Thursday, August 11, 2011

Monthly Newsletter — Month 20


Beach Baby, originally uploaded by JenSig.

Dear Isla,

You are now 20 months old, and are just so full of new tricks I don't know where to begin! With Owen and Edie, I always liked to say that we never had "terrible twos," instead it was more like "terrible threes." The independent antics and acts of imperious demanding didn't really start young. But with YOU — you are already well into what I would call your "terrible twos" — and you aren't even two yet!

That is not to say that you aren't still an inherently sweet and adorable child — you are, very much. When you give your sweet little kisses and come to me for cuddles, you are just about the sweetest baby ever. But you have also begun to perfect the art of The Tantrum — big, walloping displays of anger, impressive and terrifying at the same time, due to their volume and severity.

I have heard it said that the youngest kids in a family learn to fight early for what they want, because the older ones will always stake a claim first, being bigger, and I would say that this is true for you. Woe to the older sibling who has decided to take something that you wanted for yourself — woe to us ALL, in fact, who must listen to your shrill shrieks and see the way you flop onto the floor, facedown, kicking your feet in defiant anger.

But I don't mean to make it sound as though this is all there is to you, because that is SO not the case. You are sweet and curious, a mischievous imp with a delightful sense of humor. Your vocabulary continues to grow, and you enjoy singing songs, though most of the time you're just following along with the beat and the inflection, while not actually singing real "words." And you definitely get worried if someone in the house is sad or upset, turning into a little mother hen, clucking and patting your away around the person with a look of intense sincerity on your face. It is these moments I truly try and capture in my memory, the sweet delight that is YOU.

I love you, baby girl!
Love, Mama

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