Two days after his birthday, Ethan was in the kitchen when Mommy noticed the characteristic quietness that often spells trouble. Ethan had found the raisin box in the pantry, took the container down from the shelf, set it on the floor, took off the lid, and helped himself to the yummy contents.
The day after his birthday, Ethan reached new heights in his climbing prowess. He's long enjoyed the adventure of climbing over Beth and me while we are lying down. Now the whirlpool tub, that's a different story. But a good grip, persistence, and a mild disregard for the power of gravity all worked together to gain him access to the coveted bath toys.
Yesterday, Ethan picked up some hay and put it in front of Mopsy’s mouth. Mopsy, our house rabbit, took the hay and tossed it. Today, on his birthday, Ethan took a piece of toast meant for him and put it in Daddy’s mouth. I was more appreciative than Mopsy; it was good toast. Tonight will be the real test: will he share his birthday cake?
Ethan has known how to get off his truck since he started riding it, although his initial dismount style of falling off like a log was a bit less than graceful. He has since learned to step off with the help of the coffee table. Getting on is now just as effortless, even without supporting furniture. Ethan puts a leg over, climbs on, and starts scooting around.
Ethan’s balance continues to improve. This evening he made two trips, and almost a third, from Grandma on one end of the room to me on the other.
When it comes to developing character, they say more is caught than taught. Ethan was playing with a toy train that, when he presses its chimney, begins moving and musically invites all within earshot to “hop on board the animal train”. Within the last few weeks, he’s become familiar with starting and restarting the sequence. This evening, without any direct instruction, or even an example within the last couple weeks, he came to understand that when he’s done with the toy, he can press the chimney again to make it stop. And he agrees with me that this is a good thing to do. Ahhh, silence.
Ethan and I were playing around his toy doorway. The toy also has a window that Ethan likes to open and find me hiding behind. Sometimes, I give him something through the window or the door. Today Ethan caught on, and now he likes giving me objects, too.
Right before Ethan’s second word came a refinement of his first. I asked him if he could say “Mama”. As usual, he did, only this time instead of his normal elongated articulation of each diphone, his cadence and tone matched mine exactly. His utterance of the word sounded just like mine. Then I asked him a couple times if he could say “Dadda”. Instead of the confused look and occasional “Mama” I’m used to getting, both times I got hear from my boy the sweet-sounding word I’ve been waiting for.