lets talk about

Poor second child. Not much about him has been documented for a while. So much has changed, so much is the same.

For starters, he's almost 17 months old now. I have no idea how that happened. His life is flying by me at warp speed. Bear with me as a write a bit of this down before I forget.

STILL : the biggest hugger & kisser in the house. Oh, how I love those slobbery kisses! And oh, how I love how freely he passes them out!

BUT NOW : the girls are less thrilled with his wet kisses. Typical response is screaming and "...but he will DWOOL on me!"

STILL : drooling. Big time.
BUT NOW : I can't blame it on teething. All his teeth have been in for a few months. I think he's part basset hound.

STILL : a fan of throwing fits. Stomping, arching back, throwing himself on the floor, and (of course) the lip. He's been quite good at it since around 9 months old.

BUT NOW : he's added hitting, kicking, and throwing to his repertoire. A lovely phase we're hoping he'll grow out of quickly.

STILL : loves his big sister.

BUT NOW : there's a new one to love... Claire. He follows them both around. Wants to play with them always. LOVES to sit in their laps. LOVES if one of them will read to him. Is ELATED if they will include him in on a game. They are growing more tolerant of him every day.

STILL : loves balls and cars. Favorite toys, by far.

BUT NOW : dinosaurs are getting in on the action. It's the same motion as cars, only they "roar" instead of "vroom".

STILL : an INCREDIBLY picky eater. There are only a handful of things he will eat and not one of those things is a vegetable.

BUT NOW : um, nothing. Still picky. Still frustrating.

STILL : loves to talk.

BUT NOW : he says real words. More and more each day. I love watching babies learn to talk! Some of my favorite words that he's saying right now :

• ba-bul = bubbles (he always blows after he says it)
• dets-do! = let's go!
• I did it = I did it!
• ount mo = I want more
• nu = no (with vigorous head shaking)
• mouw = meow
• dank do = thank you
• baaaw = ball

STILL : totally accident prone. A day without a few big falls is like a day without a dirty diaper. It would be nice, I would love that. But let's be realistic... it's not going to happen for a long time!

BUT NOW : he jumps all the time. Climbs. Runs. Dances (hilarious!). Can kick a ball like nobody's business. Does summersaults. He is really physical. It just never seems to end well.

STILL : loves books. He has always loved books. I love that. I really do.

BUT NOW : he has strong opinions about which books he wants to read. And it's always the same books. I know almost all kids his age go through this, but oh, it is exhausting. Seek and Slide in the Desert is really getting old.

STILL : a great napper and a very early riser.

BUT NOW : he sleeps at nighttime, too!