29 months

Little monkey,

If I had one word to sum up the last month, it would be sweetness. You are constantly giving smooches, big bear hugs, snuggles, and just a lot of love, all the time. I don't want this phase to pass, ever! :) My heart melts each time you give me a big kiss (your favorite thing to do is give tons of kisses in a row) or tell me "ai ni mama" or "I love you mama, so much". I never get tired of hearing that. You are definitely all about your mama right now. You often say, "I want my mommy" (like Bill from the book Owl Babies). You love your baba too, but would prefer if I had a joey pouch, like a mama kangaroo, that you could jump into and ride around with me all the time. I am not complaining because I know this won't last forever and I will crave this time again.

You are back to napping (knock on wood), which is a great thing for all of us. I don't mind that it takes you longer to sleep at night. You nap most days from about 1:00-3:00....some days it is a little bit longer, some days it is shorter. It is my time to rest too. Your nighttime routine isn't a nightmare at this moment (knock on wood again). You don't scream anymore to put on pj's or to brush your teeth. SOOOO nice!
At night, you are asleep by 9:00. Not sure the exact time you fall asleep because I usually doze off too. I have to remind you constantly to close your "owl eyes" (from the book Owl Babies) and go to dreamland (from the book Goodnight Train). Ever since we went to the zoo with Annika, you tell me every night you are going to see Annika in dreamland. It is so cute. You get up in the morning around 7:30 or 8:00, most days, which is really nice.
You LOVE to snuggle up at night with me (and of course you have Paulie bear too), you have to sleep right at my side and usually your arm is around me. It is very sweet. You end up in our bed around midnight, either you come in on your own or you cry out, "mama". If your baba is home from work, he brings you in. You also LOVE to snuggle up in the morning, before we get up to start our day. I love this part of the morning. I ask if you had any good dreams and who you saw in dreamland. Your answers are so cute and sometimes really surprise me. "I dream about Paulie" or "I dream about mama and baba." or "I saw you in dreamland mama"
If I am having trouble opening my eyes, you like to "help" me by using your index fingers and trying to force my eyes open.

You have always loved music, but lately you have been singing and humming a lot. When we walk and you are in the stroller, you sing us a tune the entire time. We even have other people commenting on how happy you must be. I have been singing songs from Sound of Music to you, which you really enjoy. Your most common song to hum is "do a deer a female deer, re, a drop of golden sun...." I have made up words to this tune, one about the Golden Gate Bridge, which gets requested throughout the day. We also still dance all the time, which I love.

A big thing for you this past month is you now have a babysitter, one night a week, so I can go to prenatal yoga. This is a HUGE deal, since the only people that have watched you have been family or super duper good friends. You really love your sitter, Mia, she is awesome, but the past 2 weeks you have cried and cried when I am leaving. Makes it hard, but I know it is good for you and you are in good hands. Last week when I came home, you were all smiles, which made me very happy.

You are already a great big brother, sharing food, toys, and your milk with the zamboni. You also like to help me rub lotion on my ever growing belly, which is very sweet.

Your baba and I wish we could bottle up all this cuteness you have right now to save for a rainy day. Your laughter and smile are so priceless. We love spending time with you and can't get over how fast you are growing up. You surprise us all the time with the things you say and the connections you make. You blow us away constantly. People can tell you how amazing being a parent is, but you really have no idea what they are talking about until you have an amazing child of your own. You are simply amazing Kekoa and we love you more and more each day. I know I am the luckiest mama in the world to have such a sweet, smart, considerate, goofy, and mellow boy like you.

love you monkey,
your mama