17 Months

Technically you are not 17 months until tomorrow but I'm hoping you'll forgive me for writing early. This is such an amazing time in your development and I hope we are taking enough time to just enjoy who you are. Tonight your daddy and I spent the majority of the evening just playing with you in the living room and it was so fun to watch you interact with your daddy. After dinner I started sweeping the floor in the kitchen and you came to join me with the toy broom that your Great Grandma Boomgarden got for you which was very much appreciated until you started sweeping up the piles that I made. Your daddy brought in the vacuum and had you help him vacuum up the piles while I kept sweeping and I found myself thinking that this was the first time all three of us have pitched in together to clean something.

You really enjoy putting things in their place and do a wonderful job of putting your toys away when we ask you to or putting things back where you got them. John and Toni Boomgarden came to visit last weekend and Toni was absolutely amazed when I asked you to put the milk in the fridge and you carried the carton over to the fridge. You can't open the door so you stood there until I opened the door. This was amazing to Toni but is a really common occurrence for us. Every night when it is time for bed we ask you if you are ready for bed and you will walk into the kitchen to the freezer where we keep your Nuk's and wait for us to open the door for you. You then reach into the freezer and get a Nuk before heading to the stairs. You are so cooperative about bed and naps and I hope you stay that way. Every time I come into your room when you are waking up you stand in your crib and hand your Nuk to me.

You are walking, running and now starting to climb! The other day we were getting ready for dinner and your dad turned around to see you hanging from the tray on your high chair with your feet on the seat. Thank god the thing didn't tip over on you. You are also able to climb in and out of chairs without a problem and enjoy climbing in and out for no reason other than to do it!

Over the past few weeks you have begun to show an attachment to some of your toys. Your favorites are a bear and a bunny that you received as a baby, however, you are pretty indiscriminate about your toys and will run all over the place clutching that moments favorite toy. You will also often run around with a blanket which gives me heart attacks as I envision you tripping over it. While we were in Lake Geneva you and Ceci got matching baby dolls and you really enjoy playing with your baby. It came with a little hat and yesterday you stunned me when you left the kitchen where you were playing with your baby and went into the living room to retrieve baby's hat and bring it back to the kitchen for me to put on. I still can't wrap my mind around the things that you know and the things you can do! You will also feed your baby with your cup and give your baby kisses. However, my favorite moment with your baby came this weekend when clear as day you looked at the doll and said "baby". Your daddy and I were both in the room and our heads snapped up to look at each other as we both wondered if we had heard you correctly.

You are starting to talk a little more and while it is still pretty hard to decipher what you are saying we are getting there. When we ask milk or apple juice we can usually tell which one you want but you won't say "milk please" no matter how much we try. We are really pushing please and thank you but I also don't want to push to much. You definitely say mama and dada which makes us so happy! You are also giving very generous kisses ... we often have to remind you to close your mouth when you come in for a kiss so we don't end up covered in slobber (not that we mind ;)

You are such a good eater with just a couple of quirks ... the biggest being that you don't seem to like meat?? Your daddy and I don't understand how our child could not like meat but you will pick around it and eat everything else. You'll eat hamburgers and some hotdogs / bratwursts but you really do not like chicken. You've tried a number of fruits at this point and seem to enjoy just about all of them. Any berries are a favorite ... blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries ... it doesn't matter you LOVE them! You also enjoy peaches, kiwi, pineapple and bananas. Vegetables are not as much of a hit but you do manage to eat your fair share of veggies. You've also discovered the timeless childhood favorite - the graham cracker and would be happy subsiding on graham crackers and berries if we let you!