snips and snails and puppy dog tails

That's what little boys are made of ...

Dear J2,

I have been writing this belated 15 month letter for weeks now, but because I have been neither punctual nor consistent with my letters to you, I wanted to make it just perfect like you. Given all my worldly experience of raising one Little Miss J, I can tell you that this age/stage is one of my favorites. You are in the throes of developing your little personality and desperately trying to communicate your wants, needs, and desires with a limited English/Korean combo vocabulary. 

I actually missed scheduling your 15 month doctor's appointment because let's be honest - I didn't even know that was a "thing." Luckily, your Umma was smart enough to find you a pediatrician who calls to remind her of such things and so much to your immediate dismay (but in the long run you (and the rest of the public) will thank me), you have been vaccinated. You must have stored away in that little memory of yours the shots at your 12 month appointment because the moment they laid you down and stretched you out to measure your length, you started crying, and that crying didn't stop until we left the examination room. In fact, at one point in the midst of those big tears, while waiting for the doctor to arrive, you put the cap on your bottle, shoved it in the diaper bag, pointed at your clothes sitting the the table and then pointing at the door - clearly communicating that in your mind it was time to leave. 

You have handfuls of words and signs, which with my innate parental bias I find absolutely brilliant. When you want something, you point at it and hug yourself. You've learned the word and the meaning for the word, "mine." I imagine I have Little Miss J to thank for that. Last night your Appah fell asleep in your bed after soothing you back to sleep only to be awakened by you attempting to pull the pillow out from under his head while saying, "mine." 

You LOVE puppies, and just like your sister call most animals "mung mung" (which is the Korean word for puppy). You will hug your stuffed puppy tight and kiss it on the nose. 

Fetch!

In spite of the regular sibling rivalry, I can tell that you really love your sister. A few days ago, while I was hanging out with you in your bed, I heard your sister's voice. Your head immediately popped up, you scrambled off the bed, and scurried into her room as fast as your footed PJ feet could carry you, saying "noona noona" (which is, in this context, the Korean word for big sister). You climbed up into her bed where she was just waking up to snuggle up with her, a big grin plastered on your face. More often than not, you can be found in your sister's room playing kitchen.

Your favorite word is, "no," which is probably my fault because lately I have been saying it to you A LOT - no opening cupboards, no chewing up your food and feeding it to Carl, no running down the hall while holding the toilet paper that is still connected to the roll in the bathroom, etc. Last night you said, "no" when I asked if you wanted to win the lottery, which was probably less entertaining than I actually thought it was at the time - but hey, I don't get out much. Sometimes when I ask for a hug, you say "no" and shake your head. 

You continue to be a good sleeper - sort of. By that I mean, you like it when I sit in your room with you when you fall asleep. When you aren't tired, I'll just lay there while you play with Carl and/or  do this ...

Ravaged land after Hurricane J2

When you are finally tired, you'll crawl back into bed and go to sleep. After which, I will be left to clean up.

You greet people with a bow when requested, which is pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen. You give kisses and hugs, wave bye bye, and love to be outside. When I set you down on the porch to unlock the door, you will make a beeline down the sidewalk. You are a pretty good eater, and by that I mean you are definitely a good chewer. You will put almost any food in that mouth of yours, whether you swallow it is another matter as you'll often chew it up and then put it back on the table. You like to play with your food more than your sister did because she was too busy actually eating it.

Simply put, you have the best little smile and personality that lights up my world like no other. I fall for your smile every time.

 

I wish for you only great things in this life and will do everything in my power to protect you from harm and teach you to be a good, responsible, and loving person. I hope you will always be brave enough to try new things and not limited by the possibility of failure. Just know that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and LOVED more than you'll ever know! 

Umma