Dear Christian,

Happy 20 months little man….Did you just read that? I almost had a heart attack writing it! How are you 20 months? You are out of the teens and on your way to two and I am not sure what to do about it. You are a fantastic little boy and grow so much every day. I say it a lot but together we are having a blast, and I can’t wait to see you every morning (well maybe not when it’s super early..that can wait).

I am so sorry I didn’t write a 19 month post, but you got really sick at that time my little man. You caught coxsackie and I hated watching you be so sick. You were sick for about a week, and after that time just moved on. Shame on me!

You are tall and skinny and are beginning to look more like your daddy. If not in the light skin or hair color you certainly can get your daddy’s devilish grin. As sweet as you are you certainly have a mind of your own and a temper. I am trying to teach you that you aren’t the boss, but that particular lesson you aren’t learning too quickly. I read back on some of the letters I wrote you in the past and one common adjective being used is “strong willed”. You certainly are that. I believe that the times you are easy going (which is a lot) are the times when we are doing exactly what you would want to do anyway, because if you get bored with something, or don’t want to do it you certainly let it be known. As a matter of fact I had to remove you from a library class already due to your bad behavior. I am hoping we can nip this in the bud, but since your personality seems to be more like your daddy’s I think we have a lot of that in our future…

You have so much to say! I don’t always understand you (or most of the time) but you are learning to talk, and get so proud when you actually communicate what you are trying to say. I try to keep track of your words, and at 20 months you say the following: mamma, dadda, up, down, ball, more, juice, yes, no, thank you, shoes, pool, boat, whale, two and thanks to Max and Ruby…Mud Pie! Mind you the words are far from perfect, and I have to translate for others, but they make me happy. For animal names you choose to make an animal sound, and you still prefer to use sign language for many of your words. All in all we are making progress and I am so proud of you.

Eating still is a challenge for us. I try so hard to make healthy choices for you. I cook wonderful healthy things and you just turn your nose up. You don’t even try! Honestly, I am just about ready to serve you only hot dogs and PBJ and be done with it. I am sure we both would be happier for it, but as your mom it is my job to decide what is best for you, so I will continue to slave over the stove and make you healthy meals (whether you eat them or not).

We went to the beach with your Grandma and Grandpa last month and you loved it! You certainly took to the ocean and the sand like a champ. You weren’t afraid of the waves at all, and loved the big holes that your uncles’ Matt and John Paul dug for you. A beach boy after his mommy’s heart! Don’t worry, we will spend as much time at the beach as you’d like.

You love rocks and dirt and are all boy. That is no surprise since you have always been all boy! We are having the best summer and I am doing my best to keep you busy. If we are inside you are way too attached to the TV, so each day it is my mission to come up with something for us to do that keeps you occupied and away from the TV. It’s a challenge, but I try to keep up with it!

We are in the process of trying to sell the first home you have ever known. It will always hold a special place in my heart as the place where we first brought you home to. I am curious how our day will change once we are some place new, but only time will tell us that.

As always every day is an adventure. You are my cuddle bug and we sit and cuddle as much as possible each day. Each night I still rock you in our favorite glider in your room, and we snuggle until I am ready to let you go and lay you down to sleep. I cherish that time little man. I hope that you will crawl into my lap for years to come.

I love you you!

Love, Mommy