Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!

Happy 18 months, Henry!  You're a little joy and full of wonder and amazement.  As I sit here starting to write, I'm watching you play in the bathtub with your Thomas the Tank Engine train.  You're making "brummm...brummm...brummm" sounds as your train chugs up the wall of the shower, along the edges of the bathtub, over the bridge of the faucet.  I'm letting you stand...you're a risk taker.  Never sitting down, even for a second.  You've kept yourself occupied now for a while and I am observing with admiration of you and what a little boy you're becoming.  You were fearfully and wonderfully made.  One in a million, one of a kind.  You love anything with a motor.  This afternoon you stole away from the yard and headed straight to the shed, where you climbed the big green lawn mower and sat on the cushy yellow seat like a little man.  My little man.  Then when Daddy took a quick break to grab a water and a granola bar, you went right up to the running backhoe and tried to climb up it.  You might have been able to too, but I pulled you off before you got the chance to really try...it was running, after all.  The other day, you did climb up the steps to the tractor from the ground, on your own.  No fear.  While we were at the airport in Atlanta on the layover between Munich and home, you intently watched out the window for twenty-five minutes, the comings and goings of airplanes, baggage carts, and trucks.  Twenty-five minutes.  That's a long time for a little guy to be occupied with any one activity.  Your mama appreciated that break after the ten-plus hour flight though!  What I would give to have known exactly what you were thinking that whole time.  You're starting to talk a lot.  You make lots of different noises and have been experimenting lots lately with your voice!  You even use a few words: Daddy, Mama, of course, but now you say Mama with gusto, and repeat Mama until you get my attention.  You say Traktor (tractor), wawa (wasser/water), doh (dog).  You sign 'more' when you want to eat and 'drink' when you want water.  You dislike the taste of cow's milk.  You usually check your cup to see if we've given you water or milk, and if you see white, push the cup away.  The other day, though, you took a drink from Claire's cup and forgot to check and twisted your mouth in disgust.  You sign 'train' and point like a guy who knows what he wants.  The first thing you usually point to in the morning is your toy bin of tractors that's too high to reach.  You can occupy yourself with those for a long time, too.  You drive them along the tables, behind the log bin on the fireplace, on the TV (opps!), and anywhere else you see some landscape to conquer.  When Daddy gets home, you play tractors with him.  You find the field cultivator together so that you can do what Daddy's doing.  I'm pretty sure Daddy is looking forward to the day when he can teach you everything about the farm.  And you'll love it.  You are getting really good at letting us know what you see from your carseat.  You 'talk' to me when we're on the drive to town until I see what you see, whether it's a tractor, a train, a truck, cars, or a lake.  You're satisfied when you've shown me what you spied, until you spy the next thing to point out.  You are easy going, but you do let us know what you want.  Once we understand and take the necessary steps towards your goal, you let what was bothering you pass by quickly.  There's no drama from you.  At the table, you like to tease Mama that you're going to feed her and then pull your food away quickly.  You learned that game from your sister, and like the sound effects Mama makes each time you tease her.  That's not all you'll learn from her, of that I'm sure.  You like to read now, especially when Mami reads the book with you and we point out everything that we see.  Your favorite one right now is "Wieso? Weshalb? Warum? Laster, Bagger, und Traktoren."  You know right where it is and like to read it yourself.  I like reading it with you, too, and I even learn from it!  I love the things that you love and I love learning about them with you.  Because of you, Claire, and Daddy, I've learned the difference between a field cultivator and disc, have learned about the combine, the Korntank, tractors with loaders, Traktoren mit Allradtreib, augers, backhoes, and so much more.  You are growing into a fabulous little boy and I love watching your development and your personality grow.  I love being your Mami, Henry, and am so joyful that God choose us to be a family.  What an incredible gift!  Love, Your Mami