16 months

Dear Screech,

The screechy screams (that you do mostly out of excitement) are something that I've become accustomed to, but oh boy are they memorable. Some of the most memorable, memorable moments from this month include you wandering around honking your nose, or anyone's nose you could get your little clamp fingers around.  You started making more sounds effects with your low voice.  My favorite is when you say tickle tickle tickle with a sly smile and a low voice.

You started calling your brother Baba, and I think I figured out it's because I frequently refer to him as big brother or big buddy.   You want to do whatever your brother is doing.  You were so cute just prancing into his camp wanting to be in on the action.  It's a little sad when we have to leave him behind, but we have fun dance parties in the car and you get some undistracted mom time at home.  You try to copy everything your brother does, especially marching with his tissue paper tree and even wearing his dragon paper wings.

You started following directions more this month.  For instance, if I ask you to bring me a pink pig you will do it.  If I ask you to help, you will even wipe up your mess (aka. spread it around).  If I call something a brush you will try to brush it through your hair, even toothbrushes.  You pretend to cook at your kitchen stove and you stir the pots while singing.  You will bring me my food order with a smile, although you usually throw it at me.  

You enjoy playing with the octopus with colored shoes for longer than any other toy.  You put the ball in the top and it slides down and hides under one of the colored shoes.  If it isn't in the shoe you pick, you make the funniest uh oh face and say ooooh!  You still like to put just about anything you can find on your feet.  You can shimmy in even the biggest shoes you can find.  

You seem to be watching our mouths carefully as we talk to you.  You will try to fold and flip your tongue even nibbling your bottom lip to try to copy our noises.   The snake says ssss and the airplane swoops with a whoosh.   Lots of animals make adorable elephant and monkey noises, but you can also do cute doggie, cow, and sheep sounds. You started signing without being prompted, for baby and lights especially.  Your favorite letter is K which you ran up and whacked on the big alphabet board at the playground while yelling "cay, ay!"

You love to chase the ducks while quacking at the beach just like your brother.  You copied him swiping the water with the net to try to catch fishies.  You like to make him giggle by pulling up your nose while making a piggie noise.  You like to try to pull off your diaper and run off before bath to make your brother laugh.  You like to sniffing everything that looks like a flower (sometimes things get a little too far in the nose for mommy's taste) and then offering it your brother prompting him.

You love showing off your belly button and tapping your tummy if we ask where is your belly.  You will tuck your chin in and make a big belly rub with a giggle.  You make funny woot cheering arms and attempt to raise the roof, especially when a song you like comes on the radio.  Your recent favorite is the Madagascar Move It song.  You also use those cheering arms to woot along with your brother while watching the Olympics. Your brother insists that the US wins every time so you can celebrate together.

You can ask clearly to get up and say yes to answer a question, which is making your squealy life a little less deafening on my ear drums. You've been known to enjoy tearing little bits of napkin, handing them over, and waiting for thank you... over and over.  If you want to play again you'll use the please sign by rubbing your entire body (not just your chest).  

You love to hum and sing your babbly songs.  You will prompt me with a quick little hum of your current favorite the alphabet song.  You love playing ring around the rosy and head shoulders knees and toes with your brother and friends.  You love to color, although you want to share someone else's paper instead of just using your own.

 You take your remote control duty very seriously and if I give you a decoy remote that doesn't actually work you babble at me to fix it, which sounds like elp, ick ick. (Help, fix fix!)  You were trying to scoop the remote off the ground and biffed it into the table in front of you causing this horrible little bump cut on the ridge of your nose.  Poor bub, I hope it heals quickly.

We visited some fun places where you whipped out the excited scream.  At monkey business you are excited the entire time we are there.  When you saw the fountain and pillars at the building museum you squealed and turned in circles.  You loved digging for bean bags and stealing ladder balls at KK's grad party in Ohio.  You try to body surf on anything at your level, the table and especially the coolers at the party.

You'll eat raw onion but you stick your nose up at cotton candy.  You are currently loving spaghetti and oranges.  You loved walking around with your very own homemade raspberry lemonade popsicle like a big boy.  You also seemed so grown up flying in the airplane buckled into your own seat, munching your pretzels, sipping your water, and pretending to fasten your seatbelt.
You had your very first, non family baby sitter this month when your dad and I went out for dinner for his birthday.  She was a nice girl from the neighborhood, and she colored with chalks with you which is one of your favorite things to do in your brother's room.  You were totally fine saying goodbye and nearly pushed me out the door blowing kisses.  You had a nice cuddle waiting when we got home.

You are into wearing hats where you crazy curls peek out from under.  The baby curls are still intact, but you might need a trim soon.  In the meantime, your yogurt hair product does wonders, although spaghetti sauce not so much and smooshed noodle even worse.  When you go to swim class your wet curls pass your shoulders.  The swim class does wash out the extra smooshed noodle tho....jk!
You were so proud to have your very own Certificate of Completion for the 2012 Summer Reading Program to match your brother's. You marched right up to the librarian next to your brother and held up your form.  You were reaching on your tippy toes to scribble on the little cloud she gave you to write your name.  You then wanted to help clear the shelves and you were very unhappy we wouldn't let you.  The library is so exciting that your dad described it as the "place that you go to scream at books!"

I'm hoping that this month you learn even more ways to screech at us... just a little bit quieter please?  You are such a wide eyed wonder kid that I hope to give you more to wonder about with some more fun places and things to scream at!  Here's to the dog days of summer.  

Love you, MomMom