It’s been an eventful month already! We had a quiet Fourth of July with my family on the patio: Michael found out that he loves corn on the cob. He wasn’t a fan of fireworks, however. Too noisy and sudden. But I have a feeling that they’ll be a hit next year.

Jake and I celebrated four years of marriage on the 6th. It hardly seems like it’s been four years! We went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant with my best friend and her husband, who were in town for a few days.

Then, I had the honor of being a bridesmaid for one of my oldest and dearest friends!There’s something beautiful and sacred about being asked to participate in someone’s wedding. It’s more than just wearing a color-coordinated dress and smiling for pictures: it’s a decision I don’t take lightly. I consider it a solemn honor to stand as a witness to a marriage.

The day after the wedding, we flew to the Midwest. We spent a delightful week with Jake’s family (all seven siblings and their families in one place!). It was so nice to see everyone and to celebrate his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary.

Michael loved getting to see all of his cousins and aunts and uncles. He especially loved climbing the stairs in the cabins, smelling flowers, and playing on the swing set. He practiced going up and down stairs so much that he’s started going down our porch without holding on to anything.

Traveling with a toddler is quite an adventure, especially after a week of excitement and routine disruption. Michael loves being on airplanes for about twenty minutes: then he gets very upset over his lack of mobility. Thankfully, on the way back, he slept through both of our flights. However, he was very reluctant to sleep when we finally got home around midnight. Needless to say, we’re all recovering from sleep deprivation and will be taking the next week slowly.

While we were away, he turned eighteen months old! We can finally say he’s one and a half, instead of hitting people with the exact number of months.

Michael is a full-blown toddler now. He has become quite steady on his feet (so not too much toddling) and loves to climb, balance, run, and jump. As always, he loves nature and would eat and sleep outside if we let him.

His language skills continue to explode: he now routinely strings words together into short sentences. He gets very excited about talking, which sometimes makes deciphering what he’s saying a bit tricky.

He loves strawberries and raspberries, and pesto pasta remains his favorite food. However, getting him to slow down enough to eat is a bit of a challenge. He doesn’t like sitting still long enough to finish a full meal, so often we get him to sit as long as we can, and then finish feeding him bites as he plays or runs around.

He loves helping me in the garden, and has gotten quite good at picking cherry tomatoes — we finally convinced him to only pick the red ones. He loves picking fruits and veggies. I really look forward to next year, when my garden will be a bit more robust.

Sleep is a constant difficulty but compared to six months ago, it’s improved. Instead of being up every 1.5 to 2 hours, he now wakes about two or three times a night. He’s slept through the night a total of four times in his life. We look forward to when we can no longer count that number on one hand.

Grandpa continues to be Michael’s best friend. Their relationship is one of the sweetest things: if he’s upset, Grandpa can soothe him. If he’s tired but fighting naps, Grandpa can get him to sleep. If he hears Grandpa’s car, or sees him in the garden, off he goes to find him.

All types of machinery continue to be a fascination. Tractors, vans, trucks, limos: he loves them all and carefully distinguishes each from the other. When we found this grocery cart at Kroger, I thought he was going to burst from excitement.

I must admit, despite the difficulties that come with the toddler years, I’m enjoying watching his language and comprehension grow in leaps and bounds. He’s such a kind, fiery, gentle-souled little boy, and I love him so much.