Harrison- 19 Month Letter

Dear Harrison-

You are 19.5 months old and you will notice that this post, which was supposed to be your 18 month letter, is running behind. I think it might be because we have one very busy little boy who keeps us on our toes!! You are really a sweet boy, but in the last couple months you have started to make your ideas of how life should go known. You have developed some STRONG opinions about what you want, or don’t and you usually communicate those ideas with a very whiny, obnoxious voice (sorry, there is no way to sugarcoat it). We are trying to teach you to ask nicely for things. It is a slow process, but you are starting to catch on. We know you are just testing your boundaries, and learning your limits, but sometimes your dad and I have to refrain from laughing, because your fits are usually over something so minor…like the bunny crackers in the wrong section of your plate. Though it has been challenging, we are riding the waves with you. You are still such a happy boy when the world is right in your eyes. I think that your current laugh is certainly the most infectious one that you have had. I could spend hours reading you silly books or tickling you just to hear that little boy cackle.

You are learning so much right now. It is so much fun to see things just “click”. You have your routine down. You go into the bathroom and set up your stool to wash your hands before you eat. You go into your bedroom around 7pm and try to pull your lambie through the slats of your crib and get your mimi, in preparation for bedtime. You know when we are driving to “auntie and my-my’s house” and get really excited when I tell you someone is coming to visit, and you wait at the door, or pull up the blinds to look out the window for them.

Over the past couple weeks, you have really started to talk and you try and copy everything we say. You have moved on from repeating things twenty times in a row (thank you), and onto building two-word sentences. It has been interesting to decipher the combinations that you come up with. Most popular right now are “Dadda work” and Mama back” (as in I’ll be right back, when you get nervous about me leaving to do something). You have also started to recognize yourself in photos, and say “Harrison (or actually Hessen)”. I laugh as I type this because you have also started to refer to yourself in the third person, “Harrison happy”, “Harrison Coat”, and “Harrison hungry”. One of my favorite stories comes from your aunt Erika. Apparently you were at the grocery store with Jeremiah, and someone noticed that you boys were adorable (of course), and you proudly pointed to yourself and said, “Harrison.”

You have started to become interested in toys other than cars. Trains have started climbing the list. I suspect this new interest has risen for a few reasons. One- you can hook them together and drive them around (so much better than cars), and two- you enjoy building the track, though you can’t quite drive the train on it without it coming apart just yet. I think you would enjoy a train table to play on, so I have been searching Craigslist, and trying to find space in our little house for your railroad adventures. Luckily, we have not had too many cold days, and VERY few snowy days, as it has truly been a mild winter, by Minnesota standards. You have spent a lot more time outside in the fresh air than we could have ever imagined. Getting out to run around has been a huge blessing, since you have a lot of energy right now. You are a climber…and I am hoping that in the future you learn that we ask you not to climb certain things to keep you from breaking your neck, not to spoil all the fun.

Every day with you is a new adventure! We can’t imagine life without you, and your laugh.

Love,

Mom (and Dad, too)