To Tye, at 17 months

Dear Tye,


Another month has flown by leaving a collection of your first accomplishments in its wake.  Your growing vocabulary has at least doubled in the past month, if not more, as you've learned how to imitate our words at our request- a game you love.  On the list now: hi, bye, mommy, daddy, doggy, kitty, Ziggy, woof, eat, all done, no, potty, pee pee, puppy, GG, PawPaw, Gram (and an a for effort for Granddad), Titi (for Tiana), car, cheese, Quise (for Marquise), Bobby (for Aubrey), toes, eyes, ball, bird, go, baby, bubble, night (as in goodnight), moon, and some consistent approximations including train ("tchu") and bunny ("mummmy").  Perhaps the funniest is your collection of functional tonal patterns: saying nothing other than "oooh" at different pitches, you can communicate to us "Where is it?" "I don't know," and "There it is." Recently, you've been walking around the house or riding in the carrier rehearsing your family's names: "mommy, daddy, doggy, baby," over and over again.   


This month, you taught yourself how to climb up the couch into the dangerously high window sill.  You also learned how to unlock my iPhone (which explains the sudden increase in accidental calls from my phone).  You can point to your eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, teeth, ears, and hair upon our request. You can stack your blocks higher, run faster, and climb the ladder at the playground.  Wow, you've been busy this month.


When you explore the world, you do it bravely, whether it's the slide at the park or the aisles of the grocery store.  However, attention from strangers still sends you running back to cling to my legs in sudden shyness.  Life is a fragile balancing act for you of wanting to explore every object, every detail and stubbornly wanting to do everything yourself without help from an adult- and yet being afraid to be without the comfort zone that adult provides.  I'd say you're doing a perfect job so far.

You are my sunshine, Tye.  I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.  


Love, 
Mama