Say What?

Robert has worked hard the last few months on building his vocabulary. I am sure I am omitting something, but here are most of the words he uses now:

1. Daydee (Macy, our beagle)
2. Adee (Anna, our lab)
3. Daddy
4. Mama (although sometimes I'm also dada)
5. Uh Oh (He especially likes to say uh oh BEFORE he throws something onto the ground)
6. Ball (His favorite toy and favorite word - he literally wakes up asking for a ball)
7. Goosh (Juice)
8. No No (He repeats this back to us when we correct him and has learned to repeat "No No" to the dogs, too!)
9. Gack (Cracker, or really any snack item)
10. Duck/Quack (sometimes a duck is a quack, sometimes a duck says "duck")
11. Boo (this is what my dad is called; Robert is also persistently calling my mother Boo, too)
12. Shoe
13. Ba (Bottle, especially bottled water, which he LOVES to drink)
14. Nee No (This is the Redding family word for belly button. Robert is good at finding EVERYONE's nee no!)
15. Kee (Keys)
16. Cah (Cow)
17. Day Shoo (Thank you - perhaps his cutest word! He says this whenever he grabs something he knows he's not supposed to have while bringing it to Mommy or Daddy. He also calls the remote controls "day shoo" because we are always taking them away and saying "thank you" when he has them!)
18. Poo Poo (He doesn't know what that means yet, but he says it back to me whenever I ask if he poo pooed)
19. Bye Bye
20. Oh (Hello - said whenever the phone rings or when anyone is seen talking on the phone)
21. Baby
22. Yay!
23. Car
24. Nose
25. And yesterday, his daycare teacher taught him to say Rahba (Robert!)

He is also learning his animal sounds. We ask, "What does a ___ say?" And Robert responds appropriately to cow ("booooooo"), duck ("quack"), lion ("raaaaaa"), and snake ("ssssss").

He is also learning how to express himself more. He has learned to shake his head "no" or use his hands to signal that he is full or does not want something. He loves to copy the faces that his Daddy makes. The cutest thing he does right now is look at you with an expression of great surprise (mouth wide open in the "wow" position and eyebrows raised). He doesn't know the appropriate time to use this expression yet, so it often comes when you least expect it!

He has learned what a church hymnal is for and rushes to get one whenever we enter the church. He grabs one, opens it (usually upside down), and begins singing "Dah Dah Dah Dah Dah" VERY loudly!

He spent his first day in his "big boy" class at daycare this week. No more high chairs and no more cribs! He is learning to eat at the table and sleep on a cot. So far, so good! He took a 2 hour nap on his first day (unheard of for him), and the teachers reported he behaved very well!

We are enjoying watching our little boy grow and are learning that each day seems to pass more and more quickly. Parenthood is one of life's greatest blessings, and we are trying to cherish every moment!