13 Months

Happy Lucky 13, Delly! You are so close to walking now, but you just really aren't that interested. You love to be on your feet, you're great at standing up by yourself, and every day you take a few steps. Now that you realize that you're actually walking, it seems to make you a little nervous. Daddy is determined to get you walking, but I am not in such a hurry. Crawling is fine with me. Not having to chase you is fine with me. We'll get there soon enough, it's hard to look at you and not see a baby anymore, I'm not anxious to see you on your feet and running off into the world.

This has been a busy month, with Daddy and me both traveling a bit. I was away from you for 2 nights when I went down to my company's office in Philadelphia. I'm not with you all day during the week, so it wasn't so hard to be away from you at all, but spending my evenings away from you was strange. It just felt like my life was on hold til I could get home again. Being around you just feels normal now, you keep me present and grounded. Without you close-by I feel like I'm adrift and I need you to bring me back to solid ground.

The High Holy Days were this past month too, which also kept us busy. And last night Sukkot began. We brought you to the temple to help decorate the sukkah. There were crafts for the kids to make, and you just sat on the floor chewing on a magic marker while we made construction paper chains and colored pictures of harvest fruits and vegetables. After all the decorations were hung up in the sukkah we all squooshed inside and said some prayers, and then shared a carry-in dinner together. It's wonderful to make these holidays an integral part of your world, to create these memories for you.

You sign "more" and "all done" now. It's so cute. Actually, your version of "all done" is more like you flapping your hands, but we know what you mean. And sometimes you sign "more" just to mimic me or because you know it makes me so happy and you like to get a reaction. :) You still are not a very picky eater, and eat just about every vegetable we feed you. You're the size of an average 18-month-old now and you are one tough cookie. Several times last week you took some good face-plants -- on the metal frame of our bed, on the corner of the wall jutting out in the bathroom, on the side of the bathtub. Even when it makes you cry you calm down pretty fast with some hugs and kisses and just carry on like a champ, big bruises and all. This is a pretty regular thing for you, I keep expecting daycare to report us and find DCF at the door. I swear, we do not beat you, you really are just a flippy-floppy klutz!

Precious is really warming up to you, and likes to lounge around in your room when we play in there. She'll lay down next to me, then you'll try to grab her or you'll get in her face and squeal, and she'll walk around to the other side of me, and you'll follow, and on and on. You two circle around me, you climbing and hanging on me, over and over until you grab her tail and she leaves the room. One morning when you and I were alone and I was in the bathroom getting ready for work, I heard you tearing all over the the upstairs, shrieking and squealing. You'd been chasing Precious all over the place, and finally got her cornered in her little kitty cube that she sleeps in. Poor thing was trying to just get the hell away from you but you were merciless in your cute pursuit.

Yesterday we visited with my girlfriend Kristine from high school and her kids. I was holding her 3-mo-old baby, and you started to get a little bit threatened by it. You were sweet to her, but you definitely stuck very close to me to make sure I knew who my baby really was, and you kissed me. It was the first time you've ever initiated a kiss and it was just the best. You are just the best.

Love,
Mommy