You are twenty one months now. Well, actually you have been for a couple weeks now. It's so hard to believe how much you've grown and how fast this time has flown. Right now you're sitting in a bar stool next to me eating grapes and string cheese. That's how big you are. Big enough to eat grapes all by yourself and not choke. Even when you shove too many in your mouth at once, which happens quite often. You love to share your food with me. But sometimes if I'm too slow to lean over and get it out of your hand you take it back and shove it in your mouth so fast -- and then you laugh like you've just swindled me and I don't even know it.
You still love hide and seek. You're really good at ducking down under things and you love to scream when you're found. Actually, you love to scream about everything right now. It's very loud and very high pitched. Hide and Seek is especially fun when you think that just by looking away you're hidden. It makes sense though.
You're also a big fan of the water hose. When I water the plants and flowers you run and stand right in the way and get drenched. I love to see you laugh while you do this but I also know we then have to go back inside, towel off, and change clothes, which is slightly less fun.
You love to be in the kitchen, preferably right under my feet or between my legs. Lately you've started hugging one of my legs and it's so sweet. Usually your time in the kitchen is spent in the two big drawers by the stove. You dig out mixing bowls and cake pans and strainers and double boilers and this one heavy LOUD bundt pan (that you are playing with RIGHT now and I already have a headache from it) and one of those rubbery muffin tins. Those rubbery ones are your favorite. You squish the pan down, flip it over and squish it the other way. Sometimes we stir your toys or put them in the muffin tins. You think that is so funny. You also LOVE to crawl up on our bed and mess up all the pillows. I mean, you think you're hiding or being silly, but I think you're just messing it up after I went to all the trouble of making the bed. I still love you because you are so happy when you find yourself successful!
We bought some of those little foam letters and numbers from the bath section at Target and you play with them everywhere. We try to make words but since they are in every room we can only make a few words in each room. In the bath we can only spell bus and jugs. And the number four. You like to hand them out to people and recollect them.
Your Daddy made a giant house for you out of a cardboard box and you hide in it all the time. One day I had to feed you yogurt through one of the windows because you wanted the yogurt AND the house. Who am I not to oblige those sweet brown eyes? Speaking of those eyes, you know how to work them! There is even a cashier that we see weekly who just hangs over the counter and tells you how handsome you are. Every week. Except the week I went without you and I got mean looks and she made me feel like a bad mom for leaving you with your Dad. Sheesh. She is under your spell. It's probably because you say byebye to her one million times and blow her kisses. I'd fall for that, too. You are very liberal with your kisses when you want something ... and other times you tightly hold on to every kiss. You are never stingy when it comes to blowing kisses to yourself in the mirror. I'm a bit worried about your conceit. I mean, we all know you're gorgeous and beautiful and one of God's best creations, but seriously, you don't need to play in front of the mirror all day. We have a full length mirror in our closet and in the entry way and those are your favorite places to play. Lately you've discovered how to make funny faces at yourself. You also like to wave and tell yourself Hi and ByeBye (and of course blow yourself kisses), and see how you look while playing with different toys. (I can't believe I can't find a recent picture of this!!!)
You love playing with the barn that Grandmama gave you for your birthday last year. You love certain songs and play them over and over again. You've started making animal sounds. Your favorites are hoohooheeeheee (monkey), eeeow (cat), heahhh (donkey), and arrrr (lion/tiger/dinosaur). You love when we sing "Old McDonald" because of the sounds and you say e-e-e-e-ooo. (It's so precious.) You've also learned to say Yeehaw when riding the horse at MeMaw and PawPaw's house. You love to slide and slide, climb up the slide and walk down the slide and roll things down the slide.You love to say Mimi and get hung up on saying it over and over and over again. You always go exploring at Papa's house.
You love airplanes and we stop to point out everyone that flies by as we wave and say "byebye". Your love for bubbles knows no bounds.
We took you to a pumpkin patch last week and you went crazy for the little pumpkins! You picked up one and carried it everywhere. You dropped it, spiked it, rolled it down a ramp, sat with it, ran with it, and you still carry it around the house. You like to carry all sorts of things, especially my big camelback water bottle, which you've finally figured out how to drink from. I think we'll have to get you one of your own that's not hot pink. And a bit more your size.
The world absolutely stops and stands still when your favorite show, Word World is on. We dvr it off PBS so you can watch it on Saturday mornings and snuggle with Daddy on the couch (the only time you sit still). Not even food can steal your attention from this show. You like Veggie Tales too because there's lots of singing, but it doesn't hold your attention as well as Word World. Nothing does.
We joke that you have one speed and it's "there he went". You are always going full speed ahead (although lately you like to go backwards, too!) and at church everyone knows you as Asher the Dasher. You are fast and sneaky. And fearless. You have no fear for anything -- not heights, not pools, not girls, not bigger kids, not stairs, not any of the things that leave me breathless, either from fear or from chasing after you or from both. I hope and pray this translates to your faith. I pray you are fearless when chasing after the Lord.
We love you so much and cannot imagine that anyone else anywhere in the world has as much fun as we do with you. I know that there are one thousand other things I want to tell you and want to remember, but I feel typed out. Besides, you're standing here looking at me and I know you want to play, and if I play my cards right, you might sit in my lap for a snuggle or two and I can steal some of those kisses before you realize I've hit my limit.
