Dear Vivian {Month 17}

17 months! Oh, my! I know, it's so exciting, isn't it?

Getting wiggly in your brown chair photoshoot. You're in one of the outfits Grandma made you for Christmas, so you wiggle with style!

Trying to keep you from going overboard!

Other highlights from this month: You've got two working, breathing nostrils! Hip, hip for three successful surgeries! Hooray for them being over! You continue to chat a lot, you're getting better at keeping those hearing aids in (though the past couple of days have been a bit of a battle) and just in the past few days you've been scooting on your bottom to get around (still working on crawling). My favorite thing you've done in the past month: When we're driving around and your dad and I are laughing about something in the front seat, you'll start laughing in your carseat in back, wanting to join in the fun. It's hilarious. New signs this month: book, car, banana, apple, flower, teddy bear, tree, kiss, doll, clean, squirrel, grandpa, bath, elephant, crackers, cow, friend, cheese, mouse.

9 minutes {January 9, 2009 9:46 AM}

I set you in the middle of the carpet with some toys scattered around to see what you will move to. You scoot to your red piano - a few big scoots and you're there. You tap the keys happily. Your hand moves to the top of the red lacquer piano, taps a few times, then back to the keys. You push on the piano, working to topple it - but I intervene and keep it upright. Back to tickling the ivories. Ba ba ba ba.

You pivot toward other toys, then back to the piano. You pivot back to the hardwood floor, lean forward and kiss it. You continue pivoting until you've made a full rotation and are back to playing the piano.

You knock the piano over (I break its fall) and you still reach forward and press the keys, though they make no sound when it's on its side.

You pivot 360 degrees again, and reach for your farm puzzle. You take out the ducks and offer them to me. You continue to remove each animal and toss it behind you until they're all in a pile. You pick up the goat, say ba ba ba. Now you start trying to put the animals back into the puzzle. You sign "duck". You clap your hands. You pick up the sheep and add it to the pile on the puzzle.

You reach for a book, turn a few pages. Then the timer beeps. You stop, look up and then look toward the kitchen. You close your book. 9 minutes are up.