Dear Nolan... You're 15 Months Old!

Oh, Mr. Noley Bear...
You, sweet baby boy, are such a happy, content and mellow guy. You have done so much in these last 3 months since turning one. Even though you were taking steps before you were a year old, it was about 3 weeks after turning one when you because a true walker. Now, you are all over the place and working hard to keep up with your older sister.
You are obsessed (still) with your Pops. It's absolutely adorable. If Pops is around, you don't want anything to do with anyone else. You'll push our hands out of the way if we try to take you from him. You'll grab on tight and cry if he tries to set you down, and you perk up immediately when you see him. You two have some sort of special bond and we all love it. I like to tell people you are the CEO and President of the "Pops Fan Club". You definitely fit the part! And I think it's safe to say he adores you, too.
To sum up the last 3 months... I would have to say: snuggles! You are Mr. Snuggles. The ladies who watch you at the gym all gush about how you love to nestle your head into them. You love to be held, and hold on tight! If we are sitting down and you are playing, you'll come over every so often to offer your snuggles. You make the cutest little "muuuh" noise when you go in for a kiss, and you'll just barrel your head into our arms when you want a hug. Your favorite person to snuggle, of course, is Pops... but I would like to think I am a close second. :)
We had two little getaways recently. We went to Monterey to visit the aquarium, which you loved. It was so much fun to see you react and babble at all of the bright colored fish in the big tanks. You high-fived one of the scuba divers through the glass while they were cleaning the tanks. You stared, in awe, at everything. Daddy, Andie, You and I had so much fun being together, taking long walks along the water, and eating dippin' dots for the first time. We also took a very fun trip to Disneyland with Gramz, Pops, Auntie Kelly, Ryan, & Adam. You spent most of the time attached to Pops - whether it was holding his hand, following him around, sleeping on his chest, being pushed by him in the stroller, or just simply being held by him while you enjoyed everything! The characters were your favorite part and you high-fived and kissed every one of them. I think your favorite was Mickey, mostly because you recognize him! It was so precious seeing you run toward him when you met him. You were so much fun to watch while we were on the rides. It was so special to just watch you observe and absorb the colors, music, and excitement. You also seemed to really enjoy the parades! You went on almost all of the rides with us and you were such a trooper in the parks.
You are getting a little more picky with foods, but I think that's pretty typical for your age. You love fruit - all of it, especially blueberries, bananas, strawberries, and oranges. You love waffles, pancakes, and oatmeal for breakfast, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Your favorite food is pasta with marinara sauce, and even though it is pretty messy, I can't resist feeding it to you because you eat so much of it. You like some veggies, especially broccoli and carrots.
You are becoming more and more vocal the older you get. You say "mama", "dada", "baba", and "pops". You will babble and yell at us, even though we don't always understand you, you are still very good at communicating your needs to us. You will also nod your head "yes" or "no" if we ask you a question. You definitely are aware of who everyone is and if I ask you to do simple tasks like "bring sissy her juice", you do it! If we ask you to give "dada" or "sissy" a kiss, you'll walk right over and do it!
One of my favorite memories of you was when we were at Chick Fil A for family night (you love that cow mascot - you chase him around the restaurant, yell for him, high five, hug and kiss him) . I set you down after eating and you walked right over to another little boy, about the same age as you, and just gave him a big hug. You are such a sweet soul. You have such a loving demeanor and it's so much fun to see you interact with other people. You smile easily and are truly a mellow person.
You are wearing 18 month and 2T clothes and size 4 diapers still. You are very attached to your blankies from Gramz, your paci, and your favorite toys are figurines and any type of ball. You kick, throw, and chase after the ball. You're getting pretty fast and it is so much fun to see you and Andie play together. Seeing the bond you two are forming so young is magical and it is my greatest hope that you two keep that bond forever. You love each other so much already! A lot of times, I will just let you and her go off and play together. You will shut the door to her room, and when I peek in to check, you're both just playing! You are biting occasionally, and have gotten Andie a couple of times on the arm. I don't think it's been malicious, I think it's because it feels good on your teeth! You are getting more rough and tumble and you love to climb on everything. Lately you have been climbing on the kitchen furniture, couch, and beds. I will turn my back for a second and when I turn back around you're on top of the kitchen table. You've taken some ugly spills, but you're pretty tough. I think you're slowly learning your boundaries!
You aren't a fan of getting your diaper changed or having your clothes changed. You wiggle, squirm and scream unless I sing you songs or distract you. But luckily, you are doing much better in the car. You did so well on the 14 hour round trip car ride to Disneyland... and I am so grateful that you don't mind it like you used to. It makes our drives much more relaxing, and now, you will usually sleep if it's a long ride.
Last week, you were pretty sick. You had a fever for about 4 days, and despite feeling yucky, you were still so happy. You had a really rough time sleeping because you just didn't feel well. You wanted me, and I loved having that time to hold you and cuddle you. I slept in the chair in your room with you one night and just tried to soak you in. Feeling your weight on my chest is one of the best feelings I get to experience. You still have your scent, and even though I didn't get much sleep that night, it was an honor to just hold you and make you feel secure. It's these moments that mean most to me as a mom... it's the best feeling in the world to feel like I can make you feel better just by holding you.
Nolan, your teeth-y smile (you've got 12 of them, including molars) makes me weak in the knees. I stare at you through out the day and am just in awe at how darn darling you are. You have the cutest belly, squishy buns and legs, and delicious cheeks. Daddy cuts your hair, and even though I am convinced you look a little like me - you definitely look like him with that hair cut! I love when you hold out your little arms for me to pick you up. I love hearing you laugh and giggle, which you do so easily. I love seeing you first thing in the morning when you wake up. I love opening up the door to get you out of the car and seeing your little smile. I love watching you sleep. I love you.
I am so darn proud of you, son. I am proud of the sweet little soul you're growing into. I love you so much and am so blessed to see you grow, develop, love, laugh, and enjoy life. I hope you never doubt it, baby. I love you to the moon and back, times infinity. Forever.
Love,
Mama