18 months old today

Hey there my main man.

Today you are 18 months old. In the month since you were referred to a speech therapist (your first appointment is tomorrow) you have started to be more consistent with your sounds. Everytime one of the pets walks into the room you distinctly say "hi" to them, though why you don't greet anyone else this way still confounds me. You have started to say "ma" with regularity. Your mom can distinguish between your calls to her and your calls to me, but I still struggle with knowing who exactly you are talking to. This month you also mastered drinking out of a cup without spilling everything all the way down your front - which never seemed to bother you anyway!You are learning things in leaps and bounds. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with all your new skills.

Your mom spent some days in the hospital this month and I don't think any of us weathered that storm well, but your visits to the hospital room were a bright moment and you were absolutely in heaven with all the buttons. Believe me, if I could find a bed like the hospital one for us to bring home, your obsessions with all things button related would be well on it's way to being fulfilled. If the hospital in town weren't only full of old dying people we would stop in and visit some of the oldsters just so you could play with the beds. (Unfortunately I think some of them would have a cardiac arrest and we know the hospital staff here are not equipped for medical emergencies so we will spare us all that tradgedy).

This last week has brought to light some of the challenges of the foster-adoption program, but your mom and I are working on them. Don't ever think for one minute that you don't have anyone in this world fighting for you. Your mom is the epitomy of a mother bear whose babies are threatened when she goes on the offensive on your behalf. I'm fairly confident that whatever has been holding up the system and your permanaent adoption will be resolved quickly as we dig our heels in to bring you to our family "forever".

The highlight of my day has become the time we spend playing when I get home from work. The last few days we have played so hard you have been sweaty and breathless from laughing and running. You are such a joy.

Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine.