Hello! and other developments

Today after lunch, Brooks and I were playing ball and then he decided to go check out what was new in the tupperware drawer. As usual, I started mirroring back what he was saying. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he says "hello." And I mean, it really sounded exactly right!! I said hello back, and then he said it, and I said it and he said it.... my turn, his turn, my turn, his turn back and forth almost ten times. Sometimes it sounded more recognizable than others, but ohmygoodness, SO CUTE! My social baby can already say hello?!? Last night he called out "dada" to get Eric's attention, so I think words are starting to take on specific meaning. So fun!

He loves taking all sorts of things in and out, in and out. The tupperware, the wooding stacking boxes, the clean clothes in the laundry basket, the pajamas in his drawer. It's really funny - he's so serious about it. Right now he's pulling blocks out of their container and putting them in various boxes. I think he likes the sound they make when they "plink" against the bottom.

Not only does he love the curtain sheers, but the curtains themselves have become a really interesting item. We play "where's Brooks?!" behind them all day long. Actually he's crawled over there now and is trying to pull up to get a closer look at the plant outside the window.

He's crawling *everywhere* ... full on hands-and-knees crawling, and really fast. It's amazing how quickly he can get across the room to explore something that looks interesting. He's pulling up on everything and cruising between the coffee table and the couch and the ottoman all day long.

It's not always sweetness and light though. He knows the word "no" and sometimes he ignores it completely. Like when I tell him not to drop his food on the floor when he's no longer hungry. Or when I ask him to stop trying to get into the trash can or the large potted plant. Or when he wants to bang on the computer keys while I'm working on something (I just *love* that one weekend Eric put the key lock on his work laptop and let him go to town!! Only that one time and now he's completely ruined! :) )

Actually, since I started typing this post, Brooks has touched almost every single one of his toys in this room, including the baby grand piano... He's a busy kid and not a baby anymore! What a sweet, little man...