Let's see...what else is going on? Well, E. is really starting to talk.

Here's the current list:

apple

balloon

down

fish

goat

dog

car

bye-bye

squirrell

Elmo

bird

ball

Mama

The funniest thing about his new expanded vocabulary is that I have been trying to teach him (very, very basic) sign language since about the age of nine months and he still has yet to really sign anything, and everything I'd read had said that most kids can learn to sign before they learn to talk. Haha, not my kid! Way to buck the trends, my little sprout.

Hoo boy, and let me just say that the kid is not getting any easier. If anything, he's getting harder to handle. He's stronger than ever, smarter than ever, more active, and he can climb now too. It's really hard for both of us, being in the house all day. I'm trying to be the "good" mommy, diverting and distracting before trouble can be made. However, inevitably at some point every day, I find myself sighing heavily and dragging him off the couch with nothing more than a stern look, which of course he doesn't see anyway because he's already running off to climb on the chair or turn on the dishwasher.

Two of my friends with older kids are telling me that there will be a time coming when it will be easier, so I hold onto that tidbit and hope that it's true.

And well, warmer weather will be here soon, so I will be able to just take him to the park when things get crazy.

My monkey is up from his nap, so I'll have to continue this some other time...but before I go, I just want to throw in that my birthday started out pretty good, turned kind of bad, but ended up really, really good. Thanks, everyone, for the kind birthday wishes.