18 Months

Dear Lolli -

Mommy is almost a week late with your monthly letter because it's been a crazy few days! First, mommy and daddy had to leave you with grandma and grandpa for a few days to go back to New Jersey to oversee the movers. That was really hard on mommy because even though it's just a house, and not a very nice one at that, it was mommy and daddy's first house and we poured our hearts and souls into making it our own and something very, very special. It was the house to which we first brought you home from the hospital, and it was the house in which you had your first smile, rolled over for the first time, sat up for the first time, crawled for the first time, took your first steps and went from a itty bitty newborn to a full-fledged toddler, with opinions and personality. It was the house where we cooked two Thanksgiving dinners and handed out lots of Halloween candy. It was the house of birthdays and anniversaries and lots of love. We're going to miss that craptastic 90 year old house, leaning retaining wall, crumbling plaster, ugly cabinets and all!

On top of that, you were very sick with a mystery fever for all two and half days that we were gone and we were going crazy with worry. Delta Airlines didn't appreciate our worry and insisted on charging us $200 to come home early to be with our sick Lollipop. Boo on Delta! You seem to be doing better these last couple of days, though now that the mystery fever is gone, you have a mystery rash.

This month has been a month of many changes for you. You are picking up new words almost every day and are becoming a little tyrant, ruling the cats with an iron fist, a wagging index finger and a constant refrain of "no, no, no." We try to explain that we only tell the cats no when they're doing something bad, but you just enjoy bossing them around too much to stop.

You are also very decisive when you want something -- lilting questions of "more?" becoming ever more insistent until we get you whatever it is you are asking for. You have definite and strong opinions over what you will wear on any given day and if we dare take off your "shoooosss" before you want them off or try to put on a pair that are not the ones you had in mind, we are in for a big sobbing, angry ball of fire.

Your temperament is mercurial, but your sweetness and your big kisses and hugs make up for it every single day. You love to kiss and hug and play with our ears. You even try to slip mommy the tongue on occasion with hilarious results when mommy doesn't expect it! You offer to share your toys and you play well with others, though you are very quiet around anyone who isn't mommy, daddy or grandma and grandpa.

We still having problems with your sleeping and we are working on that. After we get the sleeping under control, we'll start potty training in earnest - you love to sit on the potty and you hate having a diaper on (and fight us like a wild banshee at every diaper change), but you haven't quite figured out how to connect the two.

All in all, you are the most miraculous, intelligent, beautiful and fantastic little girl and we couldn't be more thrilled to be lucky enough to be your parents.

love,
your mommy