Mitch has started "talking" - at least imitating things we say. His favorite is "uh oh", but he has also started saying "up!" when you pick him up. I can tell he's getting interested in animal noises too (laughing and trying to imitate the sounds of the cat and dog when I read his animal book to him)...so I'm sure those are next! He knows when someone is about to leave (e.g. when I'm packing up for work) and starts waving as soon as he realizes it. He also starts waving if I say, "who's here?" or "who's coming?" He's gotten away from signing a little bit - he used to sign "more" and "all done", but now he just waves for every sign or just screams until he gets what he wants. Annoying, but effective. :) He likes to hit Drew in the face experimentally until Drew says, "gentle". Then he hits him again, but a little softer. It's hilarious. He's gotten very good at going up and down the stairs and this is still one of his favorite activities. He LOVES the bath, but is a hazard to himself, banging his head on the faucet, trying to walk around the perimeter of the tub and slipping - always falling face down in the water. He is definitely more of a risk-taker than Finn was at his age. I took the boys to the park yesterday and Mitch was all over the climbing equipment. He didn't care if I was there to catch him or not - head first down the slide, head first down the steps, climbing the ladder to follow Finn. He's a daredevil!
Finn continues to be annoyed by our ant problem, proclaiming several times a day that "these ants are driving me crazy!" He is into digging in the garden for worms (aka throwing dirt at me with his shovel while I'm trying to pull weeds). He could dig around out there all day, yelling out "I found a worm!" every 15 seconds or so. He is also into playing baseball and basketball in the living room, begging us to play with him 1,000 times a day and then yelling at us because we're not standing in the correct position, cheering the right way, or making the kinds of sound effects he's looking for. Very particular. :) He's also very into reading books - he would sit on my lap and read for hours. Our favorite lately is "Hooray For Fish". He really likes books where there's a page with a lot of different things on it and I ask him to find and point out the different pictures ("where's the striped fish? where's the spotted fish?"). He's starting to learn his colors, but isn't quite consistent with it yet. He likes to ask me what color things are. He has gotten really good at counting things. He has learned to slow down and point to each object or picture that he's counting and can usually do it correctly up to 10! He had been doing it with Drew and when he showed me for the first time I couldn't believe it...it was like a big kid! He loves when I sing "This Old Man" and scratch his back while he's falling asleep. Lately, when I put him to bed, he doesn't want me to leave. He holds my face in his hands and says, "Please, mom...I just want you to stay with me." And I do because it's the cutest thing in the world. Then he tells me that he's scared of his curtain rod, which is the most ridiculous thing in the world because it's just a plain, thin silver rod that you can barely see (I think he's grasping at straws to keep me in there). He is adorable and smart and funny and can be extremely challenging all at the same time. I love watching him grow and change, but I can't believe how big he's getting. I try to enjoy every minute because it feels like if I blink, the next thing I know he'll be packing up his car and leaving for college. Until then though, I get to have him as my best little friend :)
Finn and I trying to balance a frisbee on our heads - it was harder than it looks!
Mitchie peeking out of his crib
Saturday morning cuddle fest
Finn sleeping with his "guys", which consist of two dogs (the big one is "the dad" and the small one is "the mom"), a bear (his "baby"), and his pillow pet. It's all or nothing with the guys. If one is missing there is no chance of bed time or nap time happening peacefully.
