Snugglesaurus to Dino Expert

Adam pointing out that his Dino Expert shirt has buttons

Isn't he starting to look more like a kid than a toddler?

Morning Mixer

Adam Loves Daddy

Matt and Adam reading at bedtime.

Adam has entered a new phase of book fanaticism. He wants books read to him before his morning nap, before going to sleep for the night and a lot of times in between. We are very happy to support his interest in books, so Matt and I take turns reading to Adam when he requests. This allows us to get household responsibilities done and still giving Adam as much of our time as possible.

We owe a huge thank you to my mom who has provided Adam with very near 100 of his books. Last book count was 102, but more books have been added since. My guess is that we're at around 130 books. Oh, my!

Our bookworm's current favorite rereads:

• Josh and Whoo Whoo
• Albert and Sarah Jane
• Me and You
• I'm Your Bus
• Colors
• Book of Sleep
• It's Time For Sleep My Love
• When I'm Feeling... (a collection of books featuring, Happy, Jealous, Angry, Sad, Loved)

This week, we've started introducing colors and counting. Adam can say "blue" and he even pointed it out to Matt last night (unprompted). Matt didn't know that Adam's sitter had been working with him on colors that morning, so he was very surprised by our little boy.

I've been taking any opportunity I can to count to Adam. We've been counting his Little People, bottles of juice, empty cd cases, buttons and cups. Adam's favorite (besides counting the pacifiers in his mouth at one time) is when Mommy counts his toes. He lifts his foot for me to count his toes and when I'm done, he puts his weight on that foot and raises the other. This can go one for several minutes. So adorable!

Another thing Adam can do is show us one. He was so excited to show Matt, that he ran from his room to the office with his pointer finger sticking out on each hand. Adam is showing more and more pride and excitement for the new things he's learning. And every time he has something new to show Matt, he looks up at Daddy with complete admiration. This boy loves his Dad a lot and vice versa.

Other things that Boo can do:

• say, rather loudly, "hot!" and point to the kitchen stove
• remember where he stuck various stickers (even when he can't find his shoes or crayons)
• hide all his clean clothes
• unsort laundry
• put Mommy's cell phone into speak command mode
• smell flowers (without touching the thorny stems of the roses)
• find Igor (aka lizard) on any wall, any time of day
• spot the moon in the sky (even in daylight)
• turn lights on/off for Mommy and Daddy
  

Crayons in Recycle Truck

A rare moment of playing by himself (and quietly)

First Wall Art

Playing in the Park (Purple)

Adam completed his first wall art this week. Adam also took the picture of his drawing. Mommy helped by holding the camera.

The first video is Adam drawing on the wall. The second video is him cleaning it off the wall. Good that we have Washable Crayola Crayons and Magic Eraser!

Acting Silly with Popcorn Bowl

Have We Mentioned Grapes?

Little Dad

Adam's favorite anything must be grapes. Grapes have been a blessing and a curse. When we need to coax him indoors out of the heat, ice-cold grapes will lure him in. When he's grumpy and refusing everything else, grapes save the day. The problem is when the grocery store runs out of grapes and we have to tip-toe around the "G" word for a week.

Thank you apricots! They made a wonderful substitute--except for the frightful moment when he stuffed 1 half into his mouth. Yikes!

Our baby boy is looking more and more like a little boy than a baby. He's growing and developing in many ways. He runs, twirls, kicks and squats with expertise. He can scribble, open cd cases (and remove cds), remove and place stickers, put away towels (with Mommy's help lifting him to the shelf), take off his shoes and sometimes fasten them closed (velcro). He can connect and pull apart Mega Bloks, open and close cell phones, brush his hair (into a messy do) and clean his face with a wipe (also haphazardly). He loves pirate rock and Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse. He still loves books and making animal sounds.

He likes pointing out rain clouds, trees and the mountains. At night he looks for the moon and tries to spot the first stars. He's not eager to talk, but he knows a lot of words and likes to look for and point out plants, windows, paintings, lights, and a/c vents when we go out. He says mama for most things, as well as, moon and sometimes dada. He has said sky, cat, grandma, water and Auntie Shell, red light (he notices traffic lights) but he often resists when we try to get him to talk. He is much more content to point things out and make us talk.

While we work on ways to encourage his talking, I would like to expose him to other activities that help his motor skills via art projects. I also want to start teaching him common names for the plants we have in the yard. That leaves us to work on social skills. Time to start play dating.

Adam with Painting

Finger/Foot Painting

A couple of weeks ago, I took him to the zoo for Safari Nights. We ate a corn dog and fries at the zoo cafeteria then explored the zoo. His favorite section was the duck and koi pond. He ran around the area growling and yelling and scaring the men who were there with their families. The women and children were indifferent to his antics, but a few of the men looked, well, a bit terrified of Adam. As for Mommy, I was afraid Adam was going to sprint right into the pond.

I had to ditch the stroller a few times and break out into a run to catch Adam, but overall we had a great time. Adam also got to feed carrots to one of the giraffes. I braced myself for a meltdown, not knowing if he would be afraid of the giraffe. Was I surprised! After showing him only once, he was feeding carrots to the giraffe like a pro. Guess what animal he squeals over now when he sees them in books.

Adam