17 months young

This past month, I have a few more accomplishments to brag about:

• When I wake up, the first word out of my mouth is often, "CAR!" I *love* cars. Lucky for me, they are everywhere in LA so I am easily entertained. My next favorite word is, "airplane" and the skies here are busy too.
  
• I can now do 360-degree spins when Daddy throws me up in the air.
  
• New words: hot dog, ball, horse
• I can point to pictures in my books when Mama or Daddy ask. I can identify the butterfly, flower (and I'll sniff it too), ball, drum, baby, door, telephone, and animals like rabbits, dogs, cats, and ducks. When Daddy or Mama ask me to point to the pants in the book, I always point to my dresser.
  
• At the playground I can climb the rock wall. I mostly use my arms to pull me up. I love to go down the slide on my belly, feet first. I'm gearing up for my next stunt, which is to go down the slide head first. I saw another boy do this and I am very curious about it.
• I like to take walks around the neighborhood with Daddy, Mama, and Lucy. I can walk about two square blocks with a little bit of resting here and there.
• I haven't had a bottle in about three weeks. I'm getting really good at sipping out of a regular cup and won't spill a drop as long as someone is holding the cup for me. I am starting to try to hold the cup myself. Mama and Daddy stopped giving me a straw because all I do is blow bubbles and leave chunks of chewed up food in my drinks.
• I love to watch the Elmo DVDs that my Jiu Jiu (Uncle Eric) gave me for Christmas. I love Elmo, but get really bored whenever the cartoon parts come on.
• I'm becoming a pro at letting Daddy brush my teeth at night.
• I'm still obsessed with wheels.
• With a lot of repeated requests and persistence, I can be convinced to lay down on my own on my diaper changing pad. Sometimes I will pick out a diaper before I lay down for a changing -- again, with a lot of encouragement.
• Everynight, Mama tells me when I have five minutes, and then one minute, left before I have to go to bed. Whenever she does this, I start to whine and then I hurry up and get my books ready for reading time.
• Yesterday, Mrs. Tran (my daycare provider) called Daddy around 4:00 in the afternoon to ask whether I'd slept well the previous night. Daddy said I seemed normal, but Mrs. Tran was worried because I'd started my nap at 11:00 AM and hadn't woken up since. She reported that I wasn't running a fever or anything, and wanted to know what she should do. Should Daddy call the doctor, or come pick me up early, or...? Daddy said immediately, "Wake him up now! Please, for the love of God!!!" Despite their worrying, I did sleep that night -- very well, I might add -- so maybe this is the sign of a growth spurt coming on. LOOK OUT!