Dearest Little Man,

Today you turn 20 months.  And while you’ve passed your teen months, somehow I think the twenties will be a bit more turbulent – your toddler adolescence:  woo hoo.

Life is rather manic these days:  exhuberant highs and desperate lows.  Yesterday you woke up in an absolutely delightful mood.  Your Pa and I came into your room in the morning and you greeted us with a dance and giggle in your crib.  You crammed a huge bowl of oatmeal down your throat, and then you twirled when Jakers! came on.  But later I came to pick you up at Pa’s work, aka Your Early Childhood Development and Future Job Training Center, you went cranky – wanting to go your own way (which was not out to the car).  Visiting Naps for cheap butter and eggs was a no-go with you grabbing at every-little-thing:  I think folks comment on your cuteness mostly in stark contrast to my Cranky Mama Aura.  Dinner – you wouldn’t eat it.  But you would dance for the commercial that played “Wild Thing” – a slow, bopping dance that says “I’m hip, I’m with it” and makes your Pa exclaim, “That’s *awesome*.”  Naptime – not a peep.  Nighttime – crying on and off for over an hour, requiring us to come in FOUR TIMES to put EVERYTHING back in your crib:  just because you don’t want to be in your crib doesn’t mean that Friend Monkey and Friend Lion and Kermie and Germy feel the same way.

You’re learning so many things that maybe Dr. Tami was right about the growing noggin thing – it could be brains.  You eat at a regular table now – you get your bib and your cup(s) of water, all lined up in a row.  You walk around very pathetically when your hungry saying, “rrrrahcker?  rrrrrahcker?” which means “food,” “cookie,” “cracker,” and “hurry up, you lazy lazy woman, and get me some grub.”  But it’s not just a call for me:  I walked by the nursery “peek through the window” door the other day and heard the same insistent question being asked over. . .and over.. . and over.  You know, there’s better ways to work the ladies, my friend.

You know where your eyes are, and when asked, you either play peek-a-boo or try to poke them out with your fingers.  And then you do the same to us:  thanks so much.  You also love sticking fingers in your ears, but not up your nose yet (whew).

The other day we went to get new cell phones.  I’ve been waiting to get a new plan that doesn’t make me feel I’m supporting the Cell Phone Thugs for “protection.”  And finally the time came:  extra minutes, a bill credit, and decent cell phones (ones where the zero key works, something that I haven’t had for a while).  The folks at the store were SO NICE!!  Yes, I said nice people at a cell phone store – it was a magical moment with fairy dust and stars and the cow jumping over the moon.  They even gave you a display phone – one that’s a real case but without the guts.  And they let you keep it.  !!!  You have your very own flip phone which is now your car phone.  So while I drive, you open it up and tell you peeps all the important 411 and hang up.  Your conversations are frequent and quick – about three per five miles.  You do know a lot of people.  Man, family plans are gonna have to get REAL good by the time you get a phone – you could break us, boy.

And the ladies had better look out because you are all about the lip lovin’.  MmmmmAH!! is a noise that dances on my eardrums multiple times a day.  “Can I have a kiss?”  MmmmAH!!  “Can you blow a kiss?”  MmmmAH!! with a double-handed fling.  If I lean down to get a soda from the lower cupboard, you run over and cover my back with MmmmAH!!ing.  It can be a gift or an apology:  when you dropped a sippy cup on my toe, I got MmmAH!!ed for a good five minutes while the stars disappeared from my eyes (man, those lip-things can really sting!).

I love that MmmAH!ing:  if we could bottle it up, the world would learn to love itself so much more.  But until then, keep giving them away, my beautiful bebe.

Love, Ma

JJ Jawings, Mama Musings