Dear Callan: Fourteen

Dear Callan-
This past weekend, while we were in Boston, you turned 14 months old (I'm getting better -this was only a few days late). You are this little toddler, so full of energy and personality that just charms the pants off of everyone you meet. You are a happy little boy who loves smiling, laughing, being silly, dancing (love!) and having fun.

You love helping, whether that's getting up on your tip toes to put laundry in the washer machine...

or helping take the trash out...

You are always wanting to help. You love to show off your muscles and attempt to lift things -even things that are much too big or heavy for you, but you'll try anyway. And if someone tries to tell you not to (or dissuade you), you are not buying it and will protest (loudly).


You've turned into this little boy that can suddenly do so much. I sometimes forget that you've only just turned one and strangers that meet you for the first time are always shocked by that too. Not only because you're a bit larger than the average one year old, but you also just act and feel older. As a stranger on the train once told me -you have a wise face and a knowing look about you and that he could tell that you were aware of what was going on around you and that you were just taking it all in. Although I don't encourage talking to strangers, I did have to agree with him. You definitely are aware and definitely keeping tabs on everything going on around you.

Obviously, the coolest kid on the playground...

But it's crazy to see how you're developing. You do things like a little human -you run, dance, dig, play with your cars, push things, lift things up, climb and all around just amaze me. Watching you at the playground, you can now climb the stairs and go down the slide on your own. You can hang from the top of the slide before you go down and you also love climbing up the slide when you're done.  It's fascinating to see how far up you can go and how determined you are to do it. You're still a bit of a daredevil and I'm sure if I wasn't right there you would be happy to run right off the edge, but for now (knock on wood), we've prevented that from happening.

It's also mind boggling to me how much you're comprehending. You aren't really talking -other than a few words here and there, your favorite word, "this" (always done while pointing at something), some signs, pointing, grunting, but you are definitely understanding what people tell you, and that is amazing. I'm convinced that you're going to be a late talker, but when you do start talking you're going to bust out in full out sentences and soliloquies and then I'll be worried that you'll never stop because with the amount of curiosity brimming out of you now I can only imagine the endless stream of "why" questions that are in my future.

You, my boy, are amazing and I'll never tire of telling you that. You also make me laugh every day and bring so much joy into my life.

I love you.

Love, 

Mama