Fifteen Months

Dear Swimmy Little Mr. Fish-Stream,


Today you are fifteen months old which seems very old to me for some reason. No longer a baby, you are a toddler. (A toddler who refuses to toddle.)

You've morphed from slightly and mostly shy to slightly rebellious and mostly violent but I love you nonetheless. I love you with two black eyes, a fat lip and poop in my left nostril.

It's kind of unfair how cute you are. It's unfair to me and everyone else who succumbs to your charms. Every day when I come to pick you up at th Y's daycare you are surrounded by little girls, and you with your red blankie like Linus, sucking your pacifier and watching the children with thoughtful eyes.


You have the most realized sense of humor and every morning when I'm getting dressed you lock me in my closet, laugh and scurry off to hide behind the bathroom door. You put your pacifier in my mouth and enjoy feeding me pirates booty and mini sandwiches. You're laugh sounds like everything wonderful in the world and even on the gloomiest days when I'm sad and exhausted and frustrated, your laugh makes everything go away. All the muck and the bleh and the nightmares. Like rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens but a zillion times more amazing.


I want to make a recording of your sounds and attempts at words and noises and songs and give them away to all the sad and angry people in the world so they might listen and become happy and less cynical.

Tonight before bed you played the piano. You stand and reach for the keys and bang away and make little sounds and little songs with little fingers. You play the guitar too. Your Dad or your Uncle Dave puts his fingers on the strings so that you can strum chords and sometimes you will sit for an hour straight, playing.


Today we spent the day at the Long Beach Aquarium with some new friends and you crawled through the legs of strangers and watched your fellow fishy-friends. You didn't care for them much, however, preferring above all, the giant ants, who crawled around in circles.

Today you are fifteen months and it feels like three lifetimes since you were born. You're almost a man, now. A little man with big possibilities. One day you will do great things like walk and talk. One day you might go down the stairs the right way instead of leaning and falling on your face. One day you might even call me, Mama. but for now? I'm enjoying you in every way.


Take your time, Pirate of the Snails. I adore you, snot-nosed and grumpalicious and perfect. Come now, my darling. Let us share a peach and be merry!

Love,

Mommy

GGC

16 comments:

Bluepaintred | 10:43 PM

awwwwwwwwww

they all say it, but they are right. they grow up way too fast.

Anonymous | 11:09 PM

i would like archer PLEASE. and that picture of u guys is so cute. ahhh you are killing me. I need to see you and archer soon. please? xo.

Unknown | 2:10 AM

Aw that was lovely. Archer really is totally gorgeous. I dont believe the violence against you. I think you must lie.

Sandra | 4:44 AM

Fabulous Mr. Fish stream. He sounds so exactly like my son was at 15 months.

And that last photo of the two of you...one of my very favourite you have ever posted!

Pinterest Failures | 6:16 AM

Fantastic!

Mom101 | 6:39 AM

You never seem to run out of words to express what you're feeling for him on any given day. That's the only thing more beautiful than what you've written here.

The next time we get our toddlers together they can not toddle together.

d_evans | 6:57 AM

You never fail to make me tear up. Happy 15 months Archer!

Andrea | 7:06 AM

That last picture is perfect. Your eloquence knows no boundaries.

Chicky | 1:23 PM

Aw, sweet Archer-man. Just when you think you've reached the pinnacle of love for the little guys, again it comes crashing into your heart, loving them anew. It just never ends, does it?

Gushing aside, I can never get my doodz to behave as well for the camera. As soon as they hear that miniscule click of the camera, it's a ham-and-cheese-o-rama. So everything looks as if they are rushing me...which they do...and I love.

kittenpie | 2:58 PM

Argh, I just love you two.
Wait til he starts talking - it's so amazing - again.

Heather | 4:21 PM

Adorable. I can see how he'd attract a crowd of little followers at daycare. :)

Kristen | 7:35 AM

15 months is one of my favorite stages. Quinn started walking between 15-16 months, and I was completely worried about it until then. Now I realize he was just on his own timetable - sounds like Archer is too, and that you recognize that. That's awesome.

Anonymous | 10:35 AM

Happy 15th, Archer! GGC, I know exactly how you feel.

Creative-Type Dad | 1:30 PM

That cupcake picture is just way too cute.

Fraulein | 1:36 PM

Oh man, he's cute. And you are definitely in for a treat once he starts talking. My favorite is "Tank you, mommy." (They are obviously teaching them at day care to work on saying please and thank you!)

Unknown | 5:37 PM

I found your blog from HotMommaDrama - This post was so comforting to me - my two-year-old just tried to take a chunk out of my arm. I sympathize and understand. My friend told me these kids are free-spirits.