Lots of new signs and activities!!

We have been really working on signs with Ethan. He understands SO much but he is taking his sweet time saying a lot of words. For the longest time, he would just sign "more" and "all done". Tonight, he started signing "please" (rubbing his hand in a circle on his chest) AND "thank you" (touches his fingertips to his chin and then moves his hand backwards away from his face). In the past few days, he learned to sign "eat" (touches his fingertips to his lips). In the past few weeks, he learned to sign "milk" (opens and closes his fist, like milking a cow!) and "drink" (holds his hand in a C shape like he's holding a cup, and tips it toward his mouth). Tonight when we were putting Ethan to bed, Ryan and I were talking about this while Ethan was nursing. Every word that we said that he knows the sign for, he would do automatically. It made us so proud!!

Signs he knows:
More
All Done
Bye Bye
Where (he pretty much does the same as all done for where, with an accompanying "hmm?")
Milk
Drink
Eat
Please
Thank You
Where's Jesus/Thank You Jesus - he raises his hand high in the air
Diaper (pats his diaper - there is a "Dirty Diaper" signing song they do at the library storytime, so we are working on "dirty" and "change")
Points to all his body parts

Words he says:
Mama
Dada
Nana
Pop Pop
Maa Maa (Mammaw)
Mmm Hmm (for yes) - and shakes his head up and down appropriately
Nope - and shakes his head back and forth appropriately
Fishy
Daw Daw (Dog)
Mo Mo Mo (more)
See!
Tasha or TaTa (Tasha from Backyardigans)
Ty-one (Tyrone from Backyardigans)
Duck or guck
Cack Cack (when we ask what sound a duck makes)
Moo (when we ask what sound a cow makes)

Recent activities:
-He comprehends what you say to him, gets things that you ask him to get and follows commands/questions pretty well!
-He knows what clean up is, and likes to clean and wipe up things himself. He is doing well at putting his toys away. He likes his own wipe or cloth to clean up his tray, wipe off his hands, etc. It is cute! He also likes to take things out, like from our lazy susan cabinet, and then put them back away.
-He has figured out cause and effect with light switches. He loves to flip them up and turn around to see the light come on, and flipping it down and turns around to see the light go off. And again, and again, and again :)
-He is climbing on EVERYTHING. He can climb up on our dining room chairs, the couch, the rocker in his room. He loves to climb up, get down, climb back up, get down, and again, and again, and again. Do you see a pattern? :)
-He loves to kick or throw a ball or a balloon. He has a pretty strong overhand throw!!
-He is doing really well with getting dressed. He will put his head through the top hole, and then reach up each of his hands to lift his arms through. He will put his legs into his pants or shorts, and he sits on the bottom step of our stairs to try to put his shoes on.
-He loves closing the doors. When we walk into or out of a room, he wants to close the door behind us. He pulls the door almost closed by the door frame (and he has done very well and never pinched a finger - knock on wood!), and now he is tall enough that he can reach up and grab the door handle to pull it closed behind him.
-He likes to try to walk up the stairs like a big boy. He likes to hold your hand with one of his, and try to reach the handrail with the other.
-When we are putting him down to bed or naps, we have been asking him if he's ready for night-night, and his answer is always "mmm-hmm!"
-We have been working on doing the binkie just for sleeping. So when he gets up, the first thing he wants to do is get his binkie and put it in his mouth. We tell him to leave the binkie in his bed, that the binkie is for night-night. He will reach in through the crib rails and drop the binkies inside. Success!! :)
-He thinks wrapping his arms around your leg and holding on tight while you walk around with him hanging on is the funniest.thing.ever. :)
-Water, water, water. Anything having to do with water.
-And of course, anything with music as usual! Drumming, singing, dancing, playing the piano, and strumming the guitar :)