Thursday, May 12, 2011

Dear William (21 months)

Dear William,

You started off the month with what I now know to be Hand Foot and Mouth Disease.  It sounds scary, but I guess it is (usually) not a big deal.  You were sent home from daycare with a fever, which I assumed was related to teething.  You always run a fever when teething and this time you were getting your very last canine in.  Well, your fever went away and then over the weekend we went for a run, and when we got home I noticed that you had a spot on your hand.  We went inside and I saw a few more spots on your hands.  I thought maybe it was a heat rash.  Then I freaked out because it was a Saturday afternoon (no doctors till Monday) and I was worried you had the chicken pox.  While I was getting you ready for bed, I saw you had a couple spots on your feet and you also had one on your tongue.  Well, by Monday you were better... no more spots and no more fever.  So I thought, hm, and off you went to daycare.  While I was at work, I was talking to one of the physicians I work with and telling him that I was worried you were getting the chicken pox.  He said to me, "Did he have spots on his hands?" and I said yes.  "Did he have spots on his feet?" Yes.  "Did he have spots on his tongue?"  Yes again.  "Hand foot and mouth disease!" he told me, and he said it would go away in a few days and you would be fine.  You seemed that you were already fine, and I hoped by Monday--when we took you back to daycare--that you weren't contagious anymore.

Terrible two's

You didn't feel good while you had Hand Foot and Mouth Disease


After our brush with a scary disease that ended up not being so scary after all, you have had a pretty good month.

You had a visit from your Aunt Kim and Uncle Andy.  They took us out to dinner at Blueberry Hill (but you refused to eat).  They took you to the zoo, too, and you really liked that.

Sometimes you can be very uncooperative.  Aside from myself, you are the most stubborn person I have ever met.

Uncooperative

You didn't want to walk.  You didn't want to sit in the stroller.  You didn't want me to pick you up.  Eventually you just sat down on the sidewalk and refused to move for a while.


You have been going to the playground a lot.  Sometimes you hate the swings.  And sometimes you love them!

Will's new favorite thing

 

You took your teachers a bouquet of flowers for Teacher Appreciation Week at daycare.  They loved that.

Going to a dance?

 

We went to the Magic House and you had a great time.

One happy boy

 

Other things you have been enjoying doing this month include jumping on the bed, dive-bombing your parents, and reading your new pop up books that your grandparents gave you, running into things, and doing gymnastics.  You have really been liking animals more and more lately.  You especially like dogs.  Whenever you see or hear a dog you stop whatever you are doing and say "DAG" and then you go "Whoo, whoo" (I guess you cannot quite say "woof").  Our neighbor two doors down has a dog and one day you kept dragging me over there so we could go look at it.

I think you are starting to have a very active imagination.  You have somehow acquired this Homer Simpson doll that used to be in your father's office.  The doll is probably at least half the size that you are.  The other day, you made Homer "walk" across the floor to a pillow, then you laid him down and patted his back and said, "Nigh nigh."  It was very cute.  You also have this little baby doll that you pretended to rock one time.  Well, mainly you kind of took it by the arm and swung it around.  You like to find your baby doll among your toys and give it to me to hold.

You still give great hugs and kisses.  You are still a problematic eater.  This month your father got you to eat some apple and I literally wept for joy.  Seriously, William, I don't know what keeps you going most days.  You still love reading.  And you love music.  And you love going outside to play.

William, I've got to finish up this letter; there are so many other things I need to do.  Have a great 21-month birthday.

 

Love always,

Momma