Happy 18 Months!

Happy 18 months, Silas! In two days you'll be turning 19 months, so I thought it was about time to write this letter to you. (We've been busy - that's my excuse!)

At your 18 month doctor appointment, you were deemed a "Five Star Kid!" Healthy and as strong as could be. You were 25 pounds, 3 ounce and you were 34" tall. That puts you at the 90% for height and 40% for weight. Like the doctor said, you're "long and lean...just how we like it!" Also, you're head size is in the 80% - long, lean, and a big ol' brain in there!

What I need to admit is that when I am a month late in writing, I start to forget the details. I'm not sure I can details the specifics of what you were up to 2 months ago! Luckily we took a special vacation that I remember very well, so that'll help fill in the missing spots.

Your Grandma Laurie's family vacations together in Door County, Wisconsin. All three of us were invited to join for the 4th of July week. On this trip, you got to eat breakfast with your Grandpa every morning, play in Lake Michigan, fling sand around with shovels and pails. You went to your first petting zoo and just loved it. We bought a bucket of grains and carrots - your favorite part was feeding the carrot sticks to Shorty, the little pony. There was also a kid-sized farm area with tiny tractors and a little garage and little kitchen - you played there for a long time and threw a little fit when it was time to go home.

One of my favorite memories is when Grandpa, Grandma Laurie, Ben, you, your dad and I all went to watch the fireworks. It was a really long, beautiful fireworks display. There was patriotic music playing as a backdrop to the fireworks. You were sitting up on your dad's shoulders and singing along to all the songs! It was so adorable. You mixed some humming and some singing - it was very quiet, but you seemed to be immersed in all the lights and sounds of the night. We all loved your little serenade!

Considering how much you like cheese, I was surprised how little cheese you ate on that trip - we were in Wisconsin, after all! You had fun entertaining Laurie's mom and sisters - you had changed a LOT since they had last seen you when you were just 10 months old.

You took really nice naps the whole trip - you don't know how much that means to us! And you slept well through the nights as well - that means even more to us! The plane rides were a bit more challenging than before. Last time we flew with you, you had just turned 1 year old and weren't walking yet. This time, you wanted more freedom than sharing a seat with your dad or me allowed. The flight home was a red eye and I bet there were quite a few folks who wished that we weren't on the same flight. Oh well.

We love you very much!