Sixteen months

Wow! Thank goodness there isn't a penalty for blog truancy!

There are several new stories & updates to share about our very grown-up sixteen-month-old. Joshua has added a few words to his repertoire. At Tricia's house, he joins in with the other toddlers in saying No, Go, or Dora (as in Dora the Explorer). Here at home, he held up a sock while I was dressing him and told me it was a sock. He has attempted juice, thank you, yes, and please. A couple of nights ago, he said "Blastoff" while holding up his hands during the exact moment the kids on the show Little Einsteins were doing that. Oh, and he says dog quite a lot. Joshua is very excited about dogs.

Joshua's comprehension is amazing. During his recent cold, Mike & I talked to him about how much easier it would be for everyone if he held still when we wiped his nose. Since that conversation, we can take care of his nose with one quick, easy swipe. We love playing ball (Joshua has great skill at throwing balls) and reading books. Just ask him to go get a ball or book and he immediately gets the requested item.

Recently, Mike & I started doing more exercise DVDs at home. Joshua loves when we do yoga or ab exercises. Yoga poses create bridges for him to crawl under, while crunches are an invitation for him to lay on your abdomen and say, "Oh, Oh!" while he giggles. It's great fun. There have been several days that Joshua has let us know that he wants to go for a walk in the rec center by talking about and pointing to the backpack carrier. He has fun there after every walk on the track, playing with stray basketballs, watching people play racquetball, or going down the toddler slide. In fact, he likes racquetball so much he takes my small seive with a handle and bats at balls with it!

The last time I walked with Joshua outside on a sunny and unusually warm day, he walked on the sidewalk a bit instead of staying in the stroller. He was so cute about his excitement seeing his shadow for the first time! I wish I had a camera with me that day. I'll definitely take it with us on the next sunshine-y walk.

Joshua still has a super appetite for a little guy. Our "Little Tornado" eats most of a child-sized plate of burrito, rice, and beans at the mexican restaurant. He snags handy food off the kitchen table to feed himself with a spoon or fork (such as a recent cup of applesauce). Raisins, peaches, banana wedges, and oatmeal are favorite foods we could serve him every day. Each evening I teach, Mike & Joshua share chinese food. Joshua devours the rice (some by fork, some by fingers) as well as either chicken or broccoli from Mike. He communicated that he wanted something in the fridge twice today- once for pumpkin pie and once for grapes. It's common now that he appreciates getting food choices, not just choices about which outfit to wear each day.

Joshua is still very excited about music. He likes to sit at the piano with one of us to tickle the ivories, play with a toy piano, play with a toy guitar, shake a chicken shake to the beat of whatever music is playing, and dance to good rock music. He often turns on the living room radio.

Right now, Joshua is napping. Most days, he still has two naps, but he might talk to himself and play with his stuffed reindeer for a few minutes before falling asleep. Before naps, he likes to look through books by himself if Mike & I aren't already reading to him. Favorite books these days are The Little Blue Truck, God Knows All About Me, Fred & Ted, My Truck is Stuck, and We're Going on a Bear Hunt. However, there are at least ten other books in frequent rotation, too.