Cohen is 17 Months Old

Dear Cohen,

Yesterday you turned 17 months old. You are inching closer and closer to the BIG 2, and the closer we get to it (and the further away from newborn we get), then more I am OK with it. I still think you are growing up too fast, but you are so much fun!

I read recently that by age 2, most of your personality will have already been established. You will pretty much be who you're going to be by age 2. And you know what? I think that's awesome. You are such an amazing little person: so kind and inquisitive and light-hearted. You go with the flow and love to be around people. You are daring and adventurous. You care about other people's feelings. You are affectionate. You are the full package all wrapped up in a tiny little body.

This month has been really fun. You have become very independent and want to do everything by yourself. You like to explore and will wander away in a heartbeat, which makes for a very nervous and exhausted mama.

You are obsessed with cars. These days, you can always be spotted with a car in your hand. And you already know the difference between the cheap plastic cars and the Matchbox cars. You have a favorite car -- a navy blue Matchbox -- that you rarely offer to anyone. You know the colors of your cars, too, and you like to line them up, organized by color. If I ask you to point to the red, yellow, or blue cars, you can do that. You also hide your cars in the house so no one but you can find them. When I ask you to get your cars, you look at me and think for a moment before running into another room and gathering up your cars.

Your favorite place in the world is the backyard. You love being outside. In fact, if I ask you if you want to go outside, you squeal in excitement and run to get your cars. You love sitting out on the patio and playing with your cars. You are trying so hard to learn how to open the back door, and when you do, I know that I'll never be able to keep you inside again.

You get into everything! We've had to put baby locks on every single cabinet and drawer in the house because you can open and completely empty out a cabinet in a matter of seconds. You spend most of your time climbing on furniture in attempts to get to phones, cups, remotes, and anything else I try to put out of your reach. There is nothing I can keep you from anymore, so we're starting to teach you about dangerous things. You know the stove is hot (or as you say it, "otttt") and you point to it and say "no no no." You know scissors are dangerous and generally back away from them. When you see random pieces of trash on the ground, you pick it up and give it to an adult.

You are also a big talker. You jabber jabber jabber all day long. When playing by yourself, you will jabber out long strings of baby sentences. You definitely know what you're saying, even when the rest of us don't.You are growing quite an extensive vocabulary, too. Your newest words are "milk" and "book". You practice eunciating sounds, too.

You are such a joy. Your sweet, happy jabbering in the morning always makes me start my day with a big smile, and your little wet kisses just before bedtime make me want to go to bed right when you do just so I can start a new day with you. I love you, little boy, more than I ever thought I could love another person. Thank you for being you.

Until next month, I love you to the moon and back, forever and ever,
Mama