:-( / :-)

Lately we have had to wake Leo up in the mornings in order to get going. He's been sleeping 12 hours at night and taking 2-2 1/2 hour naps--which is all good!

However, he's been slightly cranky on the mornings we've had to wake him up (well duh!). This morning I asked him if it was time to get ready for school and he shook his head no (he's not saying "no" much, just shaking his head). Then I asked him, didn't he want to go to school, and again he shook his head no. I felt kind of bad--but I know he has fun at school.

Yesterday they did two different art projects (it was a wet/cold day so I don't think they went outside). They did paintings with shaving cream and also little bird creations (they pasted feathers onto paper plates and added eyes and a beak). They were just about to start finger painting when we got there and Leo was sad that he'd have to wait until today to do it.

Two nights in a row Leo has sat still long enough for us to read an entire story (out of a storybook, not a board book). He's even been turning the pages at the right time (with a little help). Usually he can't sit still for that long and would rather quickly look at four different books rather than pay attention to a whole story. Last night he sat still for me to read Wizard and Wart. And when we were done he crawled over to Jeff's lap (he was sitting right next to us) for him to read it again!

This weekend I am going to try to pain the walls in our bedroom. Jeff is going to paint the ceiling and trim after Easter while he's home on spring break, and our new carpet comes that week too.

Next weekend we are going to Charlotte for Easter to see Jeff's sister and her husband. On the way we might go to the zoo. While we are in Charlotte we are going to learn about the science of candy.

17 months old

Dear Leo,

Today you turn 17 months old. You have more energy than your mama and papa put together, times ten! Especially since some days you don't seem to want to eat very much at all (unless we're talking cheese or crackers--those are your two favorite foods). But, Miss Sandy assures us you eat a lot at daycare-sometimes seconds and thirds!

You have grown lots of hair this month and have at least one new tooth coming in as we speak. You got new shoes this weekend--your feet finally grew and caught up with the rest of you.

You have some new (or more distinct) words this month--apple, cheese, ducky, and Emma (no surprise there!). We haven't gotten you to say your own name yet, but you know that it is your name. We suspect that perhaps you have been saying it and lots of other words at daycare and we just don't know it. Or maybe not. You do pretty well at communicating, between words, signing, and pointing. You rarely say no, but you do shake your head if we ask you a question and you want to say no. For example, when it's time to get out of the bath or leave the park and we ask if it's time to go--you often shake your head firmly no. You've also been working on learning body parts--you love to point at our noses and eyes and name them, or to point to yours when we ask you where they are.

You like to wash your hands and love to climb up onto your stepstool unprompted. You have also discovered how to climb into your highchair. You also like to help get buckled into your carseat--you know how to click the two pieces together and get great satisfaction from doing it.

You are pretty adept at climbing up stairs and kicking and throwing a ball. You love the sandbox at daycare and bring home lots of sand in your shoes on a regular basis.

You think it's hilarious when mama or papa make fish-kisses at you and you try to imitate us, just as you try to do when we blow kisses at you.

You are pretty good at entertaining yourself for short stretches at a time--although we have to keep a close eye on you, since you have a fascination with things around the house that are not good for you (vinegar bottles, lamp cords, table lamps, the stereo...). You love to read books and spend long stretches paging through them on your own and also climb into our laps to have us read to you.

You continue to be a happy, smiley, active, friendly little boy who is usually in a very good mood (unless you are hungry and/or tired). You delight us with your smiles and hugs and kisses, and your babbling.

We love you,

Mama and Papa

guppy gog

Leo used to be able to say "puppy" fairly clearly--but now he usually says "guppy gog." He's now learned the sign for dog and uses it every time he sees one in a book or in the park.

(Those are blueberries all over his mouth in the picture).

He also officially knows Elmo now. We were giving him a bath tonight and he pointed to his wind-up Elmo bath toy and said "Eh-mo."

He's been playing in the sandbox a lot at school and coming home with shoes and pants loaded with sand (I've got to remember to dump his shoes out before we leave school or at the front door, and not have sand land all over the changing table and his room when I take his shoes off!).

We finally got Leo's memory box finished and mounted--it's one of the pictures we had professionally done in November and his hand and foot prints (which we just got around to doing last month...)

Not too much else new--I said to Jeff the other night "we have to remember to post about that," but I don't remember what "that" was.

Somebody's got a girlfriend.....

I was picking Leo up from day care yesterday to take him to the pediatrician for what we (and they) thought was a case of nasty diaper rash. (It's incidental to the story, but the real verdict was a yeast infection.) I got there at the end of snack time, and all the babies came over to see me. While Leo was busy trying to climb up onto me, Emma works her way in front of him to give him a hug. While she's there, she grabs his face between her hand and gives him a kiss right under the nose -- twice. (On that spot between the nose and the lips.)

As I told him in the car on the way, "Leo, you might not think that you've got a girlfriend, but somebody else does."

I've been duly reprimanded for not posting pictures with the 16-month post, and will attempt to remedy that when he's not busy trying to climb onto the table, me, and everything else in sight.