18-Month-Old Little Man

Our little man is growing up so quickly these days! He still loves to be cuddled, and gets a big kick out of giving enthusiastic hugs. Even so, he is loosing much of his "babyness" and becoming such a fun little boy.

Where'd Bekah go?

Daniel is talking sooo much these days. I had not expected him to talk so soon because he has a big sister who is more than willing to say everything for him (and then some). He definitely has a mind of his own though, and plenty to say. He only says a few phrases so far (like "food please" or "sit down"), but he knows more words than I have tried to count. It is fun to listen to him try to "talk" with Rebekah. As usual, she will be talking up a storm while they are playing, and he will pick out key words to repeat - some that he has used before, and some that he hasn't. With Rebekah, we were the ones who had to teach her everything, but it is amazing to watch and see some of the numerous things that Daniel learns from his big sister.

"Hello!" Daniel loves talking on the phone.

One big thing that Daniel has picked up just from listening to Rebekah is a love of the alphabet. Rebekah will often break out singing the Alphabet Song. We didn't realize just how much Daniel was paying attention to that, or to Rebekah working on her letters until he started trying to sing the Alphabet Song too! His version usually goes something like "C, D, W, X, C, D, W,..." (you get the idea). And whenever Daniel sees letters - whether in a book, on a box, or wherever, he says, "C, D, W!" We never taught him what letters are, but Rebekah is really in a letter-loving stage right now, so we're pretty sure he picked it up from her.
Daniel had seen Rebekah saying the alphabet with Dr. Seuss' Alphabet Book. He didn't seem to be paying much attention at the time, but I walked into their room later that day and found Daniel studying the book intently. He kept pointing at letters and singing something I couldn't understand, but I'm pretty sure he was trying to sing the alphabet. =)

Daniel is our cuddly one. He loves to cuddle, especially with his blanket, but also with Mommy, Daddy, and his stuffed Curious George. =)

Yep, he's a boy! He loves playing in dirt, sand, the toilet, etc. However, it is funny to watch and see how quickly he gets grossed out by something he thinks is dirty. Often, if he finds a piece of paper, food, or other trash on the floor, he will gingerly bring it to me saying, "Yuck! Trash."

Daniel also loves cars, trucks, airplanes, trains...basically anything mechanical that moves. When we are driving down the road, he will excitedly point out the cars and trucks. When he is playing outside and hears and airplane, he will look for it and then wave as it flies away. He enjoys playing with his toy cars too - the little matchbox cars are currently his favorite.

Unfortunately, Daniel is also a big fan of Cinderella and Dora. Yes, his sister has trained him well! BUT the redeeming factor is that if given the choice, he will always choose Curious George over Cinderella or Dora. =)

Daniel loves animals. He seems to be especially fond of horses and cats (dogs are a big hit too). The family we are currently staying owns several ponies (among other things), and Daniel got to go for a ride a couple of weeks ago. He loved it!

Daddy has trained him well, and Daniel has become a lover of golf in recent months. If he sees Nathan head outside to practice a few shots, he will run to the door yelling, "Golf ball! Golf ball!"

Our happy boy

Feeding the gulls