One and 3/4

Dear Griffin,

Today, you are 21 months old. For those that don't count in months like those of us with kids under 2 seem to do, this means a big ol' 1 and 3/4. Every day brings us a few more hours closer to 2...although I think you've completed your "Prep for Two" course and passed with flying colours. Remember this? You won't remember it of course, but this is you, in action in the midst of your best temper tantrum to date (that maybe wasn't made any better by your Mama taking pictures of you!) And all because I wanted to take a sip of my own water (the AUDACITY!), the water in the bottle that you were so busy alternating guzzling and backwashing with. Just be thankful I kept the picture of you with the snot dribbling all over your face in the "not fit for internet" file.

You my son, are captain independent. You LOVE to explore, and will do so with no regard as to where any of the rest of us are hanging out. When something captures your attention, you MUST see, touch, taste, smell, climb, whatever you can, before you could possibly do anything else. Your new favourite discovery this month is the "taktor," and you'll spend an hour climbing off and on. Ever since I took you for your first taktor ride, you've been hooked, and I've taken to just parking the darn thing within sight of wherever I want to work in the yard, and you're happy as a clam. As soon as you can reach the pedal kid, she's all yours. (OK, mostly yours. Maybe not ALL.)

You are also a problem solver. You like to sit, figure out how things work. Things with buttons, latches, openy-closey bits - they captivate you for days. You love to relocate things - you'll spend significant amounts of time moving the sand from the sandbox into the back of the ride along car, one shovel-full at a time. You're also a water-baby to the core, and I can't WAIT to show you the wonders of the sprinkler!Today marks a big day for our little family. Not only are you 1 and 3/4, but your Mama has rejoined the world of the working, and I'm sad to say that you'll be seeing a lot more of daycare, and a lot less of your loving Mama for the next little while. I got a little teary when I put you to bed last night, thinking about our last carefree middle-of-the-week-day for a long time. Heck, I'm getting a little teary eyed now.

Our 1/2 hour jumping on the bed mornings will be relegated to the weekends. No more lounging on the couch in our PJ's in the middle of the week, you with your milk and me with my coffee, watching hours of "Street." No more Tuesday morning swims, or Friday morning libraries. It makes me sad, but there's hardly a day of the past 21 months that I would take back for all the beer in Creemore. I feel blessed that we got to have such an extended little Mama-Griffin-Fest for the past almost 2 years.

But now, it's time for me to head back to work, to be a responsible adult (boring!), and to think about building our future. And work I will, every day, as hard as I can, until the clock strikes 4:30 and I can get in the car and drive quickly (but safely!) home to my boys. I'll treasure our few moments in the mornings, you with your sleepy eyed smile that wakes me up, and your non stop energy that gets me out of bed (usually because you're into something you shouldn't be!) I'll look forward to opening the door at daycare, and have your eyes light up as you yell "Mama!" and run into my arms. I'll try not to feel guilty for leaving you so long each day, and remind myself that this job is going to make our own little world, as well as the bigger world around us, a better place to live in.

Dude - Saturday, 7:30am. Bed jumping, you and me. It's a date!

I love you.

xoxox

Mama