AJ is 18 months!

Dearest Little AJ,

I cannot stress how very different you are than your older brother. You look up to him, yes, and copy him in a few ways, but you’ve made it clear from the get-go that you are your own little person.

Just when your older brother started being more and more independent, we were given you– a super cuddly love-bug. You want to be held at all hours of the day. Sometimes, when I pick you up, you sigh contentedly. When Mommy comes home from work, you give the most exuberant joyful greeting, crawling like a speed demon over to be held. You are never squirmy or wanting down. You are always giving “Tss-tss” (kiss-kiss) to everyone, with the cutest big puckered lips. If you kiss one person, you turn to another, and another, and another, even semi-strangers. You have this coy look, where you stare directly at someone, then you look away with just your eyes, then back again with a smile.

I think this part of your personality is why you liked nursing so much. It was a time that was all about you, where you got to cuddle AND get fed at the same time. Around 16 months old, you got too giggly while nursing to stay interested for more than a few seconds, telling me that you were done with that stage.

When you are hungry, BOY. WATCH OUT. You can scarf down food like a grown man. Just a few days ago, you ate FOUR BOWLS of oatmeal, a bowl of applesauce, AND a banana for breakfast. And then you were hungry for lunch 2 hours later. It was incredible. Then, at other times, you are extremely picky. You take one bite of a food you normally love, shudder, and spit it out. Sometimes, mommy will actually forcibly hold your mouth closed to make you chew the bite, because she knows it’s a food you LOVE. After two chews, you realize she’s right and you’re begging for more.

You are very sensitive and emotional. If someone is scared, you act scared. If someone is laughing, you giggle along. If your brother is getting too much attention from others, you clap your hands or shriek to join in. You look people dead in the eye and chat away at them, using all sorts of intonations and non-sensical sounds.

That isn’t to say you don’t talk a LOT. Your most common sayings are, “Please more”, “cracks” (crackers), “Aw done”, “Pls ou-side”, “joo” (juice), “mick” (milk), “I wah foo”, and my favorite, “Hi thuh!”. You say, “Pooh!” and “Tig-tig” all the time. You love to sing along with whatever we’re doing, including a super fast version of “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes” that leaves you laughing hysterically.

Walking is…not your favorite thing. You took a few independent steps on October 1st, just shy of your 18 month birthday. You climb on top of tables. You stand without holding onto anything quite frequently. But unless someone holds your hand as a guide, you drop to your knees and crawl instead. We are a bit worried about this part of your development, but we’re willing to wait a little longer and see how things progress.

You have definitely taught us that things don’t need to be by the book in order to work. From your 10 minute infant nursing sessions (everyone kept insisting that they should be close to 30! But you were such a powerful nurser!), to your FULL set of teeth at 15 months (seriously!), or your crawling preference at a year and a half, you’ve defied the norm at every turn. We love your extreme individualism, and how we get to love every unique part of you.

Love, Mommy