Day One-Palm Springs

How can I say this? Being here is better than best. We are having the best time. It is exactly what we needed as a family. Who would of thought that just renting a house and have a nicely stocked fridge is all three people would need but you know what? It is perfect. Evan from the moment we arrived has been running through the house giggling with pure delight. He has more rocks than one boy can play with in a day. He gets to swim multiple times a day and when he is not swimming he is playing with his wagon and cups and pouring water or rocks into them. 6pm arrives and it is sprinkler time. Those sprinklers turn on and Evan makes water noises and gestures from all of his excitement. It is unbelievable. We are grilling and making good food. We are enjoying life and just being a family. I will cherish these memories for years to come.

Talking in the Car

Evan and I were driving home tonight from visiting friends in Hermosa Beach. At one point someone pulled out in front of me and I sarcastically said,"Nice".

Then, I hear a small voice from the backseat, "Nice" he said, repeated in the same inflection.

Classes

This summer Evan and I are taking another Music Together class. We have been taking them since he was 6 months old. It has been a year this summer in are participation with these classes. It is amazing to see how much Evan has learned and it learning doing this class each week. He loves the drums and the musical instruments the best. This week the teacher said it was time to bring out the drums and Evan shrieked in excitement as he ran over to get to the drum bins. He will take out the sticks and surround himself with drums and just drum! He walks over to the other kids and beats on their drums too. When the session is over and it is time to put the drums away he does it without a fuss. This is huge. He use to cry each time we had to clean up the instruments. He does it with pride too. He will lay the instrument back in the bin or offer it back to the teacher and clap with a smile.

We are also doing a gym class. It is amazing. Evan loves it and it is such a great class for his age. He gets to climb and jump and spread his wings physically in a safe environment of padding and cushion. The gym sets up different equipment each week for the kids to enjoy and explore. He gets to go on a trampoline and slides down slides and even gets to jump into a ball pit. He loves it. He has made a new friend there named "Vy". Vy is one of the teachers. Vy will greet Evan and Evan will run off with him to play. It is neat to see him enjoying himself so much and meeting new friends.

Dear Evan-18 Months Old

Dear Evan-
I was just thinking about the day that you will read all of these messages. Maybe you will maybe you won't. I hope you do. I know it will be a nice thing for me to read someday too. These are precious times and they are going by so fast.

This month has been so much fun. You are doing so much and we are now having conversations! You know so much more than you are able to actual say yet. Although you do a great job at communicating in all the ways you can. You point and gesture and let us know when we are doing what you asked with an outright laugh or giggle. You are a delight. You have such a great disposition and are pretty laid back. You have patience which I appreciate so much since you are a Toddler and I wouldn't fathom you have that concept down yet. I will ask you to hold on as Mommy is busy doing something and you are wanting me to do something different. When I ask you, you will pause and let me have some time to get it for you. It is so sweet and so understanding. I love that you know I am there for you and if you give me a few seconds I can get you want you need and more. I think that this month has really shown our attachment to one another in a different way. You give us kisses and hugs now. If you can't give us a kiss you blow one to us. Daddy and I love this!

You have a teddy bear that you are growing fond of now named "Fozzy". You love your legos. You enjoy pulling them a part and pushing them back together. You have gotten quite good at this. You are so curious and are always looking to discover how things are made and how they work. You still love garbage trucks and everything truck related. We went to the garbage truck open house this past month. It was fun. Your favorite books right now are: "The Icky Sticky Frog"; "Llama Llama Mad at Mama"; "The Hungry Little Caterpillar"; A book on trucks and "Good Night Moon". You love these books and we read them multiple times a day. You love your barrel push toy and will walk around with it in your hand while you do other things. You are still nuts about the water. You just love it. Lastnight, I was cooking and I pulled up the red stool for you to stand on and you played in the sink and washed off vegetables for me.

You are talking more everyday. Yesterday, your new word was "Empty". I had given you some bottles of water to pour out and play. You came up to me and gave me the bottle and said, "Empty". I was so surprised and happy to hear you tell me what you needed. It made my day. You are constantly repeating what we say and it is fun to watch you grow and use words at the right place and time.

You understand pee pee and poo poo. The other day I was in the living room and had left you diaper off for some air. You came in to get me and pointed to the other room and said "Pee Pee". I knew that I had left it off for too long! It was nice you came in to tell me.

You understand choices and tasks. I will ask you what kind of juice or which shoes you would like to wear and you chose one. I ask you in the morning to go pick out your clothes and you run into your dresser and start to pull out pieces of clothing. Today Daddy asked you to come over and get the phone and bring it to Mommy and you did. I love to ask you to go and do things now because your comprehension is amazing. I will ask you to close the door or turn off the music and you will do it. You are a little helper!

I have found in the last month or two you are really my shadow. We are always trying and doing new things. You have gotten pretty good at using crayons and markers now. I want to show you finger painting next.

This next month we are going to be away from home while the construction is taking place. It will be interesting to see how you are in a new environment for an extended period. We will have a house and pool to ourselves and I can't wait to be able to let you play in the water everyday!

I love you so much.

Mommy

Too Much

There is so much to say. Evan is understanding everything. He speaks a few words but his comprehension for most if all conversations is amazing.

He does not want to go to sleep. He will throw a tantrum and in front of our eyes he will turn into the two year old I have been warned about. He finally will settle down when he realizes neither Mommy or Daddy will play.

We finished our music class today. It was a great class and I think Evan has learned so much this time. He isn't just observing but really getting into the participating and dancing. On our last class, Evan was standing in the middle of the class dancing to music by himself. It was adorable. He loves all of the instruments. In the beginning, he hated an instrument needing to be returned after the session had stopped. The teacher would ask for it and he would cry. Now he will walk over to the basket and put it away himself.

He loves our small video recorder. He will go and get it and lift it up to me and say "Baby" as his way of asking to watch himself on the recorder.

Lastnight before bed, Evan reached up and grabbed some muffins I had in a package on the counter. He brought them into the bedroom where I was waiting for him. He lifted the package up and handed it to me. He them pointed to it and smacked his lips. He wanted a bedtime snack. I was amazed that he did it all himself.

He will chose his own shoes and clothes now if I ask him. He is going through a stage where by the middle of the day he doesn't want to wear clothes anymore and will ask for me to take them off. He much rather be naked. Wouldn't we all?

Words

baby
mama
dada
grandma
stick
rock
juice
truck
duck
book
nose
eyes
glasses
banana
balloon
ball (dada)
cheese
keys
beep beep
wheels
shoes
socks
up/down
tea
hot
berries
tree
lights

Our Favorite New Things

Evan is in love with this book called "The Icky Sticky Frog". Nena sent it to him as it was one of the books she use to read to Everitt and Morgan when they were little. Evan loves it. We always have to read it 4-5 times in a row. I think he likes all of the expressions used in the book. There is a "Whoop" sound and a "Shhhhh". Evan places his finger over his mouth and way up next to the side of his nose and says "Shhhhh". He sticks out his tongue when the frogs does and he uses big arm gestures when the "Whoop" happens. He loves to smell all of the flowers next to the big blue lake. It is adorable.

Today we were playing at home when I said to Evan let's spin. I turned round and round and stopped suddenly to see what Evan would do. He did a spin of his own and laughed. So I did another. Before you know it we are both spinning. Evan learned quickly that spinning leads to dizzy. He was giggling and spinning and making himself dizzy. He would run to the sofa and crash into it to make the dizziness stop. It was so fun to see him learn this new thing. This week we have also started jumping. He will jump in place and smile up at you waiting for you to jump too.

Evan loves to drive his cars and trucks. He is good now at rolling them to you and waits for you to return them. In the car, he will drive them on the window edge and up the wall all the times making "Vrrrrummm"..."Vroooooom" noises.

Evan understands everything. I have come to realize that he really gets it. He knows what we say and I think at times he is frustrated that he can't yet verbally communicate fully the way he wants. He loves to take us by the hand and lead us to where he wants us to go. It may be to just walk down the street or it may be to a toy he needs help getting it unstuck or he wants a snack and will take us to the pantry or refrigerator. It is so much fun to see what a little boy he is now. He has needs and wants and clearly communicates those to us in ways that he knows best. I love it and I am fascinated in watching my little boy grow and discover things on his own.

We make forts weekly. He loves them. He will start to giggle before my fort creation is even completed. He will run in and giggle and then go and get toys to bring into the fort with him. One thing is certain he loves to have me inside with him. He will get it all settled and soon come and take my hand and gesture to get me inside the fort with him. I have learned that I have to make these places big enough for both of us or it will be difficult for me to enter. I love these times with him. They are and will be embedded in my memories forever. I can't imagine missing out on these times and I am so thankful I have them with him. It is so nice to just "be" with him.

He says so many words now. I wanted to write an updated list: mama, dada, hot (hota!), hota tea, dada (ball), up, down, books, truck (his absolute favorite word right now), keys, banana, crackers, snack, juice, socks, shoes, knee, eyes, Grandma, rocks, stick. I am sure there are more I am missing. He makes all sorts of noises to represent things. "Whoosh" for the water in his bath or the ocean waves, moo, meow, baaa, maaaa, quack, he makes a flutter movement with his hands to represent a butterfly. He is so much fun. I just can't get enough of him!!