So many things

There are so many things Brendan is learning and doing for the first time, it's hard to keep track of it all!  Especially since so much of it is so darn fun and cute...

Brendan has been growing in leaps and bounds lately; physically, emotionally, and developmentally.  It's crazy to think he's becoming such a toddler and not my little baby anymore.  At 16 months he is trying so hard to talk and he does "talk", I just wish I knew what he was saying!  If he could just tell me what he was in the mood for when it comes to meals and snacks, it would be so much easier!!!  He now does "hoo hoo" for owl, and "hissss" for snake.  Every slide he sees is a "weee" and he has to point out every truck and car we pass.  Cars go "voom voom".  He waves hi and bye on command and blows kisses.  And will give kisses to his animals too.  He loves to hug both mom and dad, but his favorite is hugging us both at the same time, he could do it for minutes straight.  He can follow (but doesn't always choose to follow) so many commands it blows my mind!   He can go up and down the stairs by himself (down not as well) while holding onto the railing.  We can't get him to go down the safe way, backwards on his tummy.  He refuses!  We'll just have to keep trying.

My favorite moment of the month so far though, is when we went to lunch yesterday with my parents and grandparents.  Brendan had had enough of his high chair and food, so he went to go sit on my mom's lap.  Her plate still had some fries and ketchup on it.  Mr. Brendan decided to pick up a fry, look at it, then dip it ever so slightly into the ketchup and then took a bite.  No one has ever shown him how to do this, it was purely his observational skills from the times we've been out to eat.  He's never had ketchup before, so his face was quite funny at first, but he decided he liked it!  He went back for dip after dip into that ketchup pile and then started in on my fries and ketchup!  At one point he took the direct route and dipped his fingers right in and sucked off the ketchup.  But knowing Brendan, I'll give him something with some ketchup here at home and he'll refuse it!

Brendan is a very particular child.  He'll only drink out of Tommee Tippee sippy cups.  The blue ones has to have his milk in it and the green one has to have his water in it.  If you switch them, forget it, all bets off, he'll refuse his water, which is his favorite thing to drink all day!  I'm hoping that we can get him to drink out of a straw.  We keep showing him and having him try, but it's not his Tommee Tippee cups...

We've been going to the pool when we can, and when weather allows, and Brendan has been LOVING it, especially when it's time for a snack.  Today at the pool he wanted to jump in the water, with my help, over and over again.  At one point, he looked at me, then put his face right into the water and started to form his mouth to make bubbles, then looked back to me very proudly!!!  The last time anyone showed him that was during swim lessons weeks ago!  He remembered it and did it all on his own.  Then as we were walking through the shallow end to go to his beloved pirate boat water slide, a girl his age blocked the path.  She was staring at him and I told him to say hi, so he waved his hand at her and smiled.  God bless him...too cute.   I can't wait for him to be able to go down the mini water slide on his own though, I have a very bruised behind from hitting the bottom of the pool when we go down!