Dear Mary,

22 months ago today you came and made us a family! I used to think it was silly when parents would say the age of their child as high as 17mos - I thought at that point you should just say "a year-and-a-half". But now I get it, to say "she'll be two soon" sounds so grown up, to say "22 mos" means I still get to count the months, means you are still my baby...

Thanksgiving 2012

“Sit Down”– I’m not sure why, but you love to tell people to sit down and you usually do it in a rather loud demanding voice. We can all be sitting around the dinner table and you will be in your high chair and you’ll point to everyone saying “Sit Down!” “Sit Down!”. A few weeks ago when Marmee and Grampy dropped you off they came in and before they could take their coats off you climbed on the couch and said “Sit down!”. I chuckled as if that is how we treat our guests…”COME IN! SIT DOWN!”

“Noise Scare Me”– You are starting to speak in short sentences. Another fun thing is that we can talk to you about things in the past or future and you understand – we can carry on an actual conversation with you. The first time I noticed this was right before Thanksgiving. Aunt Cortney and family were in town and everyone was going to the Japanese restaurant to a hibachi table. It was late, but you and I stopped by just for a short bit. It turns out it was everyone’s birthday that night and the wait-staff kept coming out of the kitchen with a big gong and then singing and clapping loudly. You hated it! You kept saying “Car, go, go, car”. When we finally got home and after hanging out with Daddy for a bit, you and I went to put on your PJs…“Noise Scare Me” you said out of the blue and I had to think what you were talking about. It was the first time I remember you discussing something that happen in the past without being prompted. The wheels are turning in your head, and it’s exciting to see you express your thoughts and feelings.

Elf– Your Elf is back! Last year, we adopted Menehune, your Elf. Every day he watches you and every night he goes to tell Santa what a good girl you were that day. Each morning you like to look at where his new place is around the house. I’m not sure if you understand what he does, but you like to look for him. We also got an animated video that tells the story of another Elf on the Shelf, once the video ends you say “Elf! More Elf!” It is one that I am happy to play again and again for you.

Thanksgiving– You were so sweet with Aunt Cort, Uncle Ken and cousin Zoe (or as you say “Zo-bie”). On the first night they were here, you wanted to sit on Ken’s lap with a book several times during dinner. After they left, you saw Cortney’s picture on my phone so you said “Cortney – nigh, nigh” and we called so you could talk on the phone to say “Good night and I love you!” I could hear her heart melting on the other end.

Night time ritual– Your Daddy found the best nighttime ritual. I don’t like depending on TV for much, but the Sprout channel has the nicest nighttime shows hosted by Nina and Star. It’s nice and quiet, we watch it together and do the nighttime stretches, clean up our toys and brush our teeth. The best part is at the very end, when Nina sings a good night song and you see all the characters going to bed and sleeping. You get a pillow off the couch, I cover you with a blanket and by the end you are pretend snoring. It’s a great transition upstairs for some story time of our own and then beddy-bye.

Books– You have been really, really into books lately. Even if one of your shows is on, I can peek down in the family room and see you sitting on the couch with a book. At a friend’s birthday party, you quietly went into the other room with one of his books and climbed on the couch. The last few weeks before bed, we read books, blow out the lights, sing Twinkle Twinkle little star and then you point to the bed and say “bed, go-go”. You have to bring a few books to bed and I can hear you on the monitor sitting up there reading for about 20 min after I leave. Such a sweet girl.

Mary cooking a dolphin over the summer.

When you grow up you are going to be a… - When you were two months old, you would sit in your rocker in the kitchen with me and I would let you smell all the spices. You eventually graduated to the Bumbo seat on the counter and now you stand in your high chair and watch me cook. When you could stand one of your favorite things was to go to the spice cabinet to pull out spices and hold them up to us because you wanted to smell them. When you are in your playhouse, your favorite thing is to “cook” soup from stick, twigs and grass. The other night you insisted that one of the books you brought to bed was my Martha Stewart recipe magazine – you look through the pictures and name all the food you recognize, “Noodles, Rice, Apple…”. I think you are going to make a great chef – we’ll keep cooking and making it fun, what a great way for my girl and I to bond when I get home.

Saying your name– Last week you started saying “Jeffries” then I told you how your full name is “Mary Jeffries” so you started saying that whenever we ask what your name is. When I gave you the name, I thought it sounded like an All-American Girl. To hear your sweet, little voice say it brings it to a whole new level. Your name as meaning, your Dad and I thought long and hard about it. Someday, You’ll hear all about the wonderful women that inspired your name.

Letter / Numbers– Your current favorite activity is your foam letter and numbers. They are supposed to go in the bathtub, but we use them all over, I even find them in my purse at work. You will hold one up to us and say, “Dis?” and if to say ‘what is this’ we will tell you the letter/number and you repeat it and move on to the next “Dis?” You actually KNOW what a lot of them are now which amazes me. So when you hold up a letter you know I say, “You know what that is, you tell me” and you’ll tell me proudly. Currently you know A,B,C,W,M,P,Z,O,9,8,4…but the list gets longer every day. When you hold up the M – I ask, “What is M for?” and you say “Mary”. You are so smart it’s scary.
I love you sweet girl,

Love, Mom