Growth & Appearance: You have most all your teeth now, with one lingering one that has yet to poke through. We bought you a toothbrush, which you love. We waited with Hooper because for whatever reason the thought didn’t cross our minds. Then, with Van, we started brushing his teeth as soon as he had one. And now, with you, it jus slipped our mind until now. Guess we’ve come full circle.

You hair is officially blond. It took longer than I remember it taking for your brothers’ hair and I was nearly convinced you’d have brown hair, like me. You hair is long and most always in your face. We put it up in a little bun often but you like that take it out without warning or reason and so we’ve lost lots of rubber bands. You get called a girl often, not to worry, the whole idea of gender is going out the window anyway.

You weigh 25lbs and at your last checkup you were in the 92nd percentile for height and 60th for weight. You’re still in size 4 diapers and you wear size 18-24 month clothing.

Eating: I officially weaned you from breastfeeding in June. It was much easier, emotionally speaking, than I had anticipated. It was the right time and we did it slowly so I think the hormone shift was slight and bearable. I was worried that you weren’t drinking enough from a bottle but ever since we quit, you drink plenty. Life works out like that, doesn’t it?

You love trying to use utensils and will fuss and whine until we give you your own to use. We go through a lot of utensils this way since we’re both feeding you with one and allowing you to play with another. But I suppose that’s how you learn.

You love to throw your food as soon as you’re full and it’s a mad dash to clear your tray when this starts to happen so as to combat it all ending up on the floor. You’re making Jimmie fat.

You’re not the best eater… you like what you like. In the mornings I often make you oatmeal mixed with spinach and berries. You also like yogurt with fruit in it. You love bananas and avocados. Chicken nuggets are your jam. And dinner, when we give you what we’re eating, is usually not successful, with a few exceptions.

You rock back and forth in your highchair so wildly I worry about it tipping over.

You know where the snack cabinet is and are demanding about what you want and when you want it. You prefer fruit snacks and yogurt covered raisins.

We call you the “sous chef” because you’re insistent about being in your Papa’s arms while he’s cooking.

Sleeping: Same old story here minus a few naps you’ve been fighting as of late, though I think that’s resolved. You sleep for 3-4 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon.

Nearly every morning we come in to find your pajamas halfway zipped down, that’s your new thing.

You tend to go back to sleep after the boys leave the room for school.

You’re attached to your blanket and know it’s time for sleep as soon as we hand it to you. You put your thumb in immediately. It’s pretty sweet.

Development: You’re saying all kinds of words, way too many to list here. Here are a few: “go” (said for ‘here ya go’, when you’re bringing us something’), “mel” (for milk), “side” (for outside), “bubbles”, “hooper”, “key-kat”, “doggie”, “hot” and so on and so forth.

Your relatively safe to go down the stairs by yourself. We can’t leave you unattended just yet because of obstacles like laundry on the stairs, or Jimmie running up or down, etc, but you’re able to walk down or slide down with ease.

You love being outside and are at an age where we can cook dinner or do dishes and watch from inside as you play outside. It’s a game changer. And nice to see you gaining independence.

I caught you picking your nose, so you’re aware of those two holes.

You have a great sense of humor.

You like sitting on the skateboard and rocking back and forth. You’ve ate it a few times and could care less.

On the flip side, you make a big deal when anything harms you. Like you purposefully put your finger in a socket like hole and then look at one of us and say “owwwee”. It seems attention seeking so I try to pay it little attention. Which is hard because most of the day I just want to eat you.

Favorites: You still adore you g’pa Jeffers, he’s your one and only when he’s around. You love ringing the doorbell and playing with our electric toothbrushes. You love balls — not the two you own but the ones lingering around the home that you like to kick and throw. You love being outside and you love playing with your brothers’ toys while they’re in school.