Happy 22 Month Birthday, Brayden B!

Dear Brayden,

I feel like I’m writing these letters way too often.  Time is literally flying by!  

This month you have really turned into a boy.  You are not a baby.  You are starting to speak in sentences, which is just crazy to me.  You’re learning new words every day.  Just today you said “heart” and “goat” for the first time and we haven’t even been working on them.  This past weekend you said “dog” and “cat”, which we’ve been working on for awhile.  Until now you’ve always just said the sounds.  You also said “shoes”.  I love how you say “hot” when you actually mean “bright”.  While you’re learning tons of new words you also still have a secret language, which I LOVE!  You say, “I love you, Mama” as “E O eyes, Mama!”.  It’s my favorite  

Your Daddy turned 30 and we practiced singing happy birthday a lot.  At the end of the song you pretend to blow out birthday candles.  When we finally sang to Daddy you helped him blow out his candles.  I can’t wait for your second birthday to see if you’ll do it on your own!

You still say “ha” instead of “yes” and everyone (including me) thinks it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever heard.

You are still obsessed with choo choo’s.  It’s all you talk about.  You wake up talking about them.  You go to sleep talking about them.  You think there is going to be a choo choo every new place we go.  We went to Irvine Park and got to ride the train all by ourselves.  It was so much fun!

You went to the snow for the first time.  Let’s just say you didn’t love it.  You learned the word “cold” very fast.  You liked to put the hood of your sweatshirt on and cover as much of your face as possible and say “Cold! Cold!”.  Every time you saw snow you would also say, “Cold!  Cold!”.  We tried to get you to play in the snow, but you cried the whole time.  The only time you laughed was when I hit someone with a snowball.  

You’re eating so much better, but you have to be able to dip whatever you’re eating.  Preferably into barbeque sauce or ranch.

You are obsessed with your Papa and Pop Pop and talk about them constantly.  Whenever there is someone at the door you think it is one of them.  Sorry Grandmas!

I’m just so proud of you, Brayden Bittel.  I’m proud of every teeny, tiny accomplishment you make.  If I’m this proud when you say “dog” or “heart”, how am I going to feel when you start preschool?  Graduate from Kindergarten?  Score your first goal?  Get your first A?  Graduate from high school?  Get accepted into UCLA?  No pressure!  :)  Graduate from college?  Get married?  I can’t even think about that one!  I just can’t imagine being any prouder of you than I am today, but I know we have so many more fun and exciting things ahead of us.  

The fact of the matter is, I will always be your number one fan.  Cheering you on if you’re the best at something or the worst at something.  As long as you are happy and having fun I will be there with you supporting you all the way.   

E o eyes, Brayden Bittel!

Love,

Mama