15 months of Laughter

March 10, 2018

Dear Isaac Karl,

You are now the age that Grace was when you were born. She seemed so big to us then, and at the same age you still feel like our baby boy – but really, you are such a big boy! You can do more and more all on your own, and keep impressing us with what you know. You love to help put things away, you are always exploring things and learning about them, and of course you are always trying to do whatever sister does. You are smart, kid. At just over a year, you started

saying some sentences. We kept looking at each other and saying, “Did he just say…? Nah…” but you were consistent. You say, “Read a book?” and, “I want down,” “I want bottle,” and “I want the ball,” and an assortment of single words as well, including bye-bye, mama, dada, Grace, cheese, yellow, yeah, and a few others. (At this stage in talking most words sound like, “ball” but it is usually pretty clear what you are referring to!) You still have your sweet little raspy voice, and you love to try out new sounds, sometimes in the form of long, serious monologues. This morning you were letting your voice slide up and down, checking out all the different registers (which would have been much cuter if it had not been quite so early!).

Books are your favorite thing in the world. You bring one over, looking hopefully up at us, say, “Read a book?” and when we take the book, you double over giggling in happiness and start crawling into our lap, and settle in for a good read. I’m so pleased with this – I thought we would ruin you because we hardly ever read to you as a little baby. Bedtime with two was hard, and Grace is such a book hog that every time we would try to read to you, she would muscle her way in and steal the lap and the book. Now that you are stronger, you do this back, and now you two get about equal time with books. Sometimes you will happily sit through an entire book (even read along with us), but sometimes you are just too eager for another book, and after a few pages you get up and find another one for us to read. Your favorite books right now includeFreight Train; Moo, Baa, La La La; Goodnight Moon; Doggies (A Counting and Barking Book); and Very Hungry Caterpillar. (You like sticking your fingers through the holes – it brings you much glee!) You also love the set of 10 chunky nursery rhyme books we have, and almost always carry one around with you. Whatever the book, you “read” along and point at the pictures, because you know pointing is what you’re supposed to do with a book.

You also love music. When Miss Jen comes to do music at daycare, you participate fully! She said she had never had a baby as young as you be able to participate as much as you do. Proud mama moment! You like to play our instruments at home, too. Last night we played my ukulele together, and you were loving it. You grinned and strummed and grinned some more. Since the day you came into this world, I have thought you would play the violin someday, and watching you take to this stringed instrument made me imagine all over again what sort of musician you might grow up to be. (No pressure!)

As you grow older, you’re becoming a bit of a ham! Daddy brought out the camera yesterday, and you immediately stopped what you were doing and, I kid you not, you grinned and posed, arms out, like, “Here I am, world!” and you held the pose and tried a few others while Dad kept snapping pictures. When music comes on, you start dancing and grinning, and, your favorite, spinning in circles. I thought Grace was the performer, but I think you’ll give her a run for her money!

For all of your wonderful qualities, you are also, these days, growing very clingy. You do not want to be left alone, and if you had your druthers you would be held all the time, preferably by me. On the one hand, any problem you have is quickly solved by my picking you up – which I am often compelled to do because the more adamant you get the more your cries resemble those of a tortured bird of some sort (seriously, kid, it’s the worst), and your face looks like I have just

given you the worst possible news. If I ignore you, so as to show you who is boss and that I cannot be manipulated, you will put your head on the ground with butt in air, and scream into the ground. I have a feeling your “terrible twos” might actually be, really terrible. You can throw a tantrum with the best of them.

You also are showing a bit of a mischievous streak. You have figured out how to get out of the high chair, and if you aren’t climbing down, you are standing up, and crawling out onto the table. You know this is wrong because as soon as you are caught, you look guilty and return to sitting. You go places you know you shouldn’t and when we say, “Isaac, come out from there,” you grin and shake your head. You’re so quiet, you are always slipping away and into something you shouldn’t be in, you rascal! But then you get caught and it is all love and giggles again and where your tantrums are the worst, your giggles are, in fact, the most beautiful sound in the world, so all is forgiven.

We love you so much, my dear son! I love getting to know you more each day. Keep shining.

                                                                               Your proud Mom