Babies to the Max: 15 Months

Dear Sarah,

Your sweet smile charms the world - customers in the grocery store, waitresses, neighbors out for a stroll - and inevitably fosters the comparison to the archetypal cute baby, the Gerber baby. Someone comments on your similarity to the famous tot multiple times per week. Of course, my girl is even cuter because she is in color!

Most children use rings for stacking as intended, but our daughter sees them solely as accessories. Rings are slipped onto your arms and over your feet to become bracelets and anklets. Anything with a strap finds its way onto your appendages, as well as ponytail holders, teething rings, and rattles. That is the real reason we keep those baby toys out (not because we are lazy in getting them packed away!)

Despite your tendency to remain in constant motion, you have never met a chair you did not like. Sarah, you head straight for whatever chair is in the vicinity and curl up in armchairs, crawl into pint-sized adirondack chairs, and sway in rocking chairs. You beg to sit in the chair at Max's table to color. But your favorite sitting spot is still someone's lap!

Your new nickname is The Headbanger (maybe one day you will marry Harvey Wallbanger?) Not only do you love to move and groove to the tunes, but you also literally bang your head all the time. The helmet purchase we discussed when you were younger clearly would have been a good investment. Your forehead is usually lined with bruises. You fall down. You run into things. You knock your head on every conceivable surface. Fortunately, the black and blue shades of the bruises accentuate your eyes.

My eagle-eyed baby can spot a ball at any distance. It might actually be a cantaloupe or the moon or a balloon, but they all produce an enthusiastic shriek of "BALL!" Playing with balls can occur inside or outside, but your favorite ball related activity is tossing them through the railing so they bounce down the stairs as you laugh with glee. Your other favorite utterance is "Whooooa!" Falling down, spotting food or even just walking into the room can all produce a cheerful "whoa".