Dear Jack: 14 Months

Dear Jack,

You are a year and two months old! I tell your dad that you seem like a big boy in a baby's body, yet at the same time you are looking more and more like a boy too. You love to run around the house and play rough. You chase the dogs; you wrestle your brother; you tackle me; you play sports.

You are the sweetest little thing. You love to cuddle, just not for long because you always have something to explore. If your dad or I leave the room, you chase after us either laughing or crying. In fact, I'm pretty sure you are a big time daddy's boy because you always want to be around him even more than me.

A few weeks ago, I weaned you the rest of the way. We nursed for over a year. I'm proud of our accomplishment! Sometimes I feel sad about it, but I think you are happier, even, because you don't come up to me crying like you used to (begging to nurse). You are eating better now too. Well, you were up until a couple of days ago when your molars really started to bother you.

Sometimes you are such a dangerous little guy! You do way more climbing and get into far much more mischief than I remember your brother seeking out. You climb on chair, tables, the stairs, up high on toys.... You do these crazy things and look at me with the biggest smile. You know you're not supposed to. Heck, you stand in the tub and smile at me. I ask, "Are you all done? Ready to get out?" You just plop right back down and then do it all over again.

You seem to understand so much more these days. Your speech grows as well. You say ma, dada, dog, ball, bear, bye, boo when playing peek-a-boo, vroom for cars, and quack for ducks. You love dinosaurs the best, but you really started liking bears recently too. You like cars and trucks, especially noisy toys like firetrucks and police cars. You pretend to talk on the phone. You try to water the plants with a hose. You play soccer, football, and basketball with your brother. When Eliot has soccer practice, you watch from the bleachers and want to play so badly. I'll get you in soccer classes too when you're older, buddy. You want to be a part of everything we do, like pretending to cut grass with your dad.

Jack, I love you at this stage. You are sweet, fun, coming into your own, and so adorable. I had forgotten how much fun babies are at this age. I know the "terrible twos" are right around the corner, which will still be fun in its own way, but for now, I'm holding on to today.