Eric's nearly 18mo and his language has started to explode again after a month or two of not much. I assume he was working on something motor-related (like eating with a fork), since that often shifts language off the priority list, and vice verse.

Recently we have learned that cows go boo, kitties go ee-ow, ducks go ak-ak, and monkeys/gorillas go ook-ook-ook. Puppies still go bow-wow, or sometimes ow-wow. Balls are no longer baus, but instead bongs -- in fact, a ball is often "bonggggg!". A bowl is also bong, or sometimes boung. Food is nana, including banana, and he has learned to rub his tummy for hungry and sign for "more" by putting his fingertips together. The signs still require coaching, but he'll either pick them up or pick up the words for them and drop the signs. He also signs "food" by saying "nom nom nom" with his tongue sticking out a little. This often means "look, you're eating food, I want some" and "here, eat this food I'm holding out to you".

He waves and says buh-BYE, hi (or hi-ee), and sometimes nini (night-night). His "fluffy puppy" doll is Buddy, as are other dogs, all cats, and certain other random animals. He says UP! for both up and down, though he went through a week or so of saying dn! for down, but then he dropped it and went back to up for both. Hand is another word he mastered and then promptly dropped. Trains go woo-woo; cars, trucks, and tractors go rrr-rrr or wrrr-wrrr. He can say hat (either hat or 'at) and knows shoes (but not boots) and jacket (but not coat). Buddy, Dada, Mama, Eric, and Grace appear to be his only proper names so far, though he only says Buddy and Dada (very occasionally Mama, and once he appeared to say 'ace for Grace, his daycare provider).

He seems to recognize himself in the mirror and on videos. He follows naturally worded commands and suggestions, and processes implied information and acts on it. His reactions are still delayed as he processes the situation, though, so it often takes him maybe 30 seconds to act on a suggestion/implication, say buh-bye or hi, or blow a kiss (mwa! with palm to mouth and then away) for good night. He feeds his puppy or other pictures of animals sometimes, as well as babydolls at Grace's house. He recognizes pictures of animals, balls, hats, and food -- even a baseball hat which we told him was a hat though we don't own one. He can understand hats in isolation and on peoples' heads in pictures. He can point to body parts, though when I ask "where's your nose? where's Eric's nose?" he'll often point to mine instead. Nose, feet, hands, ears, eyes, mouth are all body parts he appears to know with reasonable accuracy.

Well, that's all for now. I have to say, parenting is fascinating. Eric's my little science experiment. Aw! Isn' he a coot widdle science experwiment!