Dear Axel,
I blew it. Never got to your fourteen month letter. I'm a terrible Mommy. I'll try to cover month 14's events in this letter though.
Last I wrote, you were just beginning to talk. My how your vocabulary has grown! You can now make a large assortment of animal sounds; woof, ah ah ah (monkey), meow, bzzz, rahhrr (this works for many animals), quack, hsssss. When I ask you what a lizard does, you stick out your tongue. You can also say up, down, hat (you say this so clearly and deliberately - it's ironic that you won't wear one.) Perhaps your most frequent word is wawa (water). You're picking up words so quickly, and I'm sure you understand way more than you can speak. One of my favorites is when you say cheese. You usually end up spitting out some of your cheese when you say it.
A few weeks ago we all went down to visit your aunt, uncle, and two cousins. Your youngest cousin was only 3 months old at the time. What a shock to see you next to her - you're so big! You were generally quite gentle with her. We saw a few glimpses of your jealousy when I held her, but you were - for the most part - a delightful traveler. You certainly are charming, and we now have no problems in restaurants as you're always willing to flirt with the waitresses. Heck, even the waiters think you're pretty adorable! Also on this trip we went to the beach, where you got to actually put your feet in the ocean. This was a little scary for you and you much preferred playing in the puddle that your uncle created by digging a hole and building a wall around it. (He always has loved making elaborate sand structures.) You ate one handful of sand, but luckily that was it.
Just over a week ago you took your first steps. You're still quite cautious, but you are capable of taking 6 or 7 steps in a row. It works best when you don't realize that's what you're doing. With this new mobility comes more chance for injury, of course. Today you fell and hit your head on the side of a cabinet. You had quite a goose egg for a while. Now you just have a nasty bruise. I feel awful - not that I'm sure I could have prevented it, I just don't want you getting hurt! You hated the cold pack I tried to put on the booboo.
After a summer with the fun yet scatterbrained nanny, we hired a new nanny. We'll call her Dee. Dee is fantastic - a real pro. She takes you to the park and the library, and teaches you Spanish! We like her because she's reliable and very responsible. She makes you laugh (hysterically), and that's a good sign. She comes over in the morning three days a week, and leaves just as you're going down for your nap. This way I can get my work done early and play with you after your nap! I have grand plans to take you out for a jog periodically. More likely it will be things like the grocery store though. Your grandparents (my parents) still take care of you two days a week which you absolutely love. I'm so lucky to have them nearby to help, and you're lucky to have them nearby too! When I was growing up my grandparents were a long car trip away. I'm so glad you're getting the opportunity to really know them. (And they you!)
You are growing up quickly. It amazes me how your intelligence and personality grows over time. When you're walking comfortably I know everything will change even more. (It's funny - since you're still mostly crawling it's easy to think of you as a baby... but then when you stand up you're clearly a kid!)
I'm glad you still have a baby face. In fact, you may always have a baby face! You're so beautiful - your hair is a gorgeous shade of... I'm not sure what. Sandy blond? Something like that. I'm sure it's lighter from the sun than it would normally be. I still have a hard time describing the color of your eyes too. The closest thing I can come up with is that they're a deep olive color. Not quite brown, but nowhere near blue. So pretty. You really seem to have the best bits of both your daddy and me. I just hope you don't end up with our eyesight - neither of us have good eyes!
I apologize for not sending last month's note sooner. It was a hectic summer, with little free time. I'm glad we had our one mini vacation, but next year I want more!
And I apologize that this note isn't that eloquent. It's late. I want to say more, but I also want to sleep. Good night my sweet boy.
Love,
Mommy
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