I'm In Love

Ted had Andrew on his lap and they were watching the video that proves Andrew reads. Andrew is reading the words in the video... when he saw gorilla flash up on screen he started saying Gorilla. When he saw the word car, he did the sign for car. Things like that. To me that proves even further that he can read - not just recognize a word based on hearing it. He wasn't hearing the words.

I love watching him dance. He dances a lot during the day all on his own - no music required. It sometimes mimics what you would expect some tribal ritual dance to look like. I'm not sure where he gets that from.

I love that he claps when I put all of his stackable blocks together to tell me I did a good job. I love it when he runs through the house excited about anything and everything. I love how he climbs in the dirty laundry and then throws it all out like flower petals on a wedding day. I love when he runs to the window to see that daddy is home or Nana is here - or even that the garbage truck is collecting the trash. (By the way, the garbage man waves at us each week as we watch out the window! He looks for us.)  I love that Andrew will make the sign for potty while he is going in his diaper and when I ask if he'd like to sit on the toilet he shakes his head no with a seriously solemn look on his face like I offered to spank him. I love that he thinks our bed is a playground for jumping and rolling and laughing. I love that he will jump and throw himself down on the mattress - his and ours. I love that he blows bubbles with his spit (big ones!) and I dont even know how to do that. I love that he wants to look at my photography magazines and learn about Sharepoint from daddy's books. I love that he wants to eat whatever food we are eating and that he knows what chocolate is by name. I love that he steals my hairbrush and hides the toothpaste nearly every day because I forget to close the bathroom door. I love that he strokes my hair whenever I'm carrying him. When I'm coming to get him from his nap, I love that he hugs his blanket and puts his head back down so that he can get a gentle rub on his back.  I love that he brings me my shoes when he wants to go outside. I love when he is in a cuddly mood and gives big bear hugs that about knock you over even if you're already sitting down.

I'm learning more of *his* signs. This week he made a couple of signs - very deliberately - and I had no idea what he was telling me. I have finally figured them out. When he strokes the back of his hand he is making the sign for "signing". The actual sign is your right pointer finger revolving quickly around your left pointer finger.. kind of anyway.  His other sign is making a fist and waving it. At first I thought he was just trying to say car with one hand instead of two .. but it is his sign for potty! I finally figured it out when he was standing in his crib and started waving one fist and then made a pushing grunt. He was telling me he was going potty! Not much warning, but progress still.  The actual sign for potty/toilet is sticking your thumb between your index and middle finger (which is the sign for the letter T) and then waving it from side to side. So that sign is much closer to the actual sign than the one he does for signing - but as long as I can remember.. I'll understand him!

I think he can count to ten already. Obviously he can't say each number as he's not officially talking yet. I started playing the Muzzy video in English to help him learn more words in English before I switch it to Spanish. The very first scene is counting to 10. I know he knows 1, 2, and 3. But he is also showing me he knows 6, 8, and 9. And I think 10.  I haven't heard him try to say 4, 5, or 7.  More than once recently he has tried to say the number before the video even does.

I bought him the next two Baby Signing Time dvds. We just got the second one today so I haven't seen it yet. I am so going to get left in the dust by this child's knowledge. How will I ever keep up? He learns so fast and is so eager to learn anything and everything more. I want to feed him and challenge him with more to learn - but I really hope it doesn't make life dull and difficult later when he is ahead of the game in school.