Love, Mommy

Hi Jakey.

What a big boy you've grown up to be.  You're 17 months old now and climbing on everything like crazy!

Luckily you seem to have forgotten your favorite form of exercise (climbing to the top of the couch and banging your hands on the mirror hanging above the couch).  Whew!  Mommy was worried she had given birth to a little monkey instead of a sweet baby boy!

And you're sleeping so well these days too!  To bed by 9 and awake by 8:30.  It's awesome.  One of the biggest challenges to motherhood (lack of sleep) has been *lowering voice to a whisper* conquered!

You do have your moments though.  When you are not happy with the injustice of bedtime, or not being allowed to touch mommy's phone (we're working on trust issues after Jake used my last cell phone as a chew toy), your tough boy side comes out, but we don't see this side of you often.  It's good to see some other faces from you every once in awhile, as long as you return to your usual, smiling self eventually!

Jake, I love to watch you explore and learn about the things around you.  You're so ready to laugh or ready to smile or ready to run to me for a hug.  I just think you're the sweetest baby boy in the whole world.  The other day when you were bouncing on mommy's tummy, I got the biggest kick out of your laughter.  It was contagious!  And even though your bouncing was a little uncomfortable for mommy, I encouraged you to keep bouncing so I could hear you laugh.

You're so sweet and I'm so grateful for your big personality.  There's nothing I would change... um... but, well...

There is one teeney-tiny thing I would like you to do for mommy... or, not do as it happens.

When mommy picks you up to take you to your bed or just to carry you from point a to point b... would you mind *not* pinching mommy in the arm, or any other area?  It kind of hurts when you do it... and it especially hurts when you choose the *less* toned part of my arm to pinch.  Your sister never pinched when she was your age... she just tried to ruin our eardrums with her shrill cries.  Could you give that a try one of these times?  *sigh*

Also, going limp like a noodle is another one of those "not helpful" things you seem to do when you're frustrated.  That's a little more preferable to the pinching, but still not very fun to work with.

That said, your still my favorite boy in the whole world and I still love you to pieces.

Love, Mommy

Oh, and please tell Katie that she'll be seeing her own letter soon enough.  Mommy has a few things I would like to tell her... not the least of these things is a big "I love you".  But there are some recent developments that we really need to discuss.

That's all sweet boy.  Carry on with whatever you were doing.  (Unless you happened to be playing with daddy's computer, or pulling all of my pots and pans out of the cupboard, or doing any of the other things you're doing in the pictures below.  Then stop what you were doing and go do something else.)

Daddy's computer is not a toy.

Yes, that's the fan remote.  And yes, it does turn on the lights.  And turn them off.  And on. And off... as many times as you push the button.

And the floor vent cover should stay on the floor...

And Mommy's pots are for cooking (just because I don't use them every night doesn't mean that I don't need to keep them tidy).

This is dangerous.  Please don't attempt this in the future because you could fall.

Do you remember Mommy telling you this?  And do you remember your response?