Milestones

I am not one who thinks you should compare children or their accomplishments or talents. Just as each person is an individual, each child has his or her unique set of likes and dislikes and strengths and weaknesses. And it is just not fair to compare the spelling bee champ with the artist or the lego enthusiast with the math wizard.

BUT, this blog is meant to journal my thoughts and precious memories. I say that I will never forget when Robbie got his first tooth or when Eveley started to crawl. But I am realizing this may be a lofty goal. So, indulge me for a few moments.


When Robbie was about 9 months old, we went on vacation to Clearwater, Florida where some of our extended family lives. My great aunt brought us a slew of the small, hardcover Dr. Seuss books including several ABC books. She encouraged us to read these routinely to Robbie as she had done to her children and grandchildren. We accepted this advice and barely missed a day of reading these over and over and over again to him. My husband particularly made this a priority.

Well, lo and behold, when Robbie was about 17 months, he began saying his ABCs. And not just saying them, but pointing them out everywhere we went. While driving down the road one day, I heard Robbie from the backseat saying “M. M. M.” I looked around and there were the golden arches from McDonalds! He did this in the grocery store, on cereal boxes, on our clothes. He knew every letter. And when we thought he could only count to 10, he surprised us by going to 14. GENIUS, we thought.




We continued this with Eveley, although not as regularly. We would show her the A and go over that letter multiple times. Then, we would point at the A and ask her what it was. “B,” she would loudly respond! So, we weren’t sure if this would work again!

We have several sets of flashcards that we go through and books that we read. But it has never been something that we required of the kids. Seriously, I let my kids be kids. There is plenty of time for school!! But both Robbie and Eveley LOVED books and the flashcards. Eveley will jump on the window seat in the playroom and yell for her “cards.” And we often find her sitting inside her "book box."




In the past month, Eveley has begun putting words together. She now tells me she wants pink milk (milk in her pink cup) or a purple hairbow or her red jacket. She loves to help me with the laundry. She’ll pull out a piece of clothing, says, “daddy’s black sock” or “mama’s pink shirt,” and hands it to me to fold. (I’m working on teaching her to fold it! Just kidding.) Then, she’ll pull out another and say “more black sock.” It’s been fun to actually have a full-blown conversation with her.

And our favorite milestone -- Eveley is now saying "I love you." As you know, Robbie was 19 ½ months old when he went to heaven. Eveley Joy will be 22 months old tomorrow. So, we are entering new territory -- experiencing new things with her and watching her hit new milestones. I think hearing her say "Li luv you mama" at night may be my favorite yet!