Gus - 15 Months

On Monday, Gus will be fifteen months old. It's not really a 'milestone' age, but he's been learning and growing so much lately that I want to document it. Since he's started walking, it's apparent that he's no longer a baby, but rather a toddler. He feels that he's capable of doing so much of what his brother does.

He's quite good at communicating his needs; with more screaming than I'd like to admit (he's a bit temperamental). He uses sounds, signs, and gestures to tell us what he wants. The signs he knows are: bye-bye, all-done, more, food, and bird. I'm currently trying to teach him 'please' so that we can try to avoid the unwanted temper tantrums (of which there are many).

He also has a few animal sounds that he says regularly: lion, monkey, ape, pig, dog, and bird. The reason for the randomness comes from his three favorite books: Happy Baby Animals, Andy Warhol's Colors, and Charley Harper ABCs (thanks, Abbie). The boy loves to read. We read these three books over and over again, every. single. day. Another favorite of his is, Hug. He'll read this one to himself sometimes; I'll hear, "duuuug, duuuug, duuug, dug!"

This last weekend, he actually said his first word. . . dog. I didn't really think anything of it at first, but after he said it to my sister's dog, my aunt's dog, and the wolves at the zoo, I figured it was for real. Ever since then he has been saying it every time he sees one on the street or in a book. Especially while reading National Geographic's February issue on dogs. He loves it! He also likes to say, "uh-oh."

He seems to understand most of what we're talking about and is starting to respond to instructions. He is especially aware of when it's time to go outside. He loves playing outside. Some other things he likes to do are: dance, play cars, stack and sort toys, 'clean up', play catch, and climb. He really wants to use his own spoon and fork (I think he's going to be a lefty), and I think we're real close to transitioning into one nap.