18

This baby is now 18 months old. I feel like a walking cliche, because probably five times a day I look at him and say, "Where did the time go?" Seriously, though: where did it go?? His life seems to be flying by at breakneck speed, and I already miss the days of snuggling a lumpy Jonathan in my arms.

Nevertheless, this toddler Jonathan has his charms. He's still fun to snuggle, even if he wiggles a bit more than he used to. And he's something of a tiny tot, so he's still fun to tote around. He loves being near Clara and doing what she does (something she only inconsistently welcomes). He loves eating blueberries and prunes (which is good, since they're a bit of a necessity, if you know what I mean). He loves stuffed animals and playing outside. And he absolutely loves his shadow. He's fascinated by it! He just discovered it last week, and ever since then he's constantly on the lookout for it. He can't quite say "shadow," so he calls it "hoe," and he likes to say "Hi, hoe," and "Night-night, hoe." We have changed the shadow's diaper, we have chased the shadow, we have put the shadow to bed, we have fed the shadow. He loves that thing.

Jonathan can be trouble sometimes, mainly because he is so good at climbing on stuff. I often come around the corner to find him standing on top of the table or on Clara's bed or on the toilet, or wherever else he can manage to climb. Sometimes I think he is determined to maim or kill himself, but he just likes to conquer obstacles in his path. So far he still has all of his teeth and has not broken a thing. We'll keep him.