Dear Great-Grandma,
I got your letter yesterday! Thank you for writing to me again. It has been quite a while since I wrote to you and a lot has happened. But the first thing I have to tell you is that I can walk all by myself!
Well, the first big thing I should tell you is that I went to Mississippi and saw my grandparents and my three aunts. We got in the car one afternoon and we drove and drove and drove and then I fell asleep and every time I woke up we were somewhere else but we just kept driving!!! And then finally when I didn’t think I could stand it any longer, we got out of the car and went into a house and there was my Grandma Sachs! She was so happy to see me. But I was very tired. I took two long naps that day.
Mommy says we spent a whole week down there. I didn’t keep track very well. There was so much to do there, and I learned so much! They had a little tiny horse and a little tiny cow, and I learned what the horse and cow say. The horse says, “Nei-ei-ei-eigh!” and the cow says, “Mmmmmmmm!” And they had a really big doggy who walked around all over the place. She was bigger than me. I liked to try to chase her and touch her fur. And I loved to watch her walk around.
I read a book with little paper flaps that you lift up and there were animals underneath! When I opened the one for the kitties, I made little squeaky sounds like the kitties do. Everybody thought that was really neat, so I kept doing it.
All the people there held my hands and helped me walk all around. It was great! I got lots and lots of practice and I didn’t have to think about trying it on my own.
I ate turkey. I liked it, but after a while I got kind of tired of it.
I went to the park twice. I got to drive the fire engine, and swing on the swings, and ride a whale.
We did lots of other stuff, too, but I can’t remember it now. Then we got in the car again and we drove and drove and drove some more and then finally after I fell asleep we were home. Mommy tried to get me to go back to sleep but I was so excited to be back home that I just wanted to get up and play! Later on I was tired, though.
So that was our trip to Mississippi! I wouldn’t mind if we did it again sometime, I think.
I have also been learning quite a lot of things. I already told you that I learned what some animals say. I also have learned that you can put things “in” and take them “out.” I like to practice with things like laundry baskets, or cups (I put my socks in and take them back out) or drawers. I also can put things “on” other things. I put my books on the shelf, or a toy on the table, or the windowsill, or anywhere I can reach, really. I can also turn knobs! I can’t quite reach the doorknobs, though. Soon.
I am learning about words, too. I say “dat” and “light” and “duh” and sometimes “dada” and every once in a great while, “mama.” I am not really sure what all these words mean but I am practicing them. I am pretty sure that “light” is those bright things in the ceiling, though.
And of course I can walk now. I should tell you about how that happened. The day after we got back from Mississippi, a big new toy showed up at our house. It was something I had to stand up at to play with. (It plays music when I press a button! I love pressing buttons and I love music. I like to dance to it.) Anyway, I was playing at this thing but not really holding on to it. All of a sudden it started to move away from me, so I took a few steps so I could stay close to it. (I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was doing.) Steps! All on my own! And it wasn’t upsetting. When Daddy got home that evening, I took a few steps towards him. It wasn’t too scary.
All that week I took a few steps every day. I practiced stepping, but not too much. I didn’t want to be scared by it. Then, a week after I started taking steps, I found myself without any shoes on. Usually I am wearing shoes because it is chilly and I slip too much in just socks. But for some reason I didn’t have any shoes or socks on. And I took a few steps, and then a few more, and it wasn’t too hard! I could get a better grip on the floor with my bare feet. I started walking all over the place, all by myself. Kitchen, hallway, living room, dining room, kitchen again… I made it all the way around, all by myself!
So every day that week, I got better at walking by myself. I started on a Monday and by Thursday I was walking pretty much everywhere. And now I hardly ever crawl at all. It is much more efficient to walk. Plus, I can carry things! I pick up a coaster or a bookmark in the living room and carry it to the kitchen. I put them down and pick up a toy and carry it into the bathroom and drop it in the tub. I open a drawer in the bathroom and pull out a washcloth and carry it into the hallway. I put it on the bookshelf and pull a book off. The book falls on the floor because it is kind of too heavy for me. So then I pick up a toy in the hallway and carry it into Mommy’s room, put it on the windowsill, and pick up a sock. The sock goes to the living room… do you get the idea? Sometimes I don’t think Mommy is very happy about me rearranging her house, but mostly she just laughs, so that is okay.
Well, I decided to only take one nap today, so Mommy says I must go to bed early. I will wrap up my letter. But hopefully I will see you very soon, Great-Grandma! I love you and Great-Grandpa Al!
Love,
Isaac