Matthew had his 18 month checkup a week ago. Everything was great. The doctor was pleased with all his developmental milestones and his growth. I am awestruck by how quickly he is growing up on me.
We have been really enjoying Matthew’s increased communication skills. He tries to repeat things we say. It is so refreshing when he can say what he wants instead of grunting. Don’t get me wrong, we are a long way from full on communication. But we understand at least half of what he says. Because of his doctor appointment, I had to count up how many words he uses regularly and I was pleasantly surprised – over 30. And that’s not counting words that he has said occasionally. He is starting to form short sentences - "where go", "whats dat", "i hide", "mama sit", etc.
Speaking of "where go?", where is the time going? October is gone. I feel like I have blinked the year away. I can’t believe that Christmas is just around the corner. Brian and I actually started our Christmas shopping this weekend. I feel like we were just celebrating Matthew’s first Christmas yesterday. It was quite the challenge having Matthew with us as we shopped. The problem is not that I think he will recognize something we want to stash away for him, but rather he thinks everything we put in the cart is his. He says “mine” about everything. All the kids are getting toys that Matthew tried out as we shopped. He made sure they were all in good working order, even the girl toys. It was fun shopping though. We are trying to shop a little all along, so that our pocket book doesn’t take such a huge hit all at one time.
I just love Christmas. I have always loved it, but I love it even more now that I have Matthew. I can’t wait to teach him about why we celebrate Christmas. Brian and I are still trying to figure out what traditions we want to start with our little family. As Matthew gets older, they will become more important. I loved the traditions that I grew up with.
It’s amazing how parenthood changes your vision. Colors are brighter, people are nicer, and things are more beautiful. Everything in my life has a new joy to it with him. I often think about how Matthew views the world. He is totally unaware that there is bad or evil out there. As we walk through the store with him holding one of our hands, he cheerfully waves at everyone we meet and says “Hi” in the sweetest voice. He blows goodbye kisses to every cashier. He wants to play with every child. He has no idea that people can be mean, spiteful and hurtful. He doesn’t realize that people kill each other over trivial things like skin color, clothes, backgrounds, and a whole host of other things. When I look at his sweet little face, I think about how blessed he is to be untainted by this world yet. And I wish he could forever remain so innocent and unexposed to life’s hardships. I pray the world will get better – that people will become more civilized – by the time he is old enough to understand. I pray he won’t learn the hatred that some have for those who are different. I hope he always sees the good in others. Childhood innocence is so beautiful. Children are the perfect illustration of God’s love. Not only are they miracles fashioned by God. But they love without judgment, unconditionally. And they love everyone. God tells us to love one another as He has first loved us. God created us all and He loves us all, even those who don’t love Him. Why can’t we all see the world with the innocence of a child? Why can’t we all have a childlike faith in mankind?
