Dear Great-Grandma,
Hello again from North Dakota! It is me, Isaac. Do you still remember me? I still remember you! It is only about three more weeks until I will come back to Virginia and be closer to you again.
But in the meantime, I am having a lot of fun out here. I get to play with lots of people. In the morning, I wake up nice and early so I have plenty of time to play with Mommy or Daddy before breakfast. Then after my other parent gets up, everybody gets dressed and we go eat breakfast in the dining hall together. I usually have rice chex and eggs and banana. That is my favorite breakfast. Once in a while I get a special waffle made just for me.
When we come back from breakfast, I know it is time to go play in the nursery so I run down the hall to the room where I play. Daddy usually follows me just to make sure I get where I am supposed to go, but I know where I am going so he wouldn’t really need to come.
I play in the nursery for about three hours, and then when it is lunchtime Mommy comes and picks me up. I am always very happy to see her but once in a while I am in the middle of something so I don’t always want to leave. I have to finish first. So when I am quite finished Mommy takes me back to the room and we say hi to Daddy, and then we go wash our hands and get ready for lunch.
For lunch I have lots of different things, but I love to eat olives and kidney beans. I also love tortilla chips and ice cream. I don’t usually get all of those things but when I do I am happy. Mommy and Daddy often have things I am not allowed to have because they have wheat in them and they would make my tummy hurt. But there are plenty of other things to eat.
After lunch we go back to our rooms again and it is time for my nap. I have been enjoying my nap lately so I don’t mind taking it. I usually sleep for two or three hours unless something wakes me up sooner. Sometimes a noisy baby wakes me up and sometimes a noisy motor outside. They like to trim the grass and the trees during my nap, which makes Mommy and Daddy unhappy, and me too because I wake up and then I am grumpy.
Anyway, then after my nap I play in the nursery for a little while again and then Mommy comes and gets me and we go play somewhere till Daddy is done with work. He works in his room, did you know that? He talks to people through the computer and does things in Virginia when he is in North Dakota. It is very odd.
When Daddy is done with work we play for a bit again and then it is supper time. I have the same kinds of things for supper that I have for lunch. I love watermelon and peaches, and I like it when I get bacon. Sometimes I steal it off of Mommy’s plate when she is not looking. Shh! Don’t tell her! I use a spoon sometimes and I use my fingers sometimes. The spoon is more fun but the fingers are easier.
After supper Daddy usually takes me somewhere to play while Mommy gets some work done for her classes. And then it is bedtime and Daddy puts me to bed. Mommy does sometimes too, especially on weekends, but during the week it is mostly Daddy. But I always give both Mommy and Daddy a goodnight kiss. I can give real kisses! Here is one for you: *kiss*
So that is what my days are like. I play in all kinds of ways. I still love to play with balls. I can throw them and roll them. I can’t really catch them. I can hit them with a hammer or a golf club. I can also put shapes into a puzzle. I can recognize a star and a circle. I pretend to count to three so that Mommy and Daddy will help me jump (one! two! three! JUMP!). I pretend to play ball with my hedgehog puppet that Grandma and Grandpa gave me. I dance to music. I read books. I make animal sounds. I spin in circles and get dizzy. I walk on my tiptoes. I walk backwards. I take big steps and little steps. I jump on the bed (do you really think it is wrong? If Mommy and Daddy say it is okay, can I still do it?). I pretend to open doors with keys. I play with clocks and watches. I wear Mommy and Daddy’s shoes. I put things in and take them out. I draw circles. I watch Mommy and Daddy draw circles (and other things too). I run up and down in the hall. I take the keys off Daddy’s keyboard. I make my little stuffed bunny hop around. I pet my toy puppy. I look in the sky for the moon. I open and close drawers. I turn fans on and off, and lightswitches too. I tickle Mommy’s toes and she tickles me. I play hide-and-seek. I ride on Daddy’s shoulders and tell him to go fast. I dig in the sand with a shovel and fill up a bucket. I drive toy cars. (I would like to drive real ones but I am not allowed.)
I can say all kinds of words. I can’t really list them all here because there are so many of them now, but here are some of the new ones I have learned recently: puppy, rhino, screw, soap, more, flagpole, pillow, run, fast. If you heard me say them you might not recognize all of them because my pronunciation is not perfect but Mommy and Daddy understand me!
I am afraid it is time for me to go to bed again, so that is all I am able to write for now. I will send this letter to Grandma through the computer so that she can give it to you when she visits you tomorrow. I am writing this on Sunday and she will see you on Monday and give it to you. It is nice that it can get there so fast!
Thank you for praying for me, Great-Grandma. I am sure that it is helping me to grow stronger and wiser. Do you know something, I have stopped getting hurt so much since I have been here. I just thought about that today. I used to bump my head all the time and now it doesn’t happen much at all. I wonder why that is. Is it because I am growing up? Or maybe because you are praying for me?
Here is another kiss for you, and a hug too. Mommy sends some also.
Love,
Isaac