Dear Captain--month 21

Dear Captain,
I would like to have started this months ago, but today is the day. You are 21 months old today and it is amazing to see how much you have changed and grown. You explore the world and learn and this is all so amazing for a parent to watch. Oh, to have the eyes of a child. We see how you change from day to day, but it is only when we look back when we realize how far you have come.
This past month you have been more and more active and more and more persistant. You are a little more moody than usual. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of your "terrible twos". You don't much care to share your toys or our attention, but your little sister still loves you. The two of you get along pretty well. She is not able to really defend herself yet and you steal toys from her, but pretty soon she'll be bigger than you and then the tables will be reversed. You have been very interested in sorting things and lining them up lately. You sorted all of the big rubber balls the other day and lined them up along the banister. Anytime someone moved them, you got defensive and cried and put them all back where they had been disturbed.
You are a tender heart. You love hugs and kisses and you give them out freely. Last night when Grumpa E came over, you called him over to your highchair so you could give him a hug and a kiss. You blew Gramma G a kiss yesterday and even told Auntie J that you loved her. You are great at developing relationships with people and have a real fondness for others. I believe you see the good in people. I hope that this never changes. I hope you are always able to bring out the good in others.
Yesterday we sorted your toys and you were disturbed by this. You would have preferred that they all stay where they were and you were nervous that they were going away. We will just be rotating them so that you are able to play with different toys daily. Today is block and ball day and you have been building towers up to 6 blocks tall. Then you take great joy in knocking them all down and giggling. However, if someone other than you knock the blocks down or if you knock them down before you are ready, you become upset.
We tried to potty train you a while back, but you just aren't ready quite yet. Lately, though, you have shown more interest and the other day you insisted on going on the potty and you immediately went tinkle. We are so excited that you are picking up on these things. Can't wait to have one less diaper to change.
You are also very helpful around the house. You help unload the dishes (even the ones that aren't clean), you help load and transfer the laundry, you even help pick up toys if it suits you. You help throw away garbage and you try and soothe Burbles when she is crying. You even soothe Nibble when he cries.
You talk really well too. You can repeat almost anything someone says. You sing songs. (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Amazing Grace, You are my Sunshine, Twinkle Twinkle, Raffi songs, Alleluia, Gloria... the list goes on and on.) You are able to count to ten and sing almost the entire alphabet without help. I find you very easy to understand even if someone else doesn't quite get what you are trying to say. It is the language of a mother and her child.
We moved you downstairs about a month ago and you are doing very well down there. You go to sleep at 6:30-7pm every night without a fight and wake up at about 7 in the morning. You nap only once a day for about an hour and a half. You have three things that must be with you when you sleep: Glowy, Tiger, and Blanket. When we put you in your crib, you are overjoyed to see these friends of yours.
You are a risk taker and enjoy walking the edge. You like to push the limits. If this continues, we may have to put you in a bubble. I fear you will be my bungee-jumper and sky-diver. You have no fear of heights, of people, of new experiences.
A couple of days ago you started spitting. Not a fan of this behavior, but I think it is just a stage. If we could only teach you to do this when we brush your teeth. You much like the taste of your fluoride-free toothpaste and swallow it as soon as the brush is in your mouth.
Like I said before, it is so neat to watch you change and grow. Your father and I sometimes watch you in amazement as you go about your daily work of being a child. The new things that you can find to do.
We love you more and more each day,
Mommy