Growing up before my eyes...

It's really hard to remember what Kyle does that's new nowadays...I need to set up a whiteboard and jot down things as they happen! Kyle is definitely getting taller; even since Christmas and I can tell he's gained weight when I pick him up. His size 2T pajamas, which were big in Nov/Dec now fit about perfect! I was hoping he'd hang out in size 18 month clothes through the summer, but we'll see. I hear that clothes fit longer after potty training because you lose the diaper bulk, not that we're starting that yet!

In the past 2 weeks or so Kyle has started talking more. He says a lot of words, and will make sounds when we prompt him, as in "Kyle, can you say t-t-t-tree?" and Kyle will reply "t-t-t-t". He has a puzzle with animals on it and he often makes attempts at the words "goat" and "duck". Another new and exciting communication leap for him is shaking his head yes and no to answer questions. It's been wonderful to ask "Do you want milk (head shake no) or juice (head shake yes)?" when he asks for a drink using sign language. Now, I am a little interested to see all those studies that say babies who learn sign language speak sooner and don't rely on their signs to communicate. It seems that Kyle continues to add new signs to his repertoire and relies on them, instead of speaking. The way the baby sign videos and books make it out, Kyle wouldn't have been speaking until he was 2 1/2 or older at this rate! Ah well, I'm still so incredibly thankful for the baby sign and know we will do it with the rest of our kids too.

Another really cool skill Kyle has started doing is blowing bubbles in his bath water! This is one of the first skills they try to teach the babies and toddlers in swim class and it's something they have to master before moving up to the next level. Additionally, Kyle has been practicing drinking from a real cup in the bathtub. We have a rinse cup that he plays with and fills with water, then drinks from it. He still spills quite a bit, but I came across these neat sippy cups today that supposedly help toddlers learn to drink from a cup. They should also help keep his drinks cool in the summer, in addition to being a whopping 10 oz; practically unheard of volume in the world of sippy cups! Kyle drinks a lot of milk, water, and juice (more than the average toddler according to the pediatrician and the number of wet diapers we change), so I've been seeking out sippy cups that hold more than 6 or 7 ounces.

Did you know it snowed here in Tucson today? Yep, we got some great pictures that I'm sure Kevin will be posting soon; he loves weather. I actually had to dig the ice scraper (which I have kept since our days of living in Flagstaff) out of the trunk from behind the spare tire to scrape the car this morning. Thank goodness I kept it, you should have seen the desert natives scraping their cars with their bare hands and credit cards; amateurs ;)!

Ok, I'm going to make it my personal goal to figure out our new video camera and post a video or two this week! I'm really busy through mid-March, so forgive my infrequent posts!