Dear Link

You are 18 months old now my sweet boy!  Even though the doctors are worried because you aren't talking, your Dad and I are not.  It's disconcerting of course when the pediatrician acts worried about you and of course whether intentional or not, making your parents feel like they are failing.  Let me tell you how much you are accomplishing.  You can figure out how almost anything works.  childproofing is a joke with you.  It doesn't even take you a long time to figure out how to manipulate items or the people around you.  If something is too high for you to reach, you have the intelligence to go to one of the rooms with a stool in it and carry it over to the other room where you desire to get higher.  If someone hands you an object and says "take this to (insert persons name here)" you know who it is, and you take it straight to them.  You are proficient in using utensils and can drink out of a normal cup.  Although you can get a bit messy with those ;o)  Following in your parents and your sisters footsteps, you are showing OCD tendencies already.  You usually will close doors if they are open when you pass them.  If you've opened the door, you always close it behind you.  If the puzzle pieces are out of their spots, you will attempt to place them where they belong.  We are still working on turning them until they fit in their spots properly but you know where they go for sure.  If given a crayon, you enjoy doing scribbling a bit but, then you prefer, collecting all the crayons, throwing them on the floor and picking them up again.  When I'm sweeping, it's imperative you have a broom of your own so you can sweep as well.  I'm very impressed by your balance.  I've been impressed with this for quite a while.  A perfect example and when I realized just how steady you can be is when you take a bath.  Getting you to actually sit down in the bath can be a chore and has been from the moment you could stand.  Most of the time you and Gwendolyn take your bath together.  Naturally, Gwendolyn is "swimming" and moving all over the place making some serious tidal waves in the tub.  You almost aways manage to stand through it all.  You can walk all around the tub and manage to stay on your feet.  Another area I'm thrilled you seem to be proficient at is the stairs.  Up and down you go without having any trouble.  Even with the dogs flying past you, you manage to always remember to turn around and go down backwards.  That said, you have fallen from the last step or 2 twice but, I say that isn't bad at all when you think about how often you are on them.  As far as playing goes, you would rather have a non-toy any day over some big expensive woop de woop toy that's all the rage.  Nope, all you want is whatever, is around you that you shouldn't be playing with.  At times, I can appease you with a wooden spoon but, usually it's a major disappointment since Daddy's telescope looks like a lot more fun.  At the park though, you LOVE the swing!  You'll stay on a swing for way longer than I will push you.  Bring on the music!!  You can't get enough of it!  Especially if someone is playing an instrument live for you.  When Duncan plays his viola or Daddy is playing his guitar, you are completely mesmerized by it.  Of course, you can't wait to try it out yourself.  You are enjoying food more and more.  Like your Daddy and your Sister, you have major texture issues although, you are very tolerant of many different flavors and spicy is not a problem at all.  It's a good thing too because almost everything I cook seems to be spicy ;o)  Aside from breastfeeding your favorite drink remains to be ice water but, you are liking milk a bit more all the time.  Your size at 18 months old is continuing to move closer to average.  Your weight is now 60th percentile and your height remains to be 50th percentile.  At 27lbs you are only 3lbs from matching your 4 year old Sister.  You'll be surpassing her I'm sure within the next year.

Yes, my sweet boy you are high maintenance but, I love every running hug, kiss and cuddle you give me.  Which, lucky for me are several a day.  Link, you are a lover and I love being the woman of your affections.

I love you the most!!!
Mommy :o)

"Show me the money"

Always into some kind of mischief