you, at 15 months..

My sweet George,

You are officially a toddler and are living up to that title and then some!  So curious about your world, a constant explorer and communicating with us more each day.  It is so much fun watching you play, interact and discover. You are an incredibly happy and sweet boy and we are thankful everyday for you and your easy disposition. At 15 months, you...

• are walking like a champ, starting to run and still climbing everything 
• got you first pair of "real" shoes: New Balance sneakers, size 6 wide
• wear 18 month clothing
• make a "ooo, ooo" sound when you are excited about something or want to get our attention, making an "o" with your mouth, and point to what you want
• are still an excellent eater.  You have at least one apple each day and also love bananas, clementines and blueberries.  Some other favorites now are veal with orzo, lentil soup, turkey chili, shredded taco chicken, pastina with chicken and carrots, blueberry waffles and egg and cheese omelettes 
• when you want milk or, if we ask you "Thelis gala?" (Do you want milk? in Greek), you run to the refrigerator and try to open the door. Same goes for your milo (apple)
• say Mama, Baba, ba-oo (balloon), ba (ball), go and got it.  You understand much more than you can speak and this is very normal for toddlers in bi-lingual homes.
• are very ticklish under your arms and give us fantastic giggles whenever we play Tickle Monster
• still adore Sesame Street.  Your favorite episode of late is one where Elmo gets ahold of Abby's wand and makes everyone sing. Baby Bear and Mr. Hooper sing about porridge and you smile and laugh the whole way through the song, "I'm talking porridge, porridge, porridge, yummy, yummy porridge!" The tune is now stuck on constant loop in Mama and Baba's heads
• know how to kick a ball with your instep.  You dribble your small basketball or soccer ball  through the house daily
• love your books...to their demise! We have had to replace several of your favorites as they were, ahem, over loved and literally fell apart
• have complete crying and yelling meltdowns when we need to change your diaper in public restrooms.  I have no idea why this is happening but hope it is a stage that passes quickly
• give the best hugs and kisses
• weighed in at 25 pounds even at a recent sick visit to the doctor.  I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your stats at your fifteen month appointment next week
• are still getting used to your feet and wearing shoes on different terrain.  You've taken a few tumbles, resulting in some scrapes and your first boo-boo requiring a band-aid
• love taking walks around town.  You will happily sit in your stroller for long stretches of time around town, people watching and pointing to the trucks as they drive by
• have so much fun at our local parks with lots of structures to climb and room to run.  We were lucky to have some early spring days in the past month for you to explore our parks for the first time since you started walking. 
• can reach doorknobs.  We had to put safety caps on the front and bathroom doors, just in case
• are very interested in figuring out how things work: taking things apart, seeing how pieces fit and pushing buttons
• go nap once a day for 1.5-2 hours, usually about 4 hours after you start the day. Lately, you have started initiating your own naps, going to the refrigerator and signaling that you would like milk.
• bedtime is 7:00 pm.
• when we are home, you cannot stand to have me out of your sight. When out, you will go quite a distance to play, occasionally check to make sure I am still around and, every once in awhile, will came back just to give me a quick hug *melt*
• are a great car traveler. You will either sit quietly in your seat (still rear-facing), playing with a few toys and listening to music or, you will drift off to sleep

Life with you is such an incredible joy.  Every time you meet a new milestone or discover something new, I think, "This is my favorite age/stage." Then, the next one proves to be even more exciting.  We  can't wait to see what's to come...

I love you to the moon and back, and again,
Mama