ONE AND A HALF

Gus is 1 and a half years old. He is 31 inches tall. He can reach onto the counter tops, he can go up and down stairs by himself (quietly, as it turns out). He loves to be outside, and doesn't mind riding in the car. He bonks his head frequently, mostly because he's always moving and never still.

He loves talking about animals, especially those that live on the farm, and also monkeys. He knows many, many words. Here's a few that he knows:

walk, dog, leash, outside, inside, up, down, eat, food, drink, milk, juice, water, potato, tomato, cheese, cottage cheese, sauce, fork, spoon, cup, plate, bowl, coffee, beer, ding, floor, wall, stove, hot, on, off, light, steps, couch, chair, baby, dinosaur, book, read, sit, nap sleep, bottle, window, car, truck, go bike, helicopter, airplane, honk, vroom, sneeze, slide, climb, sand box, throw, hit, no cry, momma, poppa, Nova, baby, blanket, tools, fix, break, wash, wipe, bath, boat, moon, sun, sky, head, hair, nose, mouth, teeth, brush, eyes, ears, fingers, hands, arms, elbow, belly, leg, knee, toes, foot, hug, run, kick, jump, pants, clothes, shirt, Gus, hat, socks, shoes, boots, potty, bed, train, ball, cookies, cheese, pizza, pasta, macaroni, orange, banana, berries, apple, grape, peas, flowers, frog, watering can, tree, cow, duck, goose, chicken, pig, sheep, turkey, goat, cat, dog, bird, fish, zebra, monkey, giraffe, dolphin, elephant, rhinoceros, bear, fox, lion, squirrel, blue, green, one, two, three, help, stop, picture, records, shower, ta-da!, jump

and the list goes on and on and on. He is constantly talking, and if he's nearby and quiet I usually know he's doing something he shouldn't. He will repeat any word that we try to get him to say. He likes to count, though everything is three, one two three, and when we talk about letters and he tries to say them (though not always in order).

MINE is a word I should add to the above list, mine mine mine, everything is mine right now. Usually he's right, talking about his shirt or his cup or his toy. He can follow directions which delights us to no end: Gus, go get your shoes please, or Gus let go of that poor cat's tail. He's a social kid, but continues to be the playground bully - throwing sand and hitting when the other kids least expect it. That's gotten better, though - as he becomes more and more able to talk and express himself he gets less frustrated and doesn't need to flail and hit to get that across.

He is a determined and willful child (I'm sure our parents are laughing at that one) and while he isn't exactly stubborn - if he doesn't get his way, lord help us all. He loves to explore, loves to go to new places. When he's having fun he's off like a shot - rarely checking in to make sure momma & poppa are still watching. He is the adventure boy, throwing caution to the wind and making my heart jump frequently. He currently loves to leap off of things (his new bed, the coffee table, his sandbox) and even if he ends up tumbling to the ground will get up and do it again. He's not nervous about meeting new people and is often friendly and greets customers with a HI and a smile and wave when he's at the store with us.



One of his favorite activities is helping poppa - he loves tools and frequently picks up and walks off with screwdrivers and the like. He knows the name of most of Dave's tools and makes a power tool sound whenever Dave uses a drill or a saw. He tries to help ("Help!") and at least once has actually helped when Dave had his hands full.

Gus delights us to no end. He gives hugs and kisses (sometimes unsolicited!) and will cuddle on the couch and read books. He adores his sister and when one of us is rocking him to sleep at night he'll ask about her (Bee? crying?) He tries to share his food and juice with her, and I cannot wait until this winter when she starts scooting around and they'll actually be able to play together.

It's hard to believe he's already one and a half, and we frequently wonder when he changed from a baby to a boy. Life with Gus is an adventure, and he continually keeps us on our toes. Happy half-birthday little bear!