Eighteen. Months. Old.

Well, Tootie, you are one year and a half old.  It's nuts.  Your daddy and I can practically see your second birthday approaching.  This last month has been full of grown-up things for you.  The biggest and most exciting in my book is that you are pretty much ready to be potty trained.  You go on the potty at least once a day and yesterday you took your little finger and pointed to the toilet, we walked in the bathroom and undressed you, and you sat down and went pee.  This of course was after we read Everyone Poops, by Taro Gomi, but still, you completely understand the concept and the sensation and now it's just about me being ready.  I think we'll be looking at about a week of no clothes on the bottom half, activities that are close to home or at home, and lots of accidents (most likely).  I've been reading up on all the different ways to potty train you, and what makes most sense to me is the "go for it" version.  Meaning NO pull-ups.  Nighttime will still be a slow transition however, as you already pee through your diaper almost every single night (thank you, Daddy).  There is a cute story about how your daddy used to pee his bed every single night when he was a small kid (if you are reading this, you have most likely heard this story a dozen times by now).  Grandpa would get up every night to an alarm, walk to daddy's bedroom, wake him up, the two of them would sleepily drag themselves to the potty, and daddy would go pee, Grandpa would walk him back to bed, the end.  This went on for a long time.  It was the only way to keep daddy's bed dry.  Your daddy has already admitted that if we have to do this with you, he will be the one getting up.  It is, after all, his fault!  Believe me, I have tried every way possible to keep you dry.  We ban all drinking type of bath toys from the tub as you really like to drink tons of water in the tub.  The latest and greatest technique that worked for like a week was given to me by Grandma.  She suggested I buy pads for your diapers for nighttime.  Yes, feminine pads.  It was brilliant for like a week until you just started soaking up those too.  You're a water hose, baby.

Everything with you just seems to be getting better and better.  You still don't have many words, despite our constant prodding and repeating and telling you to "use your words".  It's pretty funny when you stare at us with the most stubborn look as if to say, I will talk when I'm ready people.  I communicate just fine.  And you do.  You have about 5 words that we can decipher, the rest is pointing and grunting and babbling, or taking our hands to show us.  I've decided to chill out on my approach and stop constantly trying to make you say a word.  It doesn't work anyhow.  Besides, you're on your own schedule, baby, and you are doing just great.  You sometimes scare your daddy and I with your intelligence.  We're already at the point of spelling certain names and words so that you don't hear them and have it completely ruin your moment/day.  You don't miss a thing.  Today at library class when the teacher passed around a puppet and let each child give it a quick hug, at your turn you grabbed it, turned it over and over until you found the hole that the teacher put her hand in so that you could do it the same way.  You know, figure out how it works.  You had no interest in hugging it and I had to interrupt you so that we could move on to another kid.  You are intense.

This last year and a half has been a blink.  I love that you are my baby.  Our days consist of the constant privilege of figuring you out.  I need to thank you for being such a beautiful and perfect addition to our family.  Sammy wouldn't know what to do if you suddenly weren't around to play chase and rub his head and ears.  You are so gentle with him, Pookie.  And June has started coming around, believe it or not!  It was just a matter of time.

I love you Vivi, with all my heart, to the moon and back.

Mommy

* Vivi is wearing: dress from Mini Rodini.  I'm starting a new addition to the blog, if I think Vivi is in something cute that I should share, then I'll post what it is and where to find it (if I can).  This may help some of the "Where did you get that?" questions!