EIEIO!

Carter has really seemed to change this week. He is now walking everywhere and walking is his preferred choice of transportation. It almost seems strange to see him crawl now... even though he'll still do that now and then. Although his walking isn't completely stable, he's getting better! One of his new favorite things is to "hide" behind our curtains by our patio door. Then he walks straight out into the middle of the room so that the curtains drape over his head. The static from the curtains makes his hair stand straight up and he just laughs and laughs. He also loves playing "hide-and-seek." This game is a nightly routine now!

Carter also has really been loving our pets. I honestly can't believe how gentle he has been with Lily - and how loving she has been to him! Usually we can find her asleep on Carter's beanbag in the basement. The minute he spots her, Carter walks over to her, and then gently pets her back. She acts like maybe she's not enjoying it and walks away, but then throws herself to the ground and rolls onto her back so that Carter can pet her belly. He then dives in and gives her open-mouthed kisses on her back and head. Anyone that knows our cat knows that this kind behavior from Lily is not normal!!!

As for Maddie, our rambunctious beagle, she is beginning to like Carter, too - at least we think so. Sometimes Carter will chase Maddie around the room and she keeps coming back for more. His favorite game is to clap his hands and bounce up and down as we chant "Go Maddie May, Go Maddie May, Go!" This chanting always makes her run around the house as fast as she can and Carter just laughs so hard and smiles the biggest smile. I'm beginning to really think our pets might be his favorite toys!

I think Cary and I were both a bit surprised to see that Carter has learned some new words and sounds. I guess when he goes to Bobbi's and Hedy's, in addition to being at home with us, he learns things that we don't even know! We were shocked when we asked him what a sheep said and he quickly responded "baaa." I guess both Bobbi and Hedy have really been working on words with him!!! His actual word vocabulary is pretty small - he can say mama, dada, ball, book (sort of), cheese, nana (banana), fish, and please. But what he is really learning quickly are animal sounds! As of this morning, he could say the sounds for a cow, elephant, lion, duck, monkey, sheep, horse and shhhh (when a baby is sleeping). I just feel like he's soaking up so much and it makes things a little more exciting around our house!