Mason is 18 months old!

Dear Mason,

I can’t believe it, but today you are already 18 months old!! My little baby is growing up so fast! You want to do everything your big brother does, and you do!

You really like trains now (you can say “chew chew”) and I’ve seen you lay down on the ground and use other toys as trains and watch them as you pull them along the ground, the way Tyler used to do when he was younger. It’s funny, because I don’t think you’ve ever seen him do it, but now it’s something you’re doing! You love playing with the Take-Along Thomas the Train toys, wooden trains, Geotrax, and you love watching the train in Tyler’s room go around and around.

You’re a boy through and through, because you also love cars and trucks! Mommy and Daddy took you and Tyler to a Monster Truck show on the beach at Virginia Beach on Mother’s Day. We had such a good time, and you enjoyed your very first Monster Truck show! You sat through the entire 2 hours watching all the trucks race and fly through the air.

































There are so many words you can say! Even since I wrote your last letter, you’ve learned so many more words. You can say a lot of words by just copying someone, too.

Roar! (You say this when you see a lion or a dinosaur!)
Oo ah (you usually say this when we say “monkey”)
Monkey (muhkee)
Ba (you know that sheep say this)
Neigh (you know that horses say this)
Choo-choo (chew-chew, you know that trains say this)
Mommy (mom-mee)
Daddy (dah-dee)
Snack (nack)
Night night (nigh nigh)
Ay na ko! (ka koh!)
Tyler (Ty-tuh)
Sky (ky)
Blue (boo)
Yellow (lel-oh)
Red (yed)
Thank you (tah yew)
Please (peese)
Baby
Me
Boo!
Wow
Whoa!
Love you (oh yew)
Circle (ku-koo)
Cheese (tee, which you say when you see a camera)
Dude (doood)
House (oww)
Dirt (dit)
Banana (mumana)
Yeah
No
Down (dow)
Cracker (ka-kuh)

Back up
You snort when you hear the word “pig,” it’s the coolest thing!

You are very emotional when you don’t get your way: If you don’t want to sit in the carseat, you writhe and stretch and cry so much that it takes several tries for me to actually get you buckled in; if you want a snack or a drink and we didn’t get you the right one, you will bat away or throw away everything we give you until you get the one you want; if you don’t want to do something that we are making you do (say, get up from your nap or from bed) you’ll cry and scream and throw yourself on the floor…it’s all we can do to just make sure that you don’t hurt yourself! I hope that as you’re learning more and more words, you’ll be able to communicate more about what you want and how you feel, and maybe you won’t get so frustrated with silly ol’ Mommy and Daddy :)

You’re not far off of being able to communicate, though. Just the other day, you and I were home together (you had a fever) and you walked over to a folded up ball pit tent that we have for you and Tyler. It was folded up and in it’s bag, but you knew what it was and pointed to it and said to me, “Peese?” So, not only are you learning to communicate what you want, you’re learning to do it politely!!

You’re also beginning to understand that other people have feelings, too. On a few occasions, you have accidentally hurt Tyler while you two were playing, so I usually tell you, “Mason, you hurt Tyler. Can you please tell him you’re sorry?” You then immediately go to Tyler and give him a hug! It helps that Tyler also does that to you :)

You are still a great eater, and can now successfully eat with a spoon and fork (separately, and messily). You have learned how to take bites of food, so we can give you a whole banana, and you are usually successful in eating it (although messily).

With such great eating habits, it’s good that you love having your teeth brushed, and you’ll willingly sit on the step-stool in the bathroom and open your mouth so that Mommy or Daddy can brush your teeth. You like playing in the bathtub, but dislike actually getting shampooed and soaped up. In fact, you usually cry and try to get out!

You love to climb! You can climb up and down stairs, but if you’re near a handrail, you try to walk down them. You climb up onto the couch, chairs, tables, over Mommy and Daddy, pillows, onto Tyler’s bed…everywhere!

You love being outside, playing with ride-on toys, playing in water or sand, and generally being able to run around! You also love riding in the Power Wheels cars that your cousins have, and they are all very sweet and enjoy driving you around in them. Jenna drives you around very slowly and carefully, Lauren drives you around fast and until the battery in her car runs out, and Jaime likes to show off for you. You love all of it! Even when nobody is there to drive you, you like to just sit in any of the cars!

With the hot weather we’ve had lately, we like to sit outside after we all get home from work/daycare, and since Daddy doesn’t have any summer classes, it’s very nice to hang out and relax as a family. You and Tyler usually play in the water table, and end up very wet! You’ve learned how to eat a frozen popsicle by watching Tyler, but you still prefer to bang the popsicle on the deck instead of eating it.




















We took you and Tyler to a paint-your-own pottery store, where each of you made a very cool piece of art. We also made stepping stones for your Lola with your footprint and Tyler’s handprint (you each have your own stones). It seems like you’re learning a new word or doing something new every day, I feel so blessed to be able to watch you learn and grow, and so lucky that I get to be your Mommy

I love you!!
Mommy