15 months...

Dear Aden,

A month ago, you were just beginning to take a few tentative steps here and there... and now you are all but running. It has been so much fun watching you gain confidence in your (still wobbly) stride. You toddle all over the house and yard. You used to so contentedly watch the world go by from the vantage point of the grocery store cart or stroller... but no longer! You want to be down on the ground in the thick of it... the master of your own destiny. And you absolutely resent being told where to go on your little adventures. A walk to the mailbox would take days if I didn't at some point pick up your protesting body and walk a few feet in the right direction. You zig zag all over, stop to touch anything that catches your eye (aka everything), and have been known to literally walk in circles. It makes me crazy... and then I take a deep breath. I appreciate how new this whole world of walking is for you and try to give you enough time and space to revel in your new skill and perspective. Our lives are way too busy and hectic and I try hard to be grateful for and respectful of you and your journey. Toddlers are one great big lesson in Zen Buddhism.

Tonight as I was cleaning up the dinner dishes, you and your sister were playing together. First, she was chasing you around the house catching you by the foot of your pajamas... causing you to laugh (and only occasionally cry) hysterically. Then she pulled the cushions off our living room chairs and created a couple of make-shift trampolines. You bounced on and off the chairs, traded places back and forth, and rolled around on the pillows strewn about the living room floor giggling all the while. It was such a pleasure to watch the two of you play with each other and delight in each other's company. It isn't always easy for you two to get along (just this morning she slammed your finger in the bedroom door), but I am finding that you can entertain each other for longer stretches between the meltdowns. I'm finding that your bond with each other is one of the greatest joys in my life... that and your delicious Buddha belly and scrumptious feet and big eyes!

Love,
Mama