For my little Mancub

Dear Bambino,

This Saturday you will be 18 months. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!! A whole 18 months, this Saturday, you will have been on this Earth. A whole 18 months we've been mama and bambino. A whole 18 months I've swooned over you. A whole 18 months you went from cute, cuddly blob of newborn to full out curious, helpful, loving toddler. Many parents before me advised me to enjoy each and every moment of the first two years because it all goes by so quickly. At first I thought they were all crazy and thought to myself, "I can't wait until this blob of boob milk obsession of snuggles starts talkin' and walkin'."

I was crazy to think that because while I love that you're a very bright walkin', sassy talkin' toddler, I sure do miss the days of you being able to snuggle all day long without a fuss. You used to love so much to be snuggled, nestled between my bosom, listening to mama's heartbeat. And now you just want to run, bang toy golf clubs on the television, climb, crawl under tight areas, throw food on the carpet, bite my legs, be chased after, and splash water in my face while you're in the bathtub.

You are a full on boy toddler. Mancub! You love to get good and dirty. Stomp your feet in the wet cement when it rains. Throw your toys into the garden and smear dirt in your face and clothes. Toilet paper decorates the floor nowadays if I don't close the bathroom door. Not even cellphones are safe! Remember when you threw mama's phone into the toilet? I'm sorry I yelled at you, my little curious one. Toddlerhood, is a major lesson in patience for parents.

Speaking of patience, we're in that stage right now. Ha! We're both learning together. You don't yet understand what it is to wait so when you don't get something you want at the exact moment you want it, you don't just whine - you scream, fall to the floor, pouty lip in tow and just throw the biggest tantrum I've seen come out of something so small and cute. Wow. But you're learning and you're getting so much better at waiting.

Now, not that I don't adore the aforementioned actions but here are some things that just melt my heart:

You know how to blow kisses! It is the sweetest thing to see you blow a kiss at me when I drop you off at daycare. You're such a sweet little man.

Tonight while you were taking a bath you discovered that the spout had a diverter and that diverter goes up and down. You played with that for a good 10 minutes. In the tub. Full of water. And bubbles. And the bountiful cuteness that is you! What I loved most about that, is that as soon as you realized it, you went "Oh!" in that cute toddler way. I hope to witness more "OH!" moments.

At night you love to snuggle up next to me while I read to you. I don't know if you'll ever know how much I love that because nowadays you don't even have time to snuggle, unless of course if you need something. You know how to melt my heart. Smile and snuggle up next to me. Snuggling next to you at bedtime is one of my favorites, especially after a bath. You smell so yummy, I could just gobble you up! Really, I could you smell that yummy.

You love reading now! As soon as you see a book or something that has a cover and opens up like a book, you sit down and study it. You love to point and babble at the images. Oh the pointing and babbling, it is so special! Most of the time you babble, "yeah!" when looking through the books as if you're really getting what's going on in the story, which is totally possible.

Last week you discovered the sky. A few months ago you noticed it a bit when you saw a plane but last week when we were walking back from a friend's house at night you looked up, pointed to the sky and said, "Dat?" asking what was in it. When I said "stars" you said it back, "stah!" in the most excited way. When I said "moon" you said "moooooooooo" in awe. I too am amazed by the moooooooooooo. You're really starting to get a grasp of the world around you, it's a beautiful thing to witness my love.

You call me both mama and dada. I'm mama when you're sad or need something and I'm dada when we're playing or you're trying to find out where I am in the house. It's absolutely adorable. It is true that I am both. I am your Maddy and love every second of it.

You love to help. While your Grandma was visiting you helped her do the laundry, as in grabbed the clothes out of the basket and threw them on the couch and then threw the perfectly folded clothes onto the floor. Or when you want to tell me that you need a diaper change you just take off the diaper and pee on the floor. The best part is when you go "Uh oh!" I'm still trying to teach about "uh oh." Anyway, you love to help throw things away, clean up after yourself, wipe your own hands and face. Your favorite I think is closing the door. It's more slamming the door than closing though but I think you just love to hear the sound. Which is ok with me. :o)

Let's see, what else? You're becoming much more vocal with "no" and "bye" being your favorite words. Your little wave is so cute and your "no" head shake is a stinkin' riot! Other words are moon, star, door, hi, more, boo (for book), dog, shoe, and many, many more. Though I do feel as though you understand every word that comes out of my mouth.

You're growing up. It's an insane and natural thought. I knew you'd be growing up but I still like to think back on the day when you were born, our time together in the hospital, falling asleep on the couch together at our old place in Salem, watching you crawl for the first time, watching your first steps. I loved to stare at your face and wonder what you'd be like all grown up. Now, I can't help but stare at your face at night, while you slumber and think back when you were such a little squirmy, squirt. I still think about how you'll be when you grow up but most of the time I am just in awe of how much grow with each millisecond.

You are a beautiful, beautiful little mancub, sweet Bambino.

Love,
Mama

P.S.  I forgot to mention that you love to growl and roar and they're not at all whimpy ones either.  You can make the whole house vibrate with those mancub roars.  My how you've grown.