Month 14: Off and Running. Literally.

This kid operates at the speed of light. He is in constant motion - sometimes I think just for the sake of motion. He occasionally (accidentally?) breaks into a run every now and then, his arms either in the T-Rex position, or wide open, as if hoping to take flight.

Even when he's sitting down he's still moving, absent-mindedly flapping his arms and legs, or shaking his head so hard he gets dizzy (something he enjoys immensely).

His mind is apparently moving at warp speed too - he wants to read everything in sight. He brings us his books, our books, electronics manuals, DVD and CD cases...anything that vaguely resembles a book. I think my favorite is when he selects a book that is too heavy for him to carry, and hauls it across the floor by a corner.

His vocabulary is increasing too - he now mimics new words, animals sounds (sheep and cow, specifically), and says "bah" for book, ball, and rock. This week he started saying "1, 2, 3" (although it sounds more like "uoh, ooo, eee..."). Oh - and he loves to say "na na" for banana - almost as much as he loves to eat them. He'll down an entire banana as a pre-meal appetizer. If anyone in a two block radius says the word "banana" he screams "na na!!" and bolts for the kitchen, pointing at the banana rack. Unbelievable.

As much as I hate the phrase "a boy's boy", Daniel definitely fits the bill... he's completely obsessed with rocks (and throwing them), bugs, dirt, and getting as dirty as humanly possible during a simple trip to the park. Needless to say, his bathwater turns impressive shades of brown. He loves playing catch, kicking a ball back and forth and even playing basketball with his mini hoop at preschool.

"Ball" is the word du jour, and he has an impressive ability to see balls everywhere. (Last week he was at the park and started yelling "bah! bah! bah!" and running towards a rock bed. We chased across the park to stop him, but once we got there, we realized there was a small pink ball imbedded in the rocks that was impossibly hard to see.)

He naps with as much vigor as he plays, crashing harder and faster than ever before. After a recent trip to IKEA during which he ran and played through every model room display, he fell asleep within ten seconds of being strapped in his car seat. No exaggeration.

All this rough and tumble play has shown us that Daniel definitely inherited my skin - he bruises easily, little bumps turn into red welts, little scratches turn into long white streaks, and his poor face turns beat red in the heat. His teeth are from Fernando though - the rate of entry, at least. We've lost track of what tooth came in when, and even how many are in - our best guess is somewhere around 13 or 14. Maybe more.

Lately, Daniel's favorite games include "scary daddy" (where Fernando simply hides and jumps out with a scary face), "chasing mommy" (I think you get the gist of that one), splashing in the tub, stacking and nesting toys, putting things inside containers, being upside down, climbing stair, and dancing. He loves to dance.

Well, this posting kind of turned into an all-over-the-board update, but I guess those aren't terrible once in a while.

Consider yourself updated!