Toddler

Dear Elliot,
I think you have grown and changed more in the last couple of weeks than you have at any other point in your life thus far. It's like you turned a year old and BOOM. You're a toddler.

You've been taking steps on your own for awhile now, but over the last week or so you've gone from walking sometimes with crawling as your main/preferred mode of transportation, to walking I'd say 90% of the time. You've learned how to get yourself up into standing position (from sitting, without pulling up on something), and are moving so fast now! You've still got the adorable drunk zombie walk going on, but you're now a very speedy and efficient drunk little zombie :). It's so much fun taking you out places and following you around. It's something I've imagined and looked forward to doing for so long (like before you were even born); I love it just as much as I thought I would.

You have also become so much better at communicating what you want/need. Your two main gestures are pointing (to whatever you want/wherever you want to go) and waving. The waving is seriously the cutest thing ever. You used to do more of a "salute", where you'd put your hand out to say hello to people, but now you move your wrist up and down and wave at everyone and everything. You are the most friendly little boy in the world. It's so funny to see you get confused (almost upset) when you wave at a stranger and they don't wave back (usually just because they didn't see you). Most of the time I can say "Elliot, can you wave?" and you'll do it instantly. Like this:

You've also gotten quite good at letting us know when you're mad. It used to be that I could take something away and you'd kind of just be like "welp, okay, guess I'll find something else to play with." Yeah, not so much anymore. You've started throwing little fits, where you'll arch your back and throw yourself dramatically on the ground. The fits usually only last a few seconds, but I feel like I've gotten a glimpse into the future and it scares me a little! :) I have to say, you are incredibly hard to say "no" to!

Overall, I just love how happy you are. It's really easy to get insecure and stressed out about whether or not I'm doing a good job at this whole parenting thing. But when it's all said and done, I look at your big, straggle-toothed smile; hear your deliriously happy laugh; watch you clapping to yourself in delight and think I must be doing something right. 

I hope your ridiculously happy nature is something you never outgrow. I hope you keep that huge grin, that squealing laugh, and that you never stop cheering for yourself. Most of all I hope you always know how much you're loved. Seriously kid, I can't even explain how much you mean to me.

I love you, Baby Boy.

XOXO,

Mom