Dear Great-Grandma,
Well, it has been so long since I wrote to you that I don’t even know what to say. The reason I haven’t been able to write in so long is that Mommy, who helps me to write the letters, has been spending every spare moment studying for her class. Don’t ask me what her class was about. I have no idea. But anyway, now she is done so we can write another letter to you.
I think the last letter I wrote was before we went to see my grandma and grandpa in Mississippi. Those are Daddy’s mommy and daddy. They live down there in Mississippi and so does my Aunt Roberta and Aunt Sarah and a dog named Lady. I had a wonderful time at their house. There was always somebody to read me a book or play with toys with me or help me put a puzzle together or listen to me talk. Everybody is very nice and they all like me a lot. So it was a good week.
But now it is almost Christmas! Mommy and Daddy have been singing Christmas songs to me and we are going to get a Christmas tree on Saturday. I like the lights and the wreaths and the candles and I like hearing about baby Jesus. I don’t really understand what’s going on but I am learning the words and someday I will put it all together.
I really like singing. I am not very good at singing myself, yet, but I always want Mommy and Daddy to sing to me. When they sing to me I learn the words, so then I can ask for the songs I like. I like the one about “Behold, behold, I stand at the door and knock knock knock” and “Climb up Sunshine Mountain” and also “Jesus loves me.” I also like the song about the three little kittens who lost their mittens, and Jingle Bells, and lots of other ones. What are your favorite songs, Great-Grandma?
I am learning so much right now. I can count to 12 without skipping any numbers–sometimes. I can recognize and name about half of the letters in the alphabet. I can take my pants off and put them on again–sometimes. I like to try to comb my hair and I am pretty good at putting my shoes on. And I am really good at talking. I use whole sentences now, like “Open the door” and “Read a book” and “Where’s the Mommy?”
One of my favorite games is “Chase you!” which means that I take off running, and Mommy or Daddy has to chase me around the house and catch me. Then they tickle me or throw me up in the air or something fun like that. I really like it. Sometimes I pick who it is I want to chase me. I say, “Chase you Daddy!” if I want Daddy to chase me. Opa was visiting yesterday and so I had him chase me. “Chase you Opa!” I also really like to tickle Mommy and Daddy. “Tickle tickle tickle!”
Oh, yes, it was Oma’s birthday yesterday and we gave her some presents and sang Happy Birthday to her. Mommy says that in two weeks it will be MY birthday. I am looking forward to that. She says I will be two years old. I am only one year old right now and so two is a whole lot older.
Do you remember about our chickens? Well, the chicken we named Elise is laying eggs now, and they are really yummy! We get one egg every day and sometimes it is hard to decide how to use it. I like to eat them for breakfast. Mommy likes to use them to cook things like cookies or bread. Daddy likes to fry them up and eat them all in one bite. Gulp!
Well, what else can I tell you? I am getting some new teeth. These are more molars. I don’t know why I need more molars and I really would rather not have them because they hurt and make me grumpy. I think they make Mommy grumpy too but I don’t know why they would do that. She says she thought I was two before, but she was wrong. What do you think she means by that?
I am growing up, little by little, Great-Grandma. I am learning about doing things by myself, and getting help, and how to be naughty and how to be good. I am learning to tell stories and to sing songs and to count and read books and someday I will learn to write letters all by myself, but not yet. I am pretty happy to be a little boy although it is hard to always hear “NO!” all the time when I am doing something especially interesting. I hear that word a lot and I say it a lot too. Do you hear that word? Does it make you mad, too? I don’t know why we should have it. It doesn’t make sense. Maybe someday I will understand.
Love,
Isaac