19 on the 19th

Dear Jordan,

Today you are 19 months old! When people ask, I say a year and a half, and I think next month I'll start saying you're almost two.

But at home and for our purposes here, I'm still counting the months.

This past month you started putting more words together. I don't know when you started with the nouns and verbs, nouns and prepositions, verbs and prepositions - maybe last month? But now you occasionally use noun + verb + preposition. For example, "Nana go upstairs."

Of course, "upstairs" is more "upstrrth" but I know what you're talking about.

We can also hold conversations, which is just so much fun. I mean, they're pretty basic, but there's information exchange.

You: "More cookie!"

Me: "No more. How about some pasta?"

You: "No. More cookie?"

Never having any experience with first language acquisition, I find this fascinating.

You also mimic everything. Which is how you started saying, "I'll find it!" and also, "Oh, yucko."

Betty gets credit for both of those. Also, for your love of the moon. Whenever it's out before you go to bed, she carries you outside to see it.

You're a great moonspotter.

You like all things mechanical, with cars, trucks, and trains topping the list of toys. We already know about your fascination with helicopters, and I think if you saw one up close you would just fall over, you'd be so excited.

I'm hoping you don't want to be a helicopter pilot when you grow up, because I've gotten it into my head that they fall out of the sky pretty easily. Your dad says this is ridiculous and would like to know where I get my facts.

I heard it from someone. But since I don't understand how they stay up there in the first place, they just seem like they would.

For now, however, we're working on keeping you out of the street as you careen down the sidewalk. You want to do everything yourself, and don't want to hold hands, and get all kinds of mad when we hold your hood as you toodle along.

Too bad, friend. We're seriously considering a leash. And no, I'm not kidding.

When you are in a good mood, which is most of the time, you're the sunniest, funniest, most charming thing I've ever seen. And when you're not, you're belligerent and crab-faced and exhausting.

Dad says this pretty well describes me, too, so I guess we're in good company.

We love you like crazy, my little big boy.

Love,

Mama