brought to you by the letter B

Ball. Bear. Bird. Baa. Boat. Baby. Boo. Block. Bee. Bye Bye. These are his favorite words. He uses other consonants also, but these are consistent. He knows what these words mean. I'm not sure why he picked B words, but he's certainly mastering them quickly.

We played this morning a good bit, and I love watching him flirt with himself in the mirror. Such big smiles he has for that baby in the mirror. He likes to talk to the birds outside his window, too. And there's something so cute about the fact that he still folds up his legs and feet when you take his diaper off, crossing them just like they were in utero when he was all folded up. He looks so sweet like this, and his feet are still so tiny (it's a wonder they can transport him so well).

I wonder if I've been holding off on the praise too much. I tell him how good he is, how good his new skills are, but when he was getting words right last night when we were identifying things, I brought out the old "YAAAYYY, Dennis" and clapped my hands. He was delirious with happiness, repeated the "YAY" over and over, and came over to clap my hands for me when I had stopped. He even said "Yay, Dennis", which I haven't heard in a while, and is possibly the funniest thing he says. He's certainly not hurting in the self-confidence department, and we're very happy that he's so sure of himself. I hope he's able to hold on to that in future years.

He's beginning to try to stack blocks instead of just bulldozing through them. He's showing interest in learning to eat with the spoon--if we dip the spoon, he can get it to his mouth (and most of it even INTO his mouth). He's growing up, faster every day.

His passport arrived in the mail, less than 2 weeks after we applied for it. I didn't even pay the fee to expedite it. He can be International Baby now. Nothing glamorous in the works, but he might get to cross the border into Canada when we travel to the far northwest in June (as long as I have a notarized letter from Daddy that I'm allowed to leave the country with him). And we can now flee to Mexico should the need arise... Ha ha. We kid about that, sometimes, but any fantasy I have about fleeing involves Alaska. Can't wait to take Dennis there, but it'll be a few years yet. I hope to show him my favorite parts of the world, but more than that, I hope to discover new favorite places with him alongside. He's already seen Vegas, and he experienced everything a seven month old could hope for there! He's been to the Statue of Liberty, but he was still in the belly then. Bet that doesn't count. It's a big world out there, and he's already showing a love for travel. I hope he still likes flying. I expect that I (and many fellow passengers) will find out in June!