To 18-Month-Old Lachlan

My son, you are rockin' the 18-month-old world of discovery these days!  And it gives me great cause for laughter, for groans, and for expectation to be party to these discoveries of many kinds.

First there is the realm of trouble-making discovery - an exciting realm for you, to say the least.  You can unpack entire cupboards in record speed and you hear the sound of the dishwasher being opened from the farthest corners of the house.  You narrowly escaped great injury when I walked in to the kitchen to find you pulling the handle of a pot of boiling water from the back element of the stove toward the edge, a feat you had only accomplished by first wrangling a chair out from under the table, pushing it across the room, and hoisting yourself onto it.  You've given me practice at cleaning up a potpourri of basil, turmeric, and cinnamon from the floor and fishing your most-loved teddy out of the toilet.

The realm of self-discovery has been going on much longer and, yet, it is still mesmerizing to behold.  While it began early with exploration of fingers and toes, you are now discovering language and communication.  You are attempting words like 'mama,' 'dada,' 'sock,' 'baby,' 'ball,' 'car,' 'milk,' and the extremely important 'cookie,' grinning when you see that we understand.  And you are realizing that you also understand us, as you are eager to show that you can do what we ask when we say 'go get your bear' or 'go give Daddy a hug.'  You get beside yourself with giddiness when you become aware that your big brothers are deliberately trying to get you to giggle.

My favourite realm right now is discovery within family.  I cannot help but treasure up the moments when you are figuring out how you fit in to us.  Your eyes light up when the shenanigans of your brothers can include you, because when you are 'kaboofing' with them on the bed, we can all feel how perfectly you belong.  Watching you recognize that for yourself is a powerful thing for a parent.

To know that you are so confident, at this young age, that you are always in the centre of our love for you brings me to my knees before Jesus as I seek wisdom to parent in a way that you can remain secure in that love.  And it simplifies my own Father-daughter relationship as I remember that there is nothing I have to do or be that could put me any more at the centre of God's love as be watches me 'kaboof' and chuckles to Himself contentedly.