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May 2005 - Letter to Mema
Dear Mema,
I’m so excited to be visiting you in your home in Anchorage, Alaska. My Mom asked me to write you this letter to let you know what I need to stay the happy little boy that I am, now that I am almost 16 months old...
The picture on the right is the last time I remember seeing you, so I hope I haven’t changed TOO much and you will still recognize me. That was in mid-March at the Rhododendron Garden, I’m 2 months older now! I walk better and I can even run a bit. I’d show you a current picture, but Mom and Dad left our camera in San Jose on the last trip with 2 months of pictures on it. It’s hopefully coming back next week. They are soooo forgetful sometimes.
Anyway, I’m coming to visit you next week and Mom (a word I still can’t say) wanted you to know the things I like. She figured it would be a good snapshot of my life as a 16 month old.
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First off, the police say I still have to ride in one of these contraptions, I don’t mind it too much. I’m learning how to help Mom get me in and out - but luckily I can’t operate any of the snappy parts. But once you unsnap me, I can almost crawl out on my own. Mom hopes you can borrow one from a friend. She says the important statistics are that I am 22 pounds and I ride facing forward. She says she is too darned pregnant to be hauling one of these and me through the airport. She is happy that I am under 2 years old though and she doesn’t have to pay for an airplane ticket for me. I’ll be sure to pay her back for her cheapness by being a pain in the neck the entire flight... not strap me in, will she... HAH.
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 These are still really important to me. I go through about 7 a day at least. Mom says somedays it feels like 20, but really it isn’t. At home we still use a combination of cloth diapers and disposables, but when we travel we go to all disposable. I always wear disposables at night and for naps. Mom and Dad think it makes me sleep longer, but I’m not too sure. Mom isn’t into brands, but she does give these important statistics - Size 4 for the diapers and unscented for the wipes. I don’t much like diaper changes, but we play games and it makes it bearable. I will run though when I think it’s time to change my diaper. Unless it’s poopy and then I come and “tell” you about it and THEN I run away. Cute, aren’t I?
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When it comes time to eat (and I typically like those times now), I need a little something to keep my mind on things. If you could borrow something like these, it would be most helpful. If you can’t borrow one, I’ll sit on YOUR lap! Big news, I’m starting to use a spoon now. It’s a little messy and I still need some assistance, but I like it and I try really hard. I also like banging the spoon on anything I can.
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So, that brings up the big topic. Things I like to eat. Except for breakfast, I try to eat what you are eating, but I do have some favorite standbys that get me through the week - especially when Mom and Dad eat strange things like tomatoes. I am pretty good at trying new foods, but I’m also GREAT at taking them out of my mouth and handing them back if I don’t like them. If no one is paying attention, I’ll drop it on the floor for Pluto, but I do honestly try to hand it back first. Really. How was I to know that Pluto wasn’t at the restaurant?
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For lunch and dinner, I try most things, but these are things that I LOVE....
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Lastly, I still like my bottles. It is one of the few words I say (baa). I like them with good old whole milk. Mom’s a little weird about the milk I drink. It is the one thing she insists be organic, she says those hormone studies from Europe scare her a little too much. So, I drink WHOLE organic milk. I go through about a 1/2 gallon a week. I drink a bottle before nap time and before bed time. I usually get a bottle in the morning too - usually because Mom is trying to get me to go back to sleep at 5:45 to 6:15 in the morning (that’s when I like to wake up these days). But if you give me a bottle and let me crawl around in bed with you for a while, I usually go back to sleep for another hour or 2.
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OK, that’s it. I really don’t need much to keep me happy. I could probably live without any of this, but I might be a little stinky... I’ll tell you the one word I’m pretty good at now “bye-bye.” See you soon,
Love, your still youngest grandson, Carter John Ptak.
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Here are pictures of things I like for breakfast. Basically any cereal I can pick up that isn’t too sweet (that’s Mom’s rule, not mine), diced pears, and yogurt. I love the Yobaby yogurt, but I’ll eat anything fruity except GoGurt - that stuff is sweet and Mom says no to it.:
