Dear Nolan - 18 months

Dear Nolan,

You are definitely a boy!  (Not that there was ever any doubt.)  You like playing with cars and trucks, you pick on your sisters, and you love to throw things.  Yep, definitely a boy.  I have a feeling you are going to join your cousins, Ben and Jacob, to form a trio of havoc pretty soon.

But you certainly are, first and foremost, your Mama’s little guy.  While you call pretty much everyone “daddy”, nobody can make your face to light up like your Mama.  You live for her.  She’s your first, second, and third choice of who to go to.

You (and your sisters) love playing outside.  You love the swings and the slide.  We’ve been working on your baseball swing.  You also like to watch Daniel Tiger or Frozen.  But your favorite thing is to ride on Mama’s back in a carrier (sensing a theme here?).  You will immediately drop anything you’re doing if you know you have a chance to ride around like a Koala on her back.

You are very good with technology already.  I’m amazed at how you can navigate Lucy’s iPad or my phone and find exactly what you want to watch.  You don’t talk much yet, not like Audrey, but I can tell in a lot of other ways that you are a very bright kid.  At this point, you’re probably content with Lucy answering questions for you.

You are a very sweet guy.  You like to snuggle, you are great at blowing kisses and giving hugs.  It is always so nice when I get home and you yell “Daddy!” and come running over to give me a hug with a giant smile on your face.  Speaking of which, that smile may be your meal ticket in life!  Even immediately after you’ve intently destroyed something, you’ll flash that big grin that makes it tough to get mad at you.  I hope you always have that smile to share with the world.

Nolan, I love you very much.  I know sometimes I forget that you are only 1.  You can definitely be a little tornado at times, but I need to remember that you’re just exploring and learning at your pace.
I can tell that you have a big heart and just love being loved.  And you are loved, just the way you are.  But… please stop biting Mama and your sisters!

Love always,

Daddy

Dear Audrey - 18 months

Dear Audrey,

It is hard to believe our little Podge is already a year and a half!  The first thing that comes to my mind to say is that you are absolutely Lucy’s little sidekick.  You adore Lucy and love to do whatever she is doing.  If Lucy is crawling on the floor pretending to be a dog, you are crawling right behind her.  If Lucy is jumping on the bed, you are jumping right beside her.  We try to warn Lucy to make good choices, because we’ve quickly figured out that you will do whatever she does, whether a good choice or not.  You always have such a big smile on your face when playing with your big sister.

You have always been such a quick learner and that has definitely continued.  You can already count 1-2-3 and say some of your letters.  You love doing songs with hand movements, like the Itsy-Bitsy Spider and the Wheels on the Bus.  It is amazing how good you are at those!

Just like Lucy, Nana has a big place in your heart.  You run to her whenever you see her.  And you hate leaving her!  Whenever we have to leave or if we are just stopping by briefly without going inside, you will be inconsolable.

You are so beautiful.  You inherited a lot of the Kawaguchi traits (Nuna’s side of the family).  You took Nolan’s share of those traits too apparently.  We saw Nuna’s three sisters recently and they all marveled about how much you take after them.

You make me laugh every day.  You have the cutest expressions.  You also get so excited about things that your feet just go crazy.  It makes me smile every time.

You are a great eater.  You always finish your plate and usually eat whatever Nolan and Lucy don’t want.  You are already looking after Nolan.  You will ask about “Noley” and share things with him.  You are such a good talker.  You are a little fighter though.  You will go with the flow most of the time, but you definitely know how to stand your ground.  If there’s something you really want, you can get pretty stubborn.

Audrey, as always, thank you for being so easy to care for.  I know this can cause you to get less attention at times than Lucy and Nolan, but you are never overlooked.  Mama and I love you so much and you always brighten our day.

Love always,

Daddy