Dear Shep,

In one month I will have a 1.5 year old. How did that happen? The first 6 months of your life were slow, sleepless, exhausting, and a little blurry if I’m honest. After that? I simply can’t keep up with you and the time. Everyone was telling the truth. One day I’ll look at you and be sending you off to college and think back on those first difficult months and wish them back again. So before I update you on your crazy life, promise me to slow things down a bit? Maybe nap in my arms a time or two and remind me that you are, in fact, still a baby in some sense?

For starters, you no longer take a bottle in the morning and evening. We gave you one full of your milk simply to keep you little, but let’s face it….straw cups are where the party is at. You now spend every morning with your Daddy while I take some quiet time to myself over coffee and the Today Show to amp up for our day together. I’m not exactly sure what goes on during your time together, but I’ve gathered that it involves muffin fights, Christmas movies, and a lot of awful songs made up by your Father. The mess is uncontainable and generally takes me 30 minutes to undo whatever it was that you two did for that 45 minute slot. You had your first (and second) sleepover without Mommy or Daddy this month at Dece and Papa Shep’s. Apparently you slept until almost 8:30 the first time and didn’t make a peep. I’m still not 100% that I’m falling for that story, but I’ll keep on pretending it’s true. You are going to bed a little later than usual since naps are shifting later in the day. Something tells me operation one nap is up ahead and I’m praying you jump on that horse and win the gold bc this Mommy can’t handle one, one hour nap a day.

A little more info for this exciting month…..You’re going to have a baby BROTHER! You helped us announce things at a reveal party for family and pulled the string of a box to reveal a ton of blue confetti. You were such a huge help! A few other monthly milestones? You’ve done your first art show by coloring all over your playroom walls with a purple crayon, learned to say “hello” when playing with your telephone (cutest sound EVER), took your first boat ride at the lake (let’s don’t even cover that topic again), celebrated your second Father’s Day with Daddy, and managed to break in a new stroller that River can ride a long in.

All in all I’d say it was a good month. You’re wild. You’re all over this house all day long from sun up to sun down and you INSIST that I drop everything I’m doing and play along with you. Mother’s Day Out will be starting again very soon and I know I will miss the constant body crawling and hair pulling as rough as it can be at times 😉

Checkups……

*size 3 diapers (barely…..about time to move on up)
*8 teeth
*favorite food is cheese this month. And all forms of junk food. Despite my all organic homemade efforts to give you a sophisticated pallet. Fail.
*two naps: one around 9:45 and another around 2:45 – bed time around 7:30
*words: ball, go, Dadda means bye bye along with a nice grasp wave motion, side side means outside, and your latest….HEWWOW for hello on the phone.
*Curious George still rules the TV
I love you Monkey!

Mommy Xx