It's Gobbles Time!: 15 Months!

Dear Lil Lobster Roll,

Wow girl, time sure is flying. I can't even keep up with this crazy lil chick you're becoming. You are the sweetest, funniest, most energetic little girl I know. Whenever your Daddy, brother, or I need a smile, all we have to do is go to you, our little munchkin. All your teachers at school can talk about is how animated you are, how you wave like you're in a pageant to everyone you see, and just how opinionated you can be sometimes (yikes).

As friendly and outgoing as you get in your good moods, you're just as clingy to me when you are tired or fussy (which is rare, but you let it be known when you are! Every morning when you wake up, you need to spend at least 15 minutes cuddling with me, twirly my hair, and sucking your thumb. One particularly rough night, half of which you spend pulling my hair for your own comfort, I ordered you a doll with hair that you could twirl in my place. As much as it helps you go to bed at night, you have found there's no substitute for the real thing. Most of the time, I am happy that you need me so much and always want to be held, but there are times (when I'm cooking, cleaning, pushing your brother on the swing, going to the bathroom, bathing you, changing you, feeding the dogs, driving) when you've got to let go of my ponytail and hold your own - you'll be ok!

Lobster - I cannot believe how much you've developed in the past 3 months. You started walking around 13 months, and don't seem to stop all day, unless it's to get the aforementioned cuddles. The best part about you walking is at the end of the day, when we're getting ready for bed and you're tired - you run around the hallway avoiding whoever is trying to change you. Usually in just a diaper, you will run, peek out from behind doorways, and when we command you to come back to us you squeal and run away again. As you run, your tiredness throws you off balance and you know you're going down. As you fall to your butt you let out a huuuHHh! Kind of like the new kids after they sing about step 5.

And my chatterbox, every day you've got a new word. We hear Daddy, Momma, No no (for Gobbles), please and more (plus their signs), thank you, all done, up, dog, ball, shoe, no, yea, yes, water, and tickle, which you always say in a string as you are chasing a family member or puppy around with your arms outstretched and fingers "tickling" tikatikatikatika. On Sunday you were downstairs with Daddy when you approached him, said poop and walked away. He asked "Lobster, did you poop?". You turned around with an emphatic head shake YEA!

You can say duck, and tell me it says quack. You know the sheep says baa but you can't say sheep. You are amazing at following my little instructions Lobster, go get the book and put it away and are so proud at yourself when you complete the task. You know where your nose, eyes, ears, hair, mouth, and belly are, but you only have about another year where Daddy's going to allow you to lift up that shirt to show everyone your belly!

You eat like a grown man- chili, pork chops, steak, burgers. Barbecue chicken is your favorite, and you actually demand extra sauce if it seems to be lacking. All that right there, that's from your Daddy. From me with eating you have the desire to eat food off of everyone else's plates and scream and yell when you are hungry until somebody feeds you. Not quite sure where you got the fearless daredevil spirit, and while we are proud of your independence in climbing and wanting to do everything Gobbles does, please be careful lil lady!

But beyond all of this, girlfriend, the thing that I love most of all is the happiness and enthusiasm you exude. You are smiling more often then not, a big, boisterous grin that radiates love and warmth. You give your brother unsolicited hugs and kisses when he's not feeling so well, you crack up when i give you kisses under your chin, laughing so hard that you tilt your head back that you become short of breath. You wave to your Daddy then smack him in the head affectionately when he comes in for a hug. Then of course you hug him just as tight. We all love you so much my Lil Lobster Roll.

Love,
Mommy