Hi everyone- I know, I know, this post is long overdue. I'm a blogging slacker. Sorry. Things have been pretty good around here. Now that he is down to one nap a day and his rash is totally under control, it has opened up a whole new world for us. I have been getting out and doing some classes with Rinat which has been really fun for him. We were taking a class where the kids learn about and pet different animals and it led to lots of shrieking when he wasn't allowed to actually squeeze the bunny to death. He was also really interested in the fish tank and trying to climb into the tank with the turtles. That boy is very insistent and very LOUD. The good thing is that no one seems to mind except for me. We were also able to get out and get his first little haircut which was lots of fun for Peter and me. And I have to say that he did really well. We took him to my hair girl, Kylie, and she did a quick little cleanup and he started to cry only for a second and then stopped when, the brilliant mother that I am, I gave him his Mishka (teddy bear) to hold and then he was happy once again. Wouldn't the world be so much easier if we could hand everyone a Mishka and it would make their world good again? Oh, to be 1. Our little sweetie is still not walking much despite the fact that I know he is capable. I think he is just stubborn. But he has been talking a lot which makes my life easier. He tells me "mama, up" and "d-d-d" for down. And he makes all kinds of animal noises including the cow which sounds kind of like "bbbbb", "bok, bok, bok" for the chicken, "ahh, ahh, ahh" for the monkey, and "aaaaaaah" for the sheep. It never gets old for me and is a wonderful way to entertain us both during the marathon diaper changing sessions. And he understands so much more now too. One day I had it with the screaming as soon as he woke up and so as I was putting him down for his nap, I told him "These books at the end of the bed are for you to read when you wake up. You just say 'mama' and I will hear you and you can read your books and play with Mishka and Blue Bunny until I come up here, OK?" And every since that day, it is exactly what he does when he wakes up. If only I had figured it out sooner! And he has definite opinions on what he wears now too. It's so cute. I show him two options (Do you want to wear the red fire truck pajamas or the green dinosaur ones?) and he is very definite about which he prefers. And he will spend the day checking out what is on his shirt or pants. He especially loves when I show it to him in the mirror. So cute. His obsession with the bus has now changed to an obsession with airplanes and helicopters. I know that there is most definitely nothing wrong with his hearing because he will start pointing at the sky and talking way before I know what he's pointing to. And he has started to figure out that he has a say in what goes on in his world as well. When we bring him to our bed in the morning, he immediately points to the TV to tell us to turn on the Sprout Channel for him to watch while we slowly wake up. And he is starting slow down in the eating department and to actually refuse to let us feed him. I guess he's officially a toddler now and is starting to test what he can do and what he can't. But overall, he is happy, healthy and brings joy to our lives every single day. Sometimes it just washes over me how much I adore him and how lucky we are that he is a part of our lives. Oh, and for anyone who's interested, his eye surgery is rescheduled for April 1- nope, it's not a practical joke. Love to all! -m