Beatrice at Nineteen Months

Dear Bea,

Today you are nineteen months old.

The theme for this month has been "fun vs. not-so-fun".

The not-so-fun?

First of all, you were sick again this month. We can't figure out why you seem to catch every bug on the face of this planet, one right after the other. It makes me sad for you. At least it was only once this month, and not twice, like the month before. This month you battled a bad case of bronchitis. You were cranky at times, unbearable to say the very least. And who could blame you? Because you're sick a lot, you are probably thinking "WHY AGAIN?" just like the rest of us. I'm sorry, Punky, and I'm hoping that what they say is true, and that this will make you a "very healthy" adult in the long run. Your sickness lasted a good nine days this time around and started right after we got you back in your crib sleeping well.


And why is it that you haven't wanted to be in your crib anymore? We were able to get you back in it, though you won't sleep all night in the comfort-enclosed bed. Several hours is fine. All night is not. I can pretty much predict when you will be waking up every night now. It's almost like when you were a newborn, except we don't have to do anything special to get you back to sleep. Only give you your bottle, which I know you don't need at your age...you are clearly able to fast through the night, yet, it is easier than resisting you and your cute voice asking so kindly for it.


Lastly, and this was more not-so-fun for you because your father and I did not have to deal with it, is that your sister joined you at your daycare. You clearly took this as a threat. You felt that Olivia was treading in on your space, your friends, your Francie. On the first day, I called to check in on your sister and it was you that they were worried about. I was told that you were irritable, and every time you saw anyone holding your sister or giving her attention that you would throw a tantrum. I know it couldn't have been easy for you as you were used to being the baby. After a few days, you did accept the fact that you weren't the smallest one there anymore and moved on without looking back.


The fun?

As your vocabulary progresses, you make life so much more interesting for us. Your new words this month included: Tiger, Shiloh (the neighbor's dog), color, yellow, lego, two, three, shhhh (ok, I know that last one is not really a word but I am counting it anyway). I know there are a few I've forgotten, too. You've also managed a couple of two-word sentences:

"Oh no!"
"Bye-bye Moo Moo."
"Bye-bye Ma Ma."

Still no "Da Da" from you.

I'm also attempting to help you with your vocabulary and pronunciation in my own little way. When you say a word, I will then use that word in three different sentences...one right after the other. "Bea, do you want to color with your crayons?" "Ok, let's grab some paper so that we can color." "Can you hand me the crayon that is yellow in color?" Amazingly, I also get answers to these questions: "Yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." Sure, the answer is the same, but you know what you want and I know that you understand me.


Aside from your vocabulary, you often speak in your own language. We haven't a clue what you are saying, and I think you may just like it that way. You'll go on and on and then suddenly stop. You're also singing at times. You've learned how to "shush" people, but only when appropriate. For example, when your sister has gone to bed and I have to go in there to get something, you will follow me in and say "shhhhh" (quite a few times, might I add) so that I don't disturb her and wake her up.

This month you have also learned to climb. And quite well, might I add. First it was the outdoor play set at daycare, and then before I knew it, it was our dining room chairs. You had been attempting to get on them for awhile and weren't able to master it. One day you were at it again and I walked past you thinking you weren't going to make it up. I walked past you again nearly 10 seconds later and you were screaming at me because you made it up and you were jumping up and down holding on to the back of the chair in your triumph. It was a triumph, but I put you back down on the floor because I didn't want you to fall. Now when you climb up the chairs, you sit down normally in it and inform me that you want your aqua. Are you turning into an adult right before my eyes? Now, once you learn how to move that chair over to something else that is higher, say the kitchen counter, then I might be a little more worried.


One last thing on the climbing front that was terribly funny. You proceeded to take out your square red lego, set it down on the deck next to the fence, and then step up onto it with both feet in attempt to get higher to where you could grab a piece of the fence to possibly hoist yourself up on. You will definitely need to have your father tell you about when he was living in Palos Verdes and had a run-in with some ice plant when he was a child. You'll find that you are very much like him.

Another thing I have watched you do this month is become organized, while also imitating what you see around you. A few things that immediately come to mind:

1) You'll take all of your barnyard animal magnets off the side of the stove and put them elsewhere in the house. You'll move the magnets one-by-one until you're done, and then you move them back.
2) You take your legos out to play and when you are done you put them all back where they came from. You seem to like to put things away.
3) If you see me do something, such as stomp on a leaf or clap my hands, you will copy me. This could be a bad thing, so I need to watch what I do now.


There have been moments from this last month that I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life. One time this month when your father had picked you up from daycare, he walked to get you. I had just gotten home from work so I saw you all walking down the street. I waited on the sidewalk in front of the house. He let you out of the stroller a couple of houses down from ours. You came running to me, screaming "ma ma" and then throwing yourself into me for a hug. Never have I ever felt so important to someone in my entire life. I will always be there for you through both the fun times and the not-so-fun times. Always remember that.

I love you,
Mama