September 1st

Dear Elle,

We have been in Manhattan for a week now. You have danced on the big piano 4 different times and you think it's so fun. Every time someone comes to visit we walk them over there and you show them how it's done. Grandma and Grandpa came yesterday and you danced your little toe all over the piano. On Tuesday we went to the Children's museum of Manhattan and they had an entire exhibit devoted to Dora and Diego and you were so excited. You kept playing the Diego theme song and marching around. You went in Dora's living room and played on "baby bongo" (who has an entire episode devoted to himself, which you always request to watch after your nap). You went in Dora's room and laid right down on her big blue bed, oh, you were in heaven.

You are becoming very independent lately and everything I try to help you with, you say "do it yourself?!" which means you want to do it yourself, so we let you. You want to put on and take off your own shoes all the time and your clothes and feed yourself and wash your own hands and brush your own teeth. You are really comfortable being naked, it's hard to actually keep clothes on you, you just take them off and run around, your cute white tushi following behind. Sometimes Daddy comes home from work and you're only wearing a necklace and Mommy's flip flops. You are something else.

You are really in love with Tinkerbell these days. You want to watch her movie everyday and you tell me things like, "I can't fly when my wings are wet" or you act out parts of the movie. You have a Tink doll that you really love and you have tea parties with her. Sometimes we take her to the Apple store on 5th avenue and you let her drink tea and fly around and take her tiny little green shoes on and off and you feed her tiny little strawberries and cupcakes. You are a girl, right down to your tiny pink pedicure.

Faith, Trust and Fairy Dust,
Mommy

August 25th

Dear Elle,

This was your first weekend living in Manhattan. We had to move out of the house we were renting and our new house with your pink room isn't ready yet so Daddy's company is hosting us in a little apartment on West 58th street, just about one block from Central Park. Daddy will walk to work and we will get to spend lots of time with him since he won't spend any time commuting. We will get to have breakfast and dinner with him everyday for the next 4 weeks at least. It's very exciting.

Yesterday we moved in and we took a long walk at the park, you and I. We saw Elmo and Big Bird (Big bird was the puppeteer for Elmo which was kind of strange to watch). We saw Hello Kitty, a man making giant bubbles, and a man dressed up like the Statue of Liberty. When you saw a person dressed up as Hello Kitty you said, "That's big..."... which made think that all this time you thought the real Hello Kitty was "cat-sized", not the size of a small Asian man. It makes sense.

This morning we all slept very late, I have a feeling the city is going to do that to us, take lots of energy from us with all the noise and sights and different faces and smells. We have seen at least 20 different horses all dressed up for carriage rides in the park and I can't imagine what that's like for you since you've only ever seen one actual horse. And we live in the country! The city has everything.

We went to the Central Park Zoo today which was very nice but I think you were just, "meh." You were more interested in the statues of the animals, which you climbed on and poked at their eyes and mouths. Then we came back to the apartment and you had a nap and then you and I spend a good long time in bed, talking and snuggling. It was my favorite part of today. You sometimes say, "let's get in mommy's bed and get nice and comfortable" and that's what we did. I try to sing to you but you reach up and pinch my mouth closed by my lips, so I just keep quiet and kiss the back of your head.

Daddy then got us to rally and go back out and we took you to FAO Schwartz and it was like the most wonderful place you could have imagined. You squeezed up every stuffed animal and rode on everything that you could get a leg over. You danced on the big piano from the movie "Big" like you knew all about it. You owned that piano. 

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Love,
Mommy

Month 26

Dear Elle,

The other day, you used the potty for the first time! You are so funny about it, you get really quiet and you concentrate so hard and then you say,  "wisten"... and pee pees come out into the potty and then you ask for chocolate. Sometimes when I asked you if you want to go on the potty, you say, "you don't have to" which is what I say to you when you don't want to go.

Dad was using the bathroom the other day and you pushed the door open and said, "Good girl, Daddy!" You are so supportive.

This morning I heard you in your crib talking away and you said, "When I grow up, I'm going to turn into something else..." (which is from your favorite movie, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom where a caterpillar turns into a butterfly)... I wonder what you are going to turn into!

Your climbing skills are awesome and you can get anywhere you want at the playground. Way up higher than any of your friends. You say, "climb, climb, climb!" And sometimes when we pass someone in the stroller you say, "what's up?"...

You are the best.
Love,
Mommy

Month 24

Dear Elle,

You had your 3rd Easter. You were only 10 days old at your first Easter! This year you were hunting for eggs and baskets and eating chocolate like it was your job! You got tons of puzzles and games and pajamas and candy from everyone that loves you. You are so lucky.

The other night I took stitches out of your chin while you were sleeping. How the heck did you get stitches in your chin? Well, Daddy was watching you one afternoon and you fell up the stairs and bumped your chin on the step. Daddy took you to the ER and you got 2 little stitches in your chin the day before your 2nd birthday party at Tot Town. It didn't slow you down one bit, you ran around with all your friends, Parker and Natalie, Winnie and Vern, Jillian and Amanda, Little Jillian and Bryson and Lucas.  Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie and Uncle were there, too. You wore a shirt with a cupcake that said, "Birthday Girl" and jeans and a tutu. You played in the grocery store, you liked to scoop up all the fake apples and put them into the cart all at once. Maybe you wanted to make applesauce? You went down the slide a bajillion times and then we had pink and green Dora and Boots cupcakes that you and Mommy made and we sang Happy Birthday and you were so excited!

You are even more into Dora if that's even possible and every day this week you woke up talking about Coney Island and chocolate ice cream. Dora and Boots went to Coney Island and it's all you can talk about so we are planning a trip to go there, too. And get ice cream.

Our new house in Redding is almost done and you call it, "Elle's house". We go there sometimes and you play in your room and I can just see you as a little girl growing up in there, playing house with your friends and your pink play kitchen, or all spread out on your bed reading books and listening to music and eating rice cakes and peanut butter, your favorite snack. (Never ever locking Mommy out of your room, by the way, or having boys up in there.)  Mommy is excited for Christmas at the new house, and you can wake up in your new room (in your Dora jammies, of course) and sneak down the stairs to see what Santa has left you under the tree. I have waiting all my life for Christmases with you and Daddy.

 We got you a little potty and we talk about the potty all the time and you run and sit on the potty with your clothes on and sometimes naked but you aren't ready to go pee pee on it yet, and that's okay. We watch "Elmo Potty Time" and you think its so funny when Grover sings a duet with Elmo and you do your best growly Grover voice and you say,"Hello, Everybody!!" When we get ready for bath and you are naked and running around you say, "My body! My body!" ... and I say, "I see a hiney..." and you said, " Do you want to bite it?" And yes, I do!

You repeat nearly everything we say. You say it with the same inflection, it's uncanny. Yesterday you said, "What's that?" and I said, "Well, it's a... air conditioner" and now you can have the whole conversation by yourself where you ask yourself what that is, and then you say what I said, the same exact way I said it. You're brilliant. You can count to 20, count to 10 in Spanish, you know all the letters, big and small and the sound they make. You know all the colors, even grey and white. You can put on and take off socks and shoes by yourself. You accessories with headbands and necklaces. You brush your own teeth and wash shampoo out of your hair in the bath. At 2, you are ready for Kindergarten.

We go on walks and look for bugs and dogs and flowers and listen for birds. You know the difference between crows and ducks and geese. Nana and Papa came to stay for a few days this week and you got some time with Izzy and you got to feed her bones and you think that is just awesome. You laugh with your entire body. You didn't figure out that she will eat anything off you plate that you don't want, so I'm glad you didn't try to stuff her with broccoli or kiwi. Maybe you will get a puppy someday. Someone to run with in the backyard, to sleep on the floor next to you and keep your company while you are falling asleep.

We read about 309 books a day, you really like Dr. Suess and lately you are loving, "Go Dog Go", "Polly's Pink Pajamas" and "A Color of His Own." You finish the ends of the sentences. I wonder if i will still be able to recite them from heart when you are old enough to read these letters yourself. Probably. They are pretty much rubbed into my brain with permanent marker.

You can run, and jump and kick a ball. You can bounce it and roll it. You try to blow bubbles but usually end up spitting on the bubble wand.  You love to run and pop them. You know you are supposed to wear a hat out in the sun so you, "Don't get sunburn" and when you wear a hat in the rain, you think it's for the same reason.

 You see the world as a magical place for you to live fearlessly and love recklessly and I'm learning so much from you.

Love,
Mommy

Month 23

Dear Elle,
This week you turn 23 months. Here are some highlights from the month:

You are now obsessed with getting into your diaper at naptime. This makes Mommy crazy because you play with your poopies and make a big mess. (Yes, I said it. And if your not careful, i'll tell all your future boyfriends. ) We've started talking about the Potty and going poopies on the potty but when it comes time to do it, you just laugh and run away. I think you're playing with us.

The other day when you were in the tub, you farted. And you said, "Shhhh Mommy. I hear poopies."

...

After bath last night, you put your little naked arm around my shoulder, and one around your dad's and you squeezed us in tight and said, "My Guys!"

...

Last week i made you a waffle (after I had made you oatmeal and also cereal both of which you would not eat) and you said, "Mommy, put this in a bag" which i did because sometimes you will eat it out of a little baggie, and then you handed me the baggie and said, "Mommy, put this in the garbage"...

 ...

On Saturday morning, your dad let me sleep in a little and he got up at 7 with you. I could hear you both running around out in the living room and then it got really quiet. I heard the bedroom door open and then felt the covers start to peel back from the bed and your little face popped up right next to mine and you said, "Morning, Puddins!" (which I say to you almost everyday when I go get you in the morning.)

...

Just a few minutes ago,  you dragged the step stool over to the couch and climbed up to the top stair of it and threw yourself onto the couch into a somersault laughing like a maniac the whole time. Things are about to get dangerous interesting. I am now positive you have your Dad's sense of adventure.

Love,
Mommy

Month 22

Dear Elle,

This week you turned 22 months old. I just rocked you to sleep for nap time and you made me sing Baby Beluga like 42 times. Each time I thought you were asleep, I'd start singing softer and slower until I wasn't singing, but you would pop your little head up off my shoulder, look square into my eye and scream "Baaabby Belllugaa!"  and then laugh like a maniac and kick and then settle right back into my neck and breathe your little warm air puffs onto my skin. You are funny. And now Mommy needs a nap, too.

You do this thing in your crib, where you stand on your head and put both your feet up on the top railing of the crib, and then kick one leg straight up to the sky. You do this all the time, stand on your head. The other day I went to get you up in the morning and not only were you upside down but both 'The Doras' were also standing on their heads leaning against the side of the crib. I think you are training acrobats in there.

We have had a lot of snow this month, some parts of Connecticut got over 3 feet, so after we went out to "shobel" we have been staying inside and doing crafts like finger painting and play dough and baking and you still love to put your blankey over your head and run around laughing as you almost (and sometimes) bang into things. You are getting very independent and if I try to help you with something you get very frustrated and scream, "no!" and you peel my hands off of whatever it is that you want to do by yourself. Sometimes when you have yogurt and you want me to let go you start squeezing it and yogurt goes everywhere, even in both of our hair. You know exactly what you want and you are the first to tell me if I am doing it wrong. That is a wonderful quality in an almost 2 year old. (Remind me to teach you about sarcasm someday.)

We have this area of the counter top next to the stove that has a few baskets with lots of stuff that we don't have anywhere to keep, like crayons and tape and glue and magazines and stickers and some snacks and you always want to get up there and look through the stuff.. the other day, you were climbing up Daddy's legs and pointing over there so Daddy picked you up and said, "do you need something?" and now you think that area of the house is called, "something"... it's so funny. You point over there and try to drag us to it, saying, "something! something!"...

Daddy and I took our first trip without you, we went to California to go snowboarding with our friends Ali and Reid. You stayed at Grammahouse and I think you got just a little bit spoiled. Grandma set up the entire garage with toys for you, a tricycle with a Minnie Mouse helmet, a sand table, slide and there were balloons with Elmo and one that said, "It's all about me" .. which is very true. I think you tired each other out but Gramma loved having you sleepover.  Dad and I missed you so much. When we got home we celebrated Valentine's Day and dad bought you a gigantic pink puppy and Mommy got your a little pink backpack with your name on it. Our hearts have grown so much with you in our lives.
 
I can't wait to see what you are up to next.

Love,
Mommy

Month 21

Dear Elle,
Last week you turned 21 months. Sometimes I think you are almost 2, going on 15. You have started to understand the nuances of conversations and last week you made your very first joke. We were hanging around in the kitchen, you, daddy and me, and I was looking through the fridge for something to make for breakfast. I was asking you, "do you want eggy bread?  eggy bread,  egggggy bread?" You were playing with your little wheelie cars and weren't really paying attention to me, until you looked up and got this mischievous little grin on your face and said, "Eggy Mommy?" And then we laughed and laughed and Daddy said, "did you just make a joke?" and you were smiling so big. It was the best joke ever.

Okay. You have learned the word, "okay". And you use it all the time. When you want to watch your show on tv, you will say to me, "Bubble Guppies, Bubble Guppies, Buuuubble Guuupppies, Bubble GUPPIES, Buuuuuuuble Guppies..."  and then I'll say, "Oh, Bubble Guppies?" and you will say, "Okay.".... like I had suggested it and you are just going along with me because you don't want to rock the boat.


You learned how to play the drums, which is very impressive, being only 21 months old. Here is a little clip of your playing a song written and composed by you, entitled, "Hooray."

I love how you say "Horray, Mommy" in the beginning. It makes my heart melt.

You also learned how to jump and run really fast and kick and bounce a basketball and you can even read books, you are so smart. You turn the pages and say some of the words that you know and it's so wonderful how well you listen and how much you have learned.

Love,
Mama

Happy 2013

Dear Elle,
This was your last nap of 2012. Thanks for sharing.
Love,
Mommy

Hey Guys

Dear Elle,
You just found out about "Ring around the Rosy". Daddy and I were doing it with you in the kitchen and when we 'all fall down', you actually didn't fall down, you kicked your legs and did a crazy dance and then you fell down. And you sat right inbetween us and looked up and said, "Hey, Guys!" ... like it was some strange coincidence that you would run into us there, sitting on the floor of the kitchen. You make us laugh.
Love,
Mommy

Free Dora

Dear Elle,
You are intensely focused. Yesterday we took you to NYC with Nana and Papa and on the way home on the train you were so good, so very involved in your iphone, you didn't move a muscle, you just played with your phone like all the businessmen around you. The man sitting next to you said you were much better behaved than most adults he usually sits next to.

The other day we were Christmas shopping and you were getting bored so I gave you a Dora doll to hold. This Dora was in a box with her neck and legs strapped in with little plastic rings. Just a few seconds after I gave you the box you looked at her and said, "Mommy, get scissors." How did you know that scissors were what you needed? You have never even seen scissors! I just stood there looking at you just in awe of what you know. And you just sat there in the cart looking back at me probably wondering why I wasn't getting you the scissors.

Love,
Mama

20 Months

Dear Elle,
Yesterday you turned 20 months old. Today is Saturday and it's also Grandpa's birthday and we are going to meet everyone out for dinner tonight. This morning after a long walk in the stroller (where we met a beautiful Great Dane named Savannah who licked your face and made you laugh) we made him a big green card with stickers and you colored all over it. We just had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apples and then I rocked you for a bit and you went right down for your nap. You were very tired.

This month your language has grown so much! Everyday you say something that I didn't know you knew about. The other day you were sitting on the couch watching Bubble Guppies and Dora rolled off and you said, "Oh God, no!" and then jumped down to get her. You like to add a little element of drama to keep things interesting. You know all of your animal sounds and yesterday you started saying, "Ribbit!" when you see frogs and it's adorable. You can also count to 10 and know all your colors and letters and shapes. We went to Grandma's on Friday to make Christmas cookies and you had your first gingerbread and you were very happy about that. Since then you have said gingerbread at least a hundred times, and even when Grandma was spelling it to me, you knew what she was saying. "Gingerbread?" you asked with your eyebrows raised and your little hands out.

You now think Grandma's name is "Gamma House".  So that's what you call her no matter where we are. She did finger-painting with you last week and when she squeezed the paint on the paper she started saying, "ooooooh oooh" and now that is how you think finger-painting is done, by swirling your fingers all in the paint saying "oooooh ooooh" the entire time. And when you want to talk about Grandma you call her "Ooooh Gamma House". Like that's her name.

Last night we went to an Elf Party at Auntie Julie's sisters house and you wore your red and white striped feety pajamas and you ate more gingerbread and Julie gave you cotton candy which you didn't know what to do with so you threw it on the ground. I think maybe you thought it was a cotton ball. (When you are older you will know how silly that was because cotton candy is like fluffy delicious gold.) When we got home it was past your bedtime and I went to get you out of the car and I was trying to carry you and a lot of bags and I told you to "Hang onto Mommy" and you said, "I gotcha!" which you clearly don't know what that means because you weren't holding on at all. I couldn't believe you said that, because I had never heard you say that before and it was such a grown up thing to say.

You can also make sentences and ask questions and have conversations. You like to get right to the point.  The other day you were pointed to your toes saying, "this little piggy" and then I asked you what the little piggy did and you said, "wee home."

Next week is Christmas and it's going to be so much fun. Mommy and Daddy bought you a little wooden cradle for your babies that Mommy is going to paint white and make bedding for.  We got you an easel to paint on and a little Elmo and some books and clothes. We went to see Santa at Stew Leonard's last week and you were fine to watch him from the line but once we got up close you were so screaming mad that you would not sit on his lap, you kicked and screamed. Good thing Santa does not hold grudges.

Love,
Mommy

New House

Dear Elle,
This is where our new house will be!

Love, Mama

18 and 19 Months

Dear Elle,
You have a favorite letter and it's "w". (You say it like, "double-vuf") You say it all the time and you laugh and laugh, and howl and shriek and stomp your feet and run around like that letter is doing stand up comedy and you already downed the two drink minimum. You have a video you like to watch over and over called "The Letter Factory" and the letter "W" is dressed up like a rapper with gold chains and some turntables and he has a little song that he sings about the letter "W" (..."when I play it over here the room it starts to shake, it's the sound that you make...wha wha wha wha wha whaaa W") When he's about to come on you scream for him and laugh and laugh. "Double-vuf! Double-vuf!" You find so much joy in the tiniest things and I am learning so much from you.

You are obsessed with Dora. We might have to have an intervention. The theme song is the first thing you ask me to sing for you in the morning and you can't go anywhere with out BOTH Doras. Mommy got you a Dora and then Grandma got you a Baby Dora to keep at her house, but nooooooo, you weren't having it. That Baby Dora was coming home with you, so help you God. Both Doras go everywhere with us, in the shopping cart at Shop Rite, buckled in the carseat under each of your arms, to the Doctors to get their ears checked and heart listened to, in the bathroom to brush all of our teeth. You also brush the teeth of the backpack on Dora's back, which is silly because backpacks don't have teeth. But you don't care, you will brush his little gummy smile anyway. It's so amazing to me that you are already preparing to be a Mommy yourself, you tuck in 'the Doras' on the couch to watch some Dora and you kiss them on their foreheads. You are taking all the cues from me, so I better not mess this up. Sometimes you ask to take 'the Doras' into the bathtub but we have to draw the line somewhere because we all know 'the Doras' can't swim.

You might have noticed that these two months are combined into one letter and you might want to know why that is. Well. We have been very very busy and time has been going by so very fast that I haven't had much time to write. We are working hard on our new house, picking out all the stuff to go inside and they have been building the frame of the house and grading the landscape and working on a beautiful stone wall that is right out in front. We have gone there quite a bit lately and you just want to dig in the dirt and pick up rocks and I wonder if you will even remember what it was like when the house wasn't there. I think you will always know this house to be your house even though you actually have lived in two different houses already and you are only a year and a half.

You are talking up a storm and you say the funniest things. Lately you have been saying, "Aww Honey.." after you heard one of us say it and it's so cute. You sound just like a 95 year old Italian Grandmother. You also repeat pretty much anything you hear and you can say mommy's car, grandma's house, daddy's working, no no more noodles, huggin', thanks, juice and you have been saying "please" a lot more which is always sweet to hear. Right now you are playing with the iPad and switching between reading "The Cat in the Hat", doing some puzzles and working on your farm animal sounds. You just walked up to me and shoveled a handful of organic cheddar bunnies into my mouth with such force I think you touched the little punching bag in the back of my throat. I was trying to say, "no, thank you, sweetie", but when I opened my mouth you just stuffed them in my face. I have a feeling you are going to be President.

Love,
Mama

17 Months

Dear Elle,

This week you turned 17 months old. You have really grown tall and lean and have gone up a shoe size in the last few weeks. You can reach all the doorknobs now and try to close and open doors all over the house. You can also reach the kitchen drawer handles and pull yourself up to see what's on the counter. You are so fast with those little hands. The other day I put some crumbcake on a plate to share with you and we walked over to the table holding the plate and when i put it down I realized there was no crumbcake on it, but it was in your hand and I was holding an empty plate. Mom is so crazy walking around with an empty plate.

You and your dad have an awesome time together. He plays with you and you shriek and squeal and laugh so hard. He gets down on the floor and you put your blanket on his head and he flails around looking for you and you run circles around him and then jump on his back and try to ride him. Then you say "hug!" and give him a bear hug and he feels so lucky and happy that you think he's so cool. It's like the rest of the world fades out and it's just you and him in this little bubble of special dad and Elle time. Then you go right back to screaming and kicking and running and laughing. You guys play with the Dora legos all the time and you have a little Dora that sits on top of the legos and you make Dad kiss it. You push his face towards her and you watch very carefully to make sure he does it. He is seriously putty in your hands.

You are starting to recognize things out in the world and it makes me realize that you are so very smart. Yesterday we were walking into Shop-Rite very early in the morning, going to pick up some milk and some organic pears and bananas (which you say like ba-la-ba-la-la) and you looked up at the big letters on the front of the store and said, "SSSS" and I couldn't believe it. You are so smart.

You can say so many words now, new ones everyday. You say "help" when you need it and "please" when you want something and we aren't moving fast enough to get it for you. You know most of your body parts and you can point to them all when we sing if you're happy and you know it... You have some new friends from the Mom's group we joined and you like Parker the best. You say his name like you are from Boston.. "Par-car"

You are getting very good with your utensils.. as I write this you are eating mac and cheese and blueberries with your pink fork and watching Elmo's Alphabet Jungle. You tell me all the time you want to watch TV and sometimes you say "show" which means to put on Dora or Elmo for you. I give you a little rag and you clean your tray on your highchair and wipe your face.

We stared swimming class at the YMCA and you are learning to kick your legs and scoop with your hands and float on your back and climb out of the pool and jump in and blow bubbles in the water. You are a little fish, you love the water and you like to swim after the little rubber ducks they have to help you to learn.

If you're happy and you know it.. shout hooray!
We are. And we do.

Love,
Mama

16 Months

Dear Elle,
This is your new word. More. And this is how it sounds coming out of your beautiful little rose bud lips: Mower. Moooow-er. MOOOOWWWER. You say it loud and you say it proud, and it applies to everything. If you would like to eat some more raisin bread, "mower" you say. If you would like Daddy to keep throwing you up in the air so high that you have time to grab onto your toes and do a straddle split, "mower" you say. You also say, "again" but you use it for times when someone is doing something to entertain you and you want them to keep going, like reading books or singing songs. Amoung other things, new to the list of words are Uncle and Auntie, towel, bebe, ball, blue, milk (nilt), elephant and iPad. You can also identify lots of body parts when asked; head, hair, teeth, belly button, toes, ears, nose.

You are seriously obsessed with the iPad. You have more apps than mommy and daddy combined and you know exactly what each one does. You slide the pages over until you get to your page and then with your little finger on your chin and your brow furrowed you carefully consider which one you would like. You look just like Daddy when you do that. You can say "elmo" (Elm) and "Grover" (Groder) and "Dora" (Dorda) and sometimes you play with their apps but lately you are falling in love with animals. You feed the frogs by dragging bugs into their mouths, you help the monkeys get their bananas (which you can also say and it comes out like this "ba-labl-abla") you sing along with old MacDonald and you know all of the animals on the farm and most of their sounds. You have this app of a zoo scene and when you touch the animals something silly happens and when you touch the camel, he pulls his head back and spits directly into the face of a man who is just walking by, who turns red and makes a silly surprised noise. You think this is the funniest thing that ever happened. You made that camel spit in that poor man's face at least 40 times before breakfast. You laugh and laugh. You have your daddy's sense of humor.

A few weeks ago we went to visit Nana and Papa and all your cousins and your aunties in Massena. You were running the show up there, that's for sure. You showed all your cousins your Grover app and they were all gathered around smiling which was very sweet of them because they are older and therefore know that Grover is actually the monster at the end of the book. You took lots of naps on the boat on Mary's shoulder and you played in the sand and we went on morning walks and saw a little fox. You got some time with Nana and Papa and you liked to splash in the dog's water bowls and put on Papa's sneakers and walk around.

This month you got your first pet! It's a goldfish named, "Dorothy" just like Elmo's goldfish and she lives at Grandma's house. She lives in a little glass bowl with hot pink stones and a little sign that says, "no fishin'". Grandma says they can live for 17 years and that they keep growing and growing so when you leave for college Dorothy can move into the swimming pool.

You are taking a nap right now, all cuddled up in your crib. When you wake up, you can have a pear or a rice cake (your favorite) and then we are going to go to the beach nearby to gather some items from outdoors like rocks and leaves and sand for a sensory box that we are going to play with in the little pink tent we got at the craft store this morning. I am having so much fun with you, getting down to your level, looking at things like you look at them, exploring the world through your eyes. Thanks for letting me.

Love,
Mama

15 Months

Dear Elle,
Last week you turned 15 months old. We were on vacation in Newport, Rhode Island with Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie Traci and Uncle Paul and you got to go to the beach and build sand castles with Daddy and go to the zoo and eat ice cream almost every day. You also went to bed late and got up very very early, when it was almost still dark out, so we are all still recovering from all the lost sleep, but we did have fun, so, i guess someday in about 20 years we will get to sleep late on a vacation with you.

Tonight in the bathtub after dinner you discovered something very magical and captivating. Your discovered your very own teeny belly button. You had some gas in the tub and you were blowing the most dainty of bubbles out of your butt and then you looked down and spotted your belly button and I think you thought it was responsible. You poked your finger in it and checked for any air leaks and everything checked out okay so you went back to splashing around and making up songs.

You also found out that your finger fits perfectly into your nose. If anyone even mentions the word nose, your finger shoots up there like a baby moth to a flame. I joke with you and tell you that ladies don't pick their noses but you just laugh hysterically and switch nostrils. Oh mommy, you so crazy.

You have lots more words and new ones come out everyday. Newly added are: ouch, ice, down, close, clock and you can sign bowl, computer, puzzle and all done. I think you named your little grey hippo, "Tim". You say long drawn out sentences that maybe one day I will figure out. It sounds like this, "cotcha cotcha cotcha tome tika tika GOYA GOYA GOYA GOYA?" and you point at something while screaming the "GOYA GOYA GOYA" part. You are very cute, but what are you trying to tell me? We work on words all the time by reading many books, mostly Dr. Suess since he's the official learn to read guy and we tell stories and sing songs all day and sometimes we watch Sesame Street when mama is super tired and needs to lie down for 15 minutes or drink a glass of wine before dinner.

You are the answer to a million prayers.

Love,
Mama

Upa.

Dear Elle,
This week you turned 14 months old. You have a new word and it's "up". When you say it, you say it a few times in a row and it kind of runs together into "upa-upa-upa" and it is seriously adorable. Grandma taught you that. You also learned some more animals sounds and you say "baa" "moo" and "whoooo". Your Dad and I took you to the Beardsley Zoo a few weeks ago and I know that you really didn't know difference between a white wolf and a goldfish but you smiled and pointed politely at different things from your little seat in your stroller. That's another new thing you do, point at everything. You extend that chubby arm and your little finger and sometimes you say, "dat" and sometimes you say, "dis". I think you want me to tell you about different things so I tell you lots of stuff about everything you want to know about. And we do a lot of talking because you want to know about everything.

Your mind has opened up into "how does it work" mode, you are a little mechanic and engineer of everything you see. You open and close things, turn switches on and off, turn dials, take things apart, put covers on things and take them off. You have a curiosity about everything. Yesterday you figured out to open my little can of breath mints by hitching your bottom teeth on the edge under the little tab and popping the top open. How did you learn this? You didn't see me do it! You are so logical and resourceful. When I put on my makeup in the morning you play around in the bathroom with me, talking your funny little baby language the whole time, opening the drawers taking all the band-aids out of the box or taking out all the Q-tips, licking them and putting them back in the box. You climb on everything, the world is your jungle gym. You try to climb over me if I'm in your way. You also learned if you push your little xylophone over to the coffee table and swing a leg up, you can get right up on the table. MIT, lookout.

You help me into and out of my flip flops several times in a row during our days at the lake house. Did I say several times? Let me rephrase. 40,000 times. If I kick off my shoes at the door when we get home, you bring them to me one at a time and put them on and take them off. And on and off and on and off and that is how this game goes. You know which ones are mine and which are daddy's and which are yours. Thank God you were born into our family because I've just been wandering around the streets like a fool, shoeless, with clean, dry Q-tips and a full tin of breath mints in my purse.

Peek-a-boo. You have been playing that for a long time and it never gets old. You laugh hysterically with your entire body. Sometimes you pull a blanket over your head and then run around the house which makes me very nervous because you ran into the bookcase once and bounced back and fell on the floor. But you were laughing the whole time. Hopefully you can still get into college.

Last week I made you an egg frittata. What is that you ask? It's a way that Mommies get to pretend they are toddler culinary geniuses by packing veggies into eggs and baking it, which has got to be only slightly harder than sticking your hand directly into a box of Fruit Loops and calling it dinner. Anyway, you were not a fan of this frittata and while you were in your high chair trying to stall until I offered you something else to eat, Uncle Paul and Auntie Traci came by for a visit. They were standing around you and talking and telling stories and while I was loading the dishwasher and my back was turned, you picked up a little bit of this "meal" and held it out for Uncle Paul to eat. DUDE! HURRY UP, BEFORE SHE SEEEEEES YOU! He ate it. Right out of your little grubby hand. Your eyes widened. You scoured your tray for other bits of this egg dish and kept shoveling in into his face, and then patting it in, shoving your whole palm across his mouth to make sure none got out. What you couldn't get in his mouth, you slid down the side of your body and tucked right up under your butt.

You had your first ever ice cream cone and i could tell by they way it was dripping down your arm and all over your chin, it was so awesome it blew your little mind.

With you, everyday is an adventure.

Love,
Mama

mama

Dear Elle,

Yesterday you said "mama". It was so awesome! I asked you, "can you say mama?" and you just looked at me with those big beautiful eyes and said, "Mama" in this tiny little bubbly voice. Grandma and Grandpa heard it and they were so excited! We cheered and you said it again! Your little voice is so cute and you reminded me of a baby bird.

You are so beautiful.

Love,
Mommy

13 Months

Dear Elle,

This week you turned 13 months old. You are in your crib right now, with the hot pink flowered sheets, taking a nap and I had a few minutes to write to you to tell you what you have been up to. Right before you went down for your nap we were reading some books as we always do and you kept putting your little toes onto the edge of the book and then creeping them up the pages right into the book crease and i would close the book on your foot pretending I didn't know it was in there, and you would fall into a fit of giggles. These little games you play. You also don't like to have your feet wrapped up in a blanket when you are going to sleep. You like the blanket wrapped around you, but you like your feet poking out at the bottom, just like your mom.

Yesterday I was making dinner and you were running around pretending to talk on your cell phone and then all of a sudden you were gone from the kitchen for a few minutes and you were very quiet which was my sign to come and see what you were doing, and i found you standing up in the middle of our bed! You had climbed up all there all by yourself! When you saw me you smiled and then fell straight back into the pillows laughing the whole time. And jumped up and did it again. And again! You have your dad's sense of adventure, that's for sure. Yesterday you dove head first off the little chair at the library on the carpet and got rug burn on the tip of your nose!

We are working on more signs for you to do, like milk, all finished, cereal, and I need help. Now you just laugh when I do them but you will get them and it will help us to communicate. You do "more" all the time now, like when the music stops playing, when you are going to be and we have already read 5 books, you sign to me, "more", because apparently you weren't done listening to stories just yet, you really want to know what happens at the end of Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb for the 700th time.

You know how to give kisses now but they are rare and hard to come by. But you kiss me sometimes. It's so sweet. Mostly you just want us to kiss your stuffed animals, you walk over with your puppy or Hello Kitty and you make a "mmmmmmmm" sound, which mean, "kiss it!" Last week at Stew Lenoard's you went up to the big bins of stuffed animals and pulled out each one at a time to give a good long hug and then put them back and went onto the next one. You got a little yellow shopping cart from Tia and you put all your stuffed animals in it and take them for walks around the living room, it's so cute. You have a hippo, and owl, a bunny, a puppy, a duck, a lamb and a baby dolly. Sometimes you stop and take out one to hug and then put them back and keep going.

It's starting to get warm now and we have been out on the boat a few times and you can barely keep your eyes open out there with the rocking and the lull of the engine. But you hang in as long as you can, driving the boat with Dad, playing with your toys, holding your dolly and showing her around the lake. You played hard all morning and then stretched out for a long afternoon nap.

Love,
Mommy

12 Months

Dear Elle,

Yesterday you turned one year old. You are certainly growing up fast but when I think back to all the things you have accomplished in one year, it's been an amazing and very full year. Last weekend we moved over to the house on the lake and what a day that was. You learned to walk in almost the exact moment that Daddy threw out his back and couldn't get off the floor. For two days he laid on his back while we moved around him and while you walked and walked and stepped over him and kept walking because you weren't about to let him get in your way. A few days before that you started taking a few steps at a time and then you would fall or grab onto the couch or coffee table or our bench seat at our old house. And within 2 days you were fully walking, taking 15 or more steps at a time, and shortly after that you adding clapping and talking while you walk and then just yesterday you were looking at pictures on my Iphone while you were walking around. World, lookout.

On your birthday we had a huge birthday pizza party for you at a restaurant and all your little friends and family were there. Nana and Papa made the trip down from NY just for your special day and it was a pretty big deal. Grandma played some songs for you and your friends on her guitar and Uncle Paul and Auntie Traci put on a little show with puppets and helped to make a band by handing out some tambourines and drums to all the little kids. You thought it was pretty fun to see your very own Grandma up there singing songs just for you guys. I heard you telling Amanda and Jilly in your own baby talk, 'Yeah, I totally know her.' Amanda was into shaking her sillies out at the time but she smiled and nodded letting you have your moment of glory, I mean, it was your birthday and everything.

We got you some big balloons (which you love, by the way, and the other day we were out shopping and i let you hold a giant bunch of them which you promptly let go up to the ceiling of the store while yelling woooooooo and then we just nonchalantly pushed our cart away, fleeing from the scene while we giggled but then you realized that you lost your purple balloons so you were kinda mad so i got you some for your birthday.) Yesterday at your birthday party you had your very first cupcake and you really didn't love it like I thought you would. Apparently I don't know everything. I had imagined you would go face first into the hot pink frosting, eating up all the sugary goodness and squealing about this fantastic baked masterpiece but you just rolled the cupcake from hand to hand examining all the different surfaces of this strange little ball of cake with the very sticky top and then I thought I would help you by cutting it into a few pieces so you could taste it, but Noooooo, that was the very wrong thing to do and you let me and everyone know by screaming and screaming at the fact that I broke your very special cupcake. World, lookout.

You are saying a few words pretty clearly now, like Dada and Night Night and socks. I think you say ball and sometimes you say something that sounds like ut-oh. You don't say mama yet but that's okay. I'm waiting for it.

The other day you were saying goodbye to Grandpa and I told you to blow him a kiss and you did for the first time and he almost fell down and let his heart pour out like maple syrup onto the sidewalk. He was so happy, i could see in his face that he loves you so much and his heart had just melted and was all gooey inside his chest.

You have brought so much love into our lives and into our hearts in a way that I could never imagined before I met you. Every time you reach out to me for a hug or take my finger to take me on a walk or giggle because I said something silly that you think is funny I know you were meant just for us and I was meant to be your mommy. We didn't realized how much we were missing, until we had you.

Happy First Birthday, Elle!
Love,
Mommy