This month he has been demonstrating all kinds of new knowledge. He is repeating the alphabet, recognizing numbers and starting to speak in short 2-3 word sentences. Also, his vocabulary is growing by several words a week. There have been many occasions when I have been stunned by something he says or does and how he much he comprehends and is able to show or tell me.
We have enjoyed every moment of Samuel's life but I have to say that personally, these "toddler" months have been the most fun. I love that he is able to communicate and share his thoughts and desires with me. I especially love all of the fun things we are able to do together like act silly, tickle, wrestle, run and climb. I even love when he is exploring (tearing apart) the house and getting into everything. He is such an active part of our household now and contributes so much lively energy. It is infectious and life is certainly never dull with him around!
Below are some examples:
New words - tickle, park, careful, toast, stinky (which sounds like sti-sy), baby, potty, hello, soap, excuse me, fruit, show, he, she, bus, truck, boat, chair, peas, toe, get down, play, apples, diaper, go, please, sheep, car seat, ice cream, eat, tea, straw, stove
New signs - fish, bunny, scared, bath, chicken
He loves to listen to how sound comes through the monitor. He often hears voices or music so he will hold it and dance or say "Da-da" even when it isn't turned on.
He is becoming interested in the potty. He likes to flush and even sat on it for the first time.
He uses the knob to close doors that are open.
He is able to repeat the entire alphabet when prompted although some of his letters sound the same or aren't entirely recognizable.
If you name his body parts he will wash them with the sponge in the bath.
He recognizes all the Yo Gabba Gabba characters and can say "Foofa, Plex and Brobee."
He loves to play in water and really enjoys bath time. He will his mouth in the water and blows bubbles, he likes to float and kicks his legs when you tell him to "swim."
His favorite snack is honey wheat pretzels. I always have a baggie stashed in my purse to keep him happy and entertained every where we go.
He likes me to pull his toy dog "Snoopy" around downstairs. We hold hands and make a big loop. If I stop and encourage him to pull the leash he gets upset. It's only fun if I pull.
He tucks in his top lip and sticks out his bottom lip when he is concentrating.
He recognizes all the colors of the rainbow by pointing and will identify red, yellow, blue and green & brown if you ask him to pick something up that is that color.
He says "mmmmm" when he's hungry or wants food/snacks he sees (and boo boo).
When asked to say his name he says "me."
He points to pictures in magazines and calls the people Ma-ma or Da-da, which is very flattering when he picks a supermodel or famous actor!
He always closes the baby gate and shuts the latch when it's open.
He asks about Da-da all day when hes at work and likes to talk to him on the phone. He will tell me to "get Dada", then at the end of the call he will kiss the phone and say "bye bye Da-da."
He tries to sing the ABC song along with us.
He is able to pull his wagon (instead of just pushing like he used to).
He can climb into his highchair and car seat by himself.
He says "I need Ma-ma" when he wakes up and wants me to put him back to sleep.
He is able to identify some of the Sesame Street characters like Elmo, Ernie and Cookie Monster (who he calls Cookie Elmo).
He says "I T.V." and tries to use the remote control to turn it on when he wants to watch a show (oops!).
He is becoming more aware of his bodily functions and will even say "I poop" before or right after he goes.
He blows kisses and says "mwah."
He gives closed mouth kisses and is more generous with them - even dad!
He loves when I sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider with hand motions and does the spider part with me. Also likes Little Bunny Foo Foo and does the bopping the field mice on the head motion with me.
He is able to sort like objects.
