good lord, dude. it's been six weeks since i last wrote to you, and my god, things have CHANGED. you have grown up more in the last six weeks than you have in the last six months. first, we weaned you off your zippy (sleep sack) because you became too tall to fit it comfortably. that went well. we had planned to move you to a bed in december, but after having to cut you out of your crib tent (after fighting with a stuck zipper for 30 minutes), it became necessary for you to move to your big-boy bed earlier. we also got you another haircut, and this one is very short. you look SO big. you are talking a lot now. you have many, many words...too many for me to easily count. you like to imitate everything we say, and you still have a good bit of your own language. you are acting out more (gotta love the 2s), and now that you are in a bed, sleep has become a struggle once more. it's doable, though. i know that when i look back on this time with you, the sleep struggles will barely register as anything more than another opportunity to read you five more books ;-p
one of your newest things is to be VERY attached to me. i think that some of your sleep troubles are coming from an increase in separation anxiety. some of this is bad, and some of it is good. one of my favorite aspects is your monkey hugs. buddy, when you give me a hug, you do it with every fiber of your being. you wrap your wiry little arms and legs around me and hold on as tight as you can. i can literally let go of you, and you can stay stuck to me simply by your own power. i love it. since we cut off all your hair, you are once again enamored with mine (i think the missing hair is part of the sleep issues too...you have pulled your hair to sleep since you were about 9 months old). while i feel terrible that we took one of your comfort objects, i am loving that you are using my hair for comfort once again (you started doing this around 5 months...stroking my hair when you were sleepy).
in a mere 3 days, you will be two years old. i cannot believe how fast this time has gone, buddy. it's been an absolutely wonderful two years. yeah, we had some really hard times, but wow...i wouldn't change it for anything. i love watching you love your sissy (and her love you). watching your relationship blossom is one of my greatest rewards. you miss her when she's not near you, and you seek her out all the time. you still do not interact with little ones your own age, but you do very purposely interact with sissy and her big-kid friends. this is so fun to watch. fortunately, sissy and her friends are still at an age where playing with you is fun to them...they do not get frustrated or grumpy with you. i know this will change soon enough, but for now, it's AWESOME.
you are currently climbing me like a tree and telling me "mommy, hold!", so i must sign off.
i love you my little quinnado.
-mommy
