Mmmm...kay.

So for the past week or so, our little monkey has picked up on a couple words that we say quite often, now that we've been paying attention to it. His first official word at 15 1/2 months is "mmmkay", translation, "okay". "Koen, would you like to help me feed the chickies?" "Mmmkay." Love it. His second word is "eye". His third word is "yeah." He is signing up a storm, and by now has added "shoes", "all done", "water", "bird", "cat", "ball", "spin", "sleep", "brush", "please" and "thank you" to his repertoire. He picks up on signs as fast as we can teach them, so I've ordered a couple more Signing Times DVDs so I can keep up with him... yes, they're mostly for me.

Why talk when you can sing?

What else is new, oh yes, he has developed a high pitch squeal that he makes whenever any cat is around and then he proceeds to chase it, hoping he might get a fist around that tail so he can swing the poor thing like a toy. Sorry Nano, Ruby and Roxy, ugh.

It is so much fun to watch this kid develop, and he's got such an interesting little personality. The other day I left my banana peel on the table next to our couch and when he noticed it, he grabbed it and marched it right over to the trash can, shut the lid and I swear that kid rolled his eyes. And on another occasion he tripped over his batman bucket, threw a bit of a fit and after I hugged on him and settled him down he went over to that batman bucket, opened the cupboard door where some of his toys are stored, threw it in and slammed the door closed walking away in a huff. Wait, is he trying to say I keep an unkempt household?

I just started taking him to tumbling class in The Dalles, which he absolutely loves. The uneven floor mats, trampolines, obstacle courses and beach balls are a safe alternative to the gopher traps, thorny blackberry bushes, chemicals, and machinery he gets to play with here on the orchard. Til next time...