Puerto Rico

Dear Pea,
We just returned home from our first vacation as a family. We crashed our very special friend's babymoon and played in the sun and surf for 6 perfect days.  You loved the pool; splashing, kicking and flirting in the water every morning and afternoon. You hated the beach, refusing to put your feet on the sand, even if there was a towel or blanket spread out for you. We managed to keep you sunburn free. You ate chicken soup and apples every day, refusing everything else, even the virgin frozen drinks we kept sipping. We all slept in a king sized bed and are having readjustment issues.

Puerto Ricans love children. You were treated like a little goddess, like someone to be celebrated. It really highlighted how much children are simply tolerated here in the states. There, you roamed every restaurant barefoot while all the waitstaff fussed over you. They brought you special treats of shaved ice, rice and beans and fresh mango. They stopped us all the time to tell us how beautiful you are.

This was as close to the sand as you would get. You are firmly in Daddy's lap

close up of the wetsuit

staring it down. Your hair was so curly there!

SPECIAL FRIENDS!

You are standing on the table at a restaurant and everyone there thinks it's charming

strutting

Story time lap sitting

Dear Pea,
You love to be read to these days. And you always want to be in the reader's lap-that is your book listening  place.  Last night as I was trying to get you to sleep, you wanted to be read your good night book (I'll See You in the Morning) again. For like the seventh time. Just an aside-you like to flip through the pages of whatever we're reading during the day and often get a new book a few pages into the one we're currently reading. It's unusual to have less than three books in a rotation, usually reading your favorite parts over and over again. But that good night book-you know that's the only one in bed so you listen to it in its entirety over and over and over. I was tired and was lying down, trying to nurse you to sleep. I consented to one more read, but was still laying down. You tried and tried to find my lap, not able to get comfortable for the book until I sat up and made a lap for you. So cute.  I hadn't realized you only listened to book in laps before then.

Our special friends came over to play with you while I packed for our move. The fact that her lap was already occupied mattered little

14 Months

Dear Pea, 

First of all, YOU ARE WALKING NOW!!  You fall down a lot and sometimes take that as your cue to crawl or knee walk, but you often pick yourself right back up and walk some more. And when you walk, you clap for yourself. It's pretty freaking adorable.

And as much as you're walking around and exploring, you have developed an affinity for places that fit you. You love to sit in your car seat, you make a beeline for the miniature sofa at a playspace, you are happy in the center of playground flowers...

bowl shaped seat

You have become very interested in feeding yourself. You love to hold your fork and spoon while eating, sometimes trying to hold my fork also and still manage to eat. I finally caved in and bought you plates and cutlery all of your own and you love it-trying to get mushrooms on your fork, dipping your spoon into soup...you're such a little person.  You favorite foods these days are mushrooms, chicken and rice soup with veggies, pickles and spinach. You shove spinach into your mouth by the fistful. Our friend who calls you Eliza Belle was over during meal time-her boy was eating banana and strawberries, which you wanted no part of. She watched you practically inhale all your spinach and deadpanned to me "that's not normal." Ha, yes, I know. That's the point. 

serious about eating!

Sweet Pea, we are moving into a new apartment next week. There were some circumstances beyond our control and while we are sad to be leaving our current home (where you were born!!), we are excited for our next adventure. You will have your own bedroom and we even bought you your own bed to try out.  You are excited about the move, too-there are lots of boxes around now for you to play in