Mackenzie,

You turned 15 months old this week and you started walking (for real this time). I love watching your face as you toddle across a room, part exhilaration and pure excitement of your newfound freedom, part fear of toppling over. I had forgotten how much fun this stage is– just a few short days of learning the new skill. Soon it will be old news.

We still call you Kiki or little Macky or Kenzie or little SAAHSAAY (sassy). Or Little Mama or BooBoo or KeeGee or Keek. I’ve also started calling you MYkenzie which will probably just throughly confuse you as to what the correct pronunciation of your name really is. And when you climb all over your brother and giggle with delight– that’s called a MAC ATTACK.

I was just thinking today how cavalier I’ve been about your words, I mean, compared to a 4 year old that can talk AND walk, you’ve still got a ways to go, but compared to when Nathan was this age- he had a few sounds/signs but you’ve got actual words. Nathan really didn’t speak at all until just after he turned two. Today you started stringing a bunch of nonsense together and it was like “mom, don’t you get what Im saying?” After dinner you’ll start pulling on someone’s leg for your “baah baah” (bath). You ask for “wa wa” and you like things that are “peee” (pretty). You are totally your mother’s daughter in that you can spot a baked good a mile away “EEH EEH (cookIE)” you say it over and over and you add in the sign for “yes please” as well as nodding your head. Hopefully the trifecta of word, sign and nod is the winning combo to ensure success. Im such a sucker. You like to play with the phone and say “I” (hi) and ask if its “da…..da?” (never mama. Never). You say bir for bird, boo for book. EEZ for cheese and ack for snack. and you have some strange word for vacuum. You have a strange love/hate with the vacuum, terrified if it gets to close to you, fascinated from a safe distance and you always do the sign for ‘more’ followed by your word for vacuum whenever the ‘ole Dyson gets turned off. Im so glad these domestic duties excite you. We’ve sort of regressed on the animal sounds…now pretty much any mammal says “WHOO” or “RAAH.” Meh, its the shortcut I guess.

If someone asks me what your favorite thing is, hands down its got. to be. your. shoes. You love yourself some shoes girl. And, if the mood hits you, socks are ok too. I’ve been a bit of a sucker for the See Kai Run shoes- you love having me put them on and take them off. You absolutely beam with delight when I say “you have shoes on? You look. so. pretty.” You are my girlie girl. You are interested in accessories. You tell me my necklaces are “pee” and for Christmas your to-be Aunt Ashley picked out a very cute little Fisher Price purse that comes with an assortment of girlie items but most importantly a pink plastic bracelet. You shove your chubby little hand through it, hold it up and wait for me to tell you how pretty you look.

Admiring her silver mary janes

In addition to your shoes, socks, and bracelet, you love to get into whatever Nathan is doing. You love stuffed animals and are interested in mundane things (a plastic straw wrapper!) as well as things like the Apple remote. Which you correctly point at the TV, push the button and start/pause a show. 15 month olds….they can do anything.

When we tell you your food is hot you put your hand over it and say” HA” (hot) and then proceed to blow on it. I think it probably ranks up there in the cutest! thing! ever! that today Janelle told you the oven was hot and you proceeded to blow on it. Same thing happened when you were trying to climb up the step ladder (the one your brother was already occupying) and reach towards the electric fry pan. Your dad told you it was hot and you blew some slobbery air at it.

And while we’re on the topic of food; girl, you can eat. If I had to pick a favorite….blueberries?  I’m fairly certain if I didn’t stop with say, an entire bowl, you’d just keep eating them. Fresh or frozen, doesn’t matter. You had real strawberries for the first time last week and I think those might rival the blueberries. You like waffles and cookies and yogurt and oatmeal. Raisins, peas, grapes, and pita. You mostly want exactly what we’re eating. You can’t seem to choke down anymore string cheese (“Kenzie….we’ve got to run some errands….mama will bring some string cheese with us!”) so, I should really stop buying that. You’ve started requesting water just out of the blue which is just so nice to actually have you communicate what it is you want.

You love playing outside with the kids and now that you’re walking Im sure you’ll be chasing after them instead of just waving and screaming at them. You and Nathan play well together and I think its pretty dang cute that Nathan has started pulling the other end of your bike and he asks me what I want to drink. You probably don’t realize it but you (and Nathan) are flight attendants, your bike is the food cart and you guys are working the aisles of the airplane passing out food. A brother and sister flight attendant team, srsly, too cute.

Judging by the rail of your crib you apparently could have a career as a woodchuck or a beaver or whatever creature uses its 4 front teeth to gnaw away at a piece of wood. Nathan did this trick but no where NEAR the extent that you have. Since the crib was flipped the other direction when he was in it he chewed on one end and you’re working hard at the other. It kind of makes me want to keep the crib when we’re done with it, for no other reason than its got those sweet little teeth marks in it. Ah, Im a sucker for sentimental value.

You wear 24mo/2T and still have the chubbiest little legs and arms. Janelle even pointed out your chubby fingers today, but I promise, they are still dainty in their chubbiness. You have a nice round little tummy and a flat-ish butt. I had to trim up your bangs this week– at least some part of your hair looks groomed. Most days we’re somewhere between a peacocked-Farrah-mullet and just a mullet. I managed to get your hair some teeny pigtails a few times (and they’re so! cute! a cross between a Sprite and Shrek! but you fight me and fight me and damn… it takes me at least 10 tries to just get one in, its so frustrating to watch you stroke that fluffy tail and then pull the rubber-band out (“noooooooooooo”). You’ve also started boycotting barrettes… put it in, take it out, put it in, take it out. I give up. Rock the mullet if you want. Unless I have you totally distracted its futile.

I dread going anywhere with you in the car because you are just a miserable crank. Your Uncle Steve has determined, after being squashed in the backseat with you, that you just don’t like being confined. You’re a free spirit and you need to roam. So, on the one hand, too many minutes spent in the car with you can put a damper on my day, but for the most part Kiki, you make me smile and make me laugh every day. Nathan was (is) a real character too but you- you know how to work a crowd. You’ve started doing sweet eyes again and the more we smile and laugh the more you do it. I hope you make that face forever.

In the mornings after we drop Nathan off at school we come home and do the shred with Jillian Michaels. Your stare goes from the TV, to me and then back to the TV. You smile and wave your arms and shake your booty like you’re doing it to. When Im doing pushups or sit-ups you’ll crawl over  and get right near my face, turn sideways and give me a big smile like “yeah mama, us girls gotta workout….together.”

love you forever,

mama

Filed under: McSassy