Tommy's new tricks

So pretty much in the past month our little boy has started to do so many new things and it's been so fun and such a joy to watch him grow and flourish.  He is walking with his walking "toy" all by himself and he LOVES it. It's still has to be an intentional thing that we do though, and at times he has to be coerced with a book, but once he gets going he squeals and laughs while he walks. He gets around so fast, he moves like a little monkey. He sits down and leans forward on his hands and swings his butt in whatever direction he wants to go. Everyone tells us they love to watch him move. Tommy's getting really good at his aim when it comes to throwing things, he'll use a small toy to knock down a tower of blocks and can usually hit it dead on. He's pulling up on everything and is getting super fast at cruising along whatever it is he's pulling up on.  His speech has grown tons in the past month - he signs more all the time now, he is trying to verbally say the word more, he says MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA! FINALLY! While I'm super thankful he's saying it, it wasn't quite as exciting as I thought it would be b/c it was kind of gradual. He started making the "mmm" sound forever ago and then every once it a blue moon it sounded like he was saying ma. Then came, mawwm, followed by mama! And it is now his favorite sounds to make - that part makes me very happy! He now knows the sign for daddy but has no interest in signing mama. He can say dada but goes through phases where he says it a lot and then stops, and since mama is the new favorite sound dada and baba/byby have taken a back seat, but trust me they had their day. Tommy will point to your eyes, nose (his favorite), mouth, and ears. He knows where his belly and his head are. Funny story from Christmas weekend - we have never asked Tommy where his head is or taught him where his head is but he was playing at my in-laws' house and his Grammy saw him playing with a little table that wasn't very sturdy. So she went and moved it and told him, "I have to move that so you won't bonk your head." And out of no where he starts patting himself on the head! We started cracking up and clapping our hands telling him, "Yes, head! Good job!" Then we asked him several times after where his head was and he kept patting his head. He's so stinking smart, and pretty dang cute!

Tommy was not interested at all in opening his presents. I thought he would be, but he just wanted to move around. He did however get excited when we got home and I was taking all the toys out of the boxes and wiping them down. I'd throw them to him on the floor when I was finished. And at one point he came over to the couch, pulled himself up in front of a couple of toys that were still in the box, and was signing more! Haha he wanted more toys to play with! He cruised down the couch to my lap and took the toy I was wiping off out of my lap!

Tommy loves to sign more, but is starting to get upset when you tell him all done or no more and he still wants more. One of the cutest things is when Kyle tickles Tommy or plays with him, and in between tickles Tommy will look up at Kyle and put his hands high in the air and sign more to him, b/c he wants Kyle to keep tickling him! Precious, precious boy!

Okay I will leave you of a video of Tommy's signs. And one of him walking with his toy (it's a walker his Physical Therapist is letting us borrow)