin, close your eyes and pucker up. It's the best. Kamilah came over for dinner and you puckered up for her, pretty much melting her heart.

Another first, today you successfully put the key in the apartment door lock and took it out again. Mama was very impressed with your dexterity. You've been working up to this for weeks and you were very intent on figuring it out. You are pretty obsessed with anything mechanical including any and every light switch. I'm thinking that a trip to Home Depot might be your ultimate outing. While you are intent on mechanical engineering pursuits, you are also a girl who loves her purses and shoes. You love to carry around your bags and keys and you always try to carry too much just like your mama. You love it when Mama puts on your brown shoes (NOT the black ones) and you say "ssssshhh" while we put them on. You also love to talk on the phone. Every time you pick up something with buttons that could even remotely resemble a phone, you push a couple buttons then hold it to your ear with your shoulder and say "hi!"

You are sleeping pretty well at night and later in the morning - from 7pm often until 7 or 7:30am. Did I mention I love it when you "sleep in"? Sometimes I hear you practicing your "no's" in bed. "NoooOOOOoooo noooOOOoonOOoonOOo no no no no NO" I actually don't think it's a crib protest, you seem to be just practicing your tone and expression so that you can use an appropriate No for all of the No situations that you encounter (a growing number). In the morning when you wake up, you just play in your crib until Mama comes and gets you - such a good patient girl! About once a week you do still wake up at night - like last night when you were up from 2:30am to 3:30am. Mama isn't exactly sure why, but she just takes you under her wing for a while and snuggles with you until you can go back to sleep.

If it's possible to love you more every month, I do.
Love,
Mama