Dear Livia,

You are now 14 months old and you’re looking more like a toddler than ever. A very pudgy bald little boy sat behind us on the airplane a week ago—he, too, was 13 months old and looked the part of a baby. I think you actually look a bit older now simply because you have lots of hair and you’re a slender little thing. You’re gaining weight now, I can see it around your face, and your muscles are getting stronger everyday. While we were on vacation you started taking multiple steps in a row while clinging on to my fingertips. Now, look out world because Livia no longer wants to sit down; she’d rather be walking! My theory is that you love walking so much because it lets you explore the world with your feet. If there’s a knothole in our wood floors, your toes have to touch it. If there’s a crack in the concrete sidewalk out front, that’s where you’re headed. Even when you’re playing on your back and want a toy, why let your fingers do all the work? Just stretch out those baby feet and get the job done! And I thought my toes were talented…

In the beginning of June we had a few tests done on you. You thought you were just playing with toys and then being oh-so-cruelly manhandled on the floor, but really we were having your skills evaluated. To make an hour long evaluation story shorter, let me just tell you that you’re the first 13 month old I know to have to take summer school! Turns out that summer school isn’t such a bad gig. It involves a very kind and gentle physical therapist coming to our living room and playing with us on a biweekly basis. And guess what you’ve proven in the past four week, at least in my thinking… You don’t need summer school after all. You’ve caught up, in your own sweet timing, and you’ve made significant progress from that day in early June. We pretty much think that you’re going to skip crawling and go straight to walking now. Still, we’re learning a lot from our PT and I’m glad to have her come point out how tremendously you’re getting along.

Besides the walking, you’ve learned to do all sorts of fun things this past month. You show much self-control by not pointing out facial parts anymore. On a rare occasion you’ll bless us with a point to a nose or ear when asked, but mostly you seem like you’re bored with that tired old game. You can also moo like a cow (when you want to, of course) and eagerly point to the stuffed cow hanging on your nursery wall. You can also point out butterflies in your bedroom. You kiss and snuggle in the most beautiful baby fashion, sometimes patting my shoulder as your burrow your head into my neck. Sometimes the kisses are close-mouthed accompanied by lip-smacking noises, other times they involve a little more saliva, say, with the tongue. But you know what? Though I’m grossed out by open-mouthed slobbery kisses from other kids, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ones you give me. Nothing touches my heart like a Livia-generated smooch.

You have a very sharp mind behind those big blue-grey eyes. You watch everything Daddy and I do and, more often than not, you imitate our actions. (Yep, uh-oh for us.) You wave, blow kisses, try to snap your fingers, open and close your mouth and “talk” with us on a daily basis. You are now learning the art of the fake cry and sometimes will make pathetic whimpers and boo-hoos to get our attention. But guess what, kiddo? Your mama is a champion crier/manipulator, so good luck with that one. What may work with Daddy will probably not work with me! So far you’ve chosen to use your powers for good, not evil, so even though your mind is quick, I’m glad to see that you’re still our beautiful, sweet Livia. Every night I thank God for blessing us with such an amazing girl and every night that sentiment is absolutely honest. We pray that God grants us wisdom to raise you in a righteous manner, that He forgives the many mistakes we make, and that He makes us stronger role models for you. May you glorify Him today in your own baby way.

Love,
Mama