December 2012: 27 months (2 years & 3 months)

Dear Patrick,

• Your dad reads to you while you play in the bath from a classic adventure book.  One night I heard bits of “Jack and the Giant Beanstalk," which helped me explain to Omi why you "smell the blood of an Engishman" as we were visiting in Macon this month.
• I installed “instagram” on my phone so I could finally see pictures of cousin Jack for myself.  (And sure, I guess I maybe post a few of you too.)
• My new favorite game of yours is the one where you tell me to close my eyes and then you crawl onto a chair in the bedroom in order to turn off the lights and say, “Goodnight ma’am.”  I say, “Good night sir,” and then I lay peacefully. After a few moments, you turn the light on and say, “Good morning ma’am” and I wake up for a short second until you turn the light back off and I get to sleep again.  A lazy mom’s dream game.
• At night as you fall asleep, we watch you put your feet through the bars of your crib and push off the wall, successfully moving your crib into the middle of the room. In the morning you’ve been known to say, “I moved my cwib!”
• You say “thanks” with a capital “F,” as in “Fanks, daddy.”  It makes your dad laugh.
• You get so excited when JP smashes his face against the glass kitchen door until we let him inside and then a hurricane of little boys ransack the house.
• You spent the night at your grandparent’s house and said to Biggie in the morning, “Look Biggie, Ef-fant is here but Owl didn’t came.”
• As I was leaving for work one morning this month, you ran into my bedroom and dragged my red coat behind you.  “I got your coat for you, Mommy” you said to me.  You knew I was leaving and got my coat - amazing. 
• “Food Truck” is a part of your vocabulary.  When we drive past The Community Tap, you say, “Dats where the food twucks lives.”  You also look for the firetrucks sleeping in the firehouse.  Apparently you are familiar with all neighborhood vehicles.
• We came to visit Omi and Pop for Christmas and one of our favorite “Patrick moments” was when I asked you not to touch the cheese plate for guests.  Your eyes filled with tears and you explained to everyone by crying, “Mommy says... no cheese... for MEeeee.”  And then to accurately express the unfairness of it all, you added dramatic pauses and pointed to your chest to really drive the point home.  
• Your favorite "toy" this month was an old Cullinan radio.  You spent hours...actually days focused on that radio. 
• You told Pop that you are "very articulate" and asked for help opening the "pistachio."  
• Your forehead met the corner of the Robinson’s ping-pong table at full two-year old speed, and left quite a bump, but you are a tough boy. I think it hurt others more than it really hurt you.
• Lately when you are upset now, you choose to put yourself in “timeout” when you need a moment to collect yourself.
• The end of December 2012 marks our third Christmas together.  What an exciting 2013 ahead!

With all my love,
Mom