16th Month

Leo is now 15 ½ months and a handful! For the most part, he is a happy, adventurous, curious, funny child. However his teeth are popping out left, right and center and he really suffers from them. We can tell when a new tooth is pushing through, as it is preceded by a swollen, blood-blistered gum. Poor little guy.

He prefers to spend most of his time outside, running barefoot all over our rocky, muddy hill. He is also delighted to be taken for walks in his sling. He'll let you know when he wants a walk (not always when you might want one!!!) by getting his hat, your hat and the sling, and then waiting impatiently for you to get your shit together.

He loves all animals. He makes noises for cows, dogs, chickens and bugs, and start trotting up and down when he sees a horse. And he'll often bend down on all fours (but without the knees touching the ground) and walk around like that saying “booooooo” - his word for moooo! He loves to play with bugs, but he will come and get your hand and make you touch one before he will.

He also loves water. He drinks more water than any child on the planet. He will shout “wa wa” as soon as he sees a bucket, a puddle, a river, and now even when the clouds look fit to bursting, and then he runs over to it and puts as much of his body in it as possible. He has been in the river, but not very deep. If we get some free time soon, we want to take him swimming in the river. He has never been swimming before, as this is the only time of the year when the water is warm enough for him, and we just haven't had much time.

Music is another one of his favorites. He will dance at any sound of music, and he has even started to sing!!!

His dexterity is getting much better. He can spend a long time screwing on and unscrewing bottle tops, and lids of all kinds. He can put all the shapes in the holes, though often needs you to point out which one to try. He can put the different size rings on their post. Anything that he feels is beyond him (like opening a door), he will not hesitate to grab your hand and lead you to the obstacle for you to try.

Food has always been a strong point for Leo. He now eats pretty much what we eat, even loving chile colorado! He can eat fruit all day long, as well as yogurt.

As far as language skills go, he doesn't yet say that many words. He does however understand English and Spanish equally, and we are curious as to how that will affect him as he adds new words to his vocabulary.

He loves his playtime rough. The higher you throw him and the faster you spin him, the louder he laughs. This does not bode well for the future peace of mind of his mother!!!

The thing that always amazes us is his sense of humor. He loves to laugh and make you laugh, which is normal with babies. What seems to be unusual is the quality of his jokes. He is genuinely funny, even at an adult's standards, and he seems to know when a joke has been thrashed.

On the downside, he is starting to throw little tantrums, especially when he is tired. He'll stomp his feet and scream, when he can't have something he wants. Abe says we should lock him up in the chicken coop when he behaves like that, and perhaps he has a point!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, it's the age for it, I guess. As he communication improves, we hope the tantrums will too, but we fear we are only just getting a taste of what is to come. Small price to pay I guess for this beautiful, little boy.

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