-Gets sooooo excited whenever I say, "Gulliver -- let's go see if there are any strawberries in the garden." (And I only say that, of course, when I KNOW there are some ready to eat.) He runs to the door. We go outside, pick the red strawberries, rinse them under the hose, and eat them on the spot. No strawberry has yet to see the house. Note to self: plant more strawberries next year.
-Makes lots of different babbling sounds, and some are starting to sound like they may turn into words. "Ba" for ball. "Dot". "WOW". "Ya ya" for yo-yo. "Dar dar" for I don't know what. He loves to moo like a cow, roar like dinosaur (or monster), vroom like a motorcycle, act like a fish, "honk" like an 18-wheeler, and pull his hands apart while saying "uuh." For awhile there he would walk up to kids in the park, hold his hand up in the air, and shout "Uuh!". Some kids weren't sure how to respond to that, but he sure was confident in his communication.
-Knows a whole bunch of signs. Let's see if I can list them all here: milk, eat, all done, cookie, water, rock, more, dog, cat, mouse, duck, bird, ball, spider, shoes, socks, airplane, truck, mom, dad… and probably a few more I can't remember.
-Loves dogs. He is constantly making the sign for dog, whether he hears our dogs barking, sees one in the park, or reads a dog book. He is so gentle when he pets a dog. And he just loves to chase Cassie around the house.
-Knows his body parts (we're running out of new ones!): head, hair, eyes, eyebrows, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, cheeks, chin, neck, shoulders, elbow, hands, fingers, tummy, belly button, knees, feet, and toes. Phew!
-Plays in the park almost everyday. Goes up and down the slide, rides the merry-go-round, bounces, rides the alligator, kicks and throws the ball around, and explores different nooks and crannies.
-Has almost all of his first-year molars and canine teeth (a couple are only about halfway in).
-Looks so handsome with his big boy haircut!
-Eats, and eats, and eats. Reads, and reads, and reads. This boy loves food and books equally at this point.
-Has decided bath time is no longer fun and now throws a fit when it is time to take a bath. Hopefully this phase passes quickly!
-Pushes the button to open and close the garage door. Mommy's little helper.
-Walks into the zero-entry all by himself at the pool; plays in the shallow baby pool area; goes up and down the baby slide; floats all around the deep end of the pool in his innertube or mom's arms. He really is starting to act like a little fishy.
-Gives big hugs to mom & dad!
-Rejects his nighttime teeth brushing, but is really, really good since we started brushing after breakfast.
-Starting to push forward with his feet on his ride-toys.
-Takes one afternoon nap (lasting 2 - 3 hours).
-Climbs all over the couch and just about anything else he can finagle.
