As I told your Granny (Grandma Ana) today on the phone, it’s as if something just clicked inside your brain. Your communication skills have really exploded in the past week or so.

Here is what you are up to these days:

• You have just begun to nod yes in response to questions. You actually nod your whole body and kind of bounce up and down. In the morning, I ask if you’d like an egg, and you nod, saying, “egg, egg”. You also nod when you are sleepy and I ask if you’d like a nap, and when I ask if you have pooped, you nod and say “poop, poop”. When I walked into your room this morning, I asked “What’s up?” and you said, “poop”. Sure enough . . .

• You have some other, less icky words as well. You love identifying parts of people’s faces. You can point at and name eyes, ears, cheeks, and chin. You know what noses are, but can’t say the word. You just kind of make an “nnnnn” sound.

• In addition to the nodding yes, you have also learned what no means! You don’t say “no” but you say “uh uh uh” and move your arm back and forth in a sweeping motion as you say it. It is adorable. Just the other day, you opened my makeup drawer, which you know you aren’t allowed to do. As you opened it, you turned back to me, smiled, and said “uh uh uh” complete with arm motions. And then, of course, you laughed.

• Your toy collection has mushroomed this past month thanks to your birthday and then Hanukkah. Your favorites are the plastic food items that go in your new shopping cart (especially the ice cream cones), your Dora the Explorer playhut and your Fisher Price Bee-Bop Buildin' Singin' Snail Pail. You’ve just recently discovered my nesting Russian wooden dolls, and love those as well.

• You still love your music! Daddy and I got you a bunch of CDs for Hanukkah, and they have become favorites. We all especially love the two Dan Zanes and Friends CDs – Night Time and Family Dance. You also enjoy your Pottery Barn Kids Play Time CD, and your favorite song on that disc is Cement Mixer (Pu-Ti, Pu-Ti). You always dance when you hear that one.
  
• You can’t get enough of your books. As soon as I stack them back on your shelf, you pull them all down. You flip through them looking at pictures and naming anything that you recognize.

• You love the book Rainbow Fish, and you say “shee” for fishie, while moving your hand to make the sign for fish in sign language.

• I’m sure it’s our fault for introducing you to them, but you have become obsessed with cookies! We at least try to keep them nutritious, and give you organic graham cookies and organic animal crackers.

• You are trying to run, and are practically there. I think you only crawled once or twice this entire month.

• When we say “Love-y, Love-y” you put your cheek against the object of affection (Friday, me, Daddy, your own hand, your pillow) and say “ahhhhhh”. It’s adorable.

• You are incredibly demanding. When you want something, you are relentless, and make loud, grunting sounds until you get it or are otherwise distracted. Lucky for you, we usually hand it over. It’s hard to resist your sweet little face.