Dear Zane...

April, 6 2013

22 months, 14 days

Zane, I know I've told you how smart you are, but for a parent to watch their child grow and learn so much just overnight is amazing!! You point to things and say the word, I haven't even taught these to you yet. I'm also learning that you are very observant-I think you get that from your daddy! You know the difference between a fork and spoon (which you learned just this week, apparently!) Right now, while you are still learning to say things, Mommy can always understand what you are saying. Sometimes I will have to tell everyone else what you are asking or telling us. Some of your words sound very similar, like "balloon" and "ball", and "down" and "done." But, Zane, you say things very well, so I do not always have to show people what you want. You have no idea how many words you learn so fast! I have been keeping a "word count" of your entire vocabulary, so when the doctor asks me, I know exactly how many words you know. I update it often, that's how fast you learn and how smart you are!!

One of our favorite things to see you do is to "run fast!" You tuck your head down, put your arms out behind you, like wings, and take off running as fast as you can! Sometimes you'll but your back up against the wall and want us to say "on your mark, get set, GO!!" And off you go, giggling all the way!   You are so funny, and so much fun to be around! You entertain us all the time. We really do wonder what we did before you came along. 

Mommy and Daddy, and EVERYONE loves you so much! You are a very special boy!

Dear Zane...

April 4, 2013

22 months  12 days old

To my dearest Zane,

I wish I had started this a long time ago, when you were first born, or even when I got pregnant with you. I have a lot of time to make up for in this first "love letter" to you! I hope one day you can look back on these and cherish them always!

You should know, you are the absolute light of my life! Everyday you fill my heart with complete joy and love!! You have this special way of always making me feel so happy. There is not a day that goes by that you don't make me laugh until my stomach hurts! You are so silly and are so happy! You dance around and it's so cute! Sometimes you and Daddy have "dance-off's" where y'all just dance around together. I love it! Lately, you've been making funny faces. You love doing it when you know you're doing something you shouldn't. You just want to make me smile or laugh, it usually works!

Zane, you amaze me at how smart you are. You should see yourself in action, really! Yesterday, you went to get a tissue and pick up a bug off the floor, then threw it in the trash. I was taken aback, because Daddy and I were not sure where you learned to do this? But you knew!! A few weeks ago you started calling me "Mom-mom." Every time you say it, it's music to my ears!! You say it a lot, especially when you want me to fix something or help you with something. Now it's turned into "Momma." People tell me it's going to get old, but I can't get enough of hearing it! Also, here lately, you've become quite the tattle-tell. It's funny! If the dogs knock you down or steal food from your little hands, you come to get me and show me exactly where they knocked you down and point to the dogs, in your own words you get on to them for doing that to you!

You just experienced your 1st Easter egg hunt last Sunday. You were incredibly cute! You knew exactly what to do and as I held your basket, you'd drop eggs in one by one. Afterwards, of course, you'd want to eat all the candy inside! You ask "eease" for "please." Then you'd say "thanks!" You are such a sweet, polite little boy!! Decorating the eggs was fun too! You loved dropping them in the dye and then a minute later you'd stick your whole hand in to get them out. By time we got done, you had some messy hands! You've discovered you love stickers, especially Sesame Street stickers. You'll put them all over your body, the kitchen table or just on the doors. You love to name off each of your favorite characters. But, usually any kind of stickers will do for you. Coloring is one of your favorite pastimes too. You're good at coloring in the books, but occasionally I catch you coloring the floor or walls or furniture. But they are washable, so it's not that big of a deal. I think you are confused between crayons and chalk. It's ok, you'll catch on soon, you always do!!

Morning time is one of our special times together. When you wake up, it takes you a little bit to get going. You need to lay on me and cuddle until you are awake enough to feel like playing. It's the sweetest thing! I think I love it more than you do!

I can't wait to write more letters to you about our life together and all you do growing up! I love you more than any words could ever express!!

Love you ALWAYS,

Mommy

Reasons I did not teach Zane to sign...

Lately, it seems that teaching babies to sign is becoming quite popular!! It could be that I am recently hearing about it because I am a mom now? I do believe there are many great benefits to signing, apparently it raises IQ points and it makes communicating with a baby (who cannot speak) much easier. Good reasons! Except for us, I know my son better than anyone and given that he is already pretty shy, I chose not to teach him, right now. Zane took his time when it came to speaking, he was over a year old when he said his first word. Our highly trusted pediatrician was not worried in the least, because Zane could ALWAYS understand what we were saying! As long as he understood us, Dr. Foster was not worried. And Zane could understand us very well!! We'd ask Zane to throw something away-he would, we'd ask him to lay down, to give us kisses, hugs, high-fives, etc. You name it, he'd understand long sentences. When he wanted something, he knew exactly what it was! Zane would "point and grunt" as the Dr put it. After a while that "pointing and grunting" got really obnoxious bless his heart! But when I got him what he wanted, which I knew anyway (all mom's do, and that was the biggest problem) he would giggle as if saying, "yep that's what I wanted and you got it for me, how easy!" Well the fact that I knew, instead of asking him to actually tell me part of it.

The fact that my son was taking a bit longer (in my opinion) to speak, it was one of my leading reasons not to teach him how to sign. 1). I wanted him to speak out loud and use words, I knew he was capable, he just wasn't doing it. 2). Not everyone in my family knows sign language, that would be a major communication barrier. Not to mention, frustrating when they would babysit. 3). I did not want him to be 3 years old and still refusing to speak and resorting to sign language as his primary form of communication. 4). I know my baby! He is SHY!! If he knew sign language he would really not want to talk.

Now of course, he speaks, several words and sentences. People who meet him at first, wouldn't know this (he's shy remember). Everyone may not understand everything he says, which is normal for a 22 month old, but mom's always usually know what their baby is saying.

I know many mother's will disagree with me here, and that's ok. But we all know what is best for our children. While I do think knowing sign language is great and wonderful, it's not for us, right now. I think it'd be a great thing to teach him later on, once he is full on talking. Why not? He may have a hearing impaired friend, future sibling or cousin. I hope one day I can learn and therefore teach him too!