Xander is almost one year!

Xander is growing so quickly these days. It is unbelievable what he is capable of accomplishing. I imagined a second kid would get the, "oh, seen that before" attitude from me more often than not. Having witnessed the amazing growth of Venice already, how could I be "wowed" again? Boy was I wrong! Xander has gained many talents in the last few weeks. He can blow on a train whistle, has learned how to go down the stairs backwards (sometimes with a little reminder/help), and wipes his own hands on his napkins. He loves to copy actions now. If I'm cleaning up and putting items into a bag or box, he comes to help. He doesn't always get it right, throwing away perfectly good cooking utensils, or putting food into the toy bin, but he's trying. He will also copy playful behavior. If you put a cup on his head, he'll take it from you and try to put it on his head too. He's definitely looking to make you laugh and loves to get a response. If you giggle, he'll giggle too.

He is also a super duper climber. We cannot keep him from climbing the kitchen chairs. I have come downstairs to find him sitting on the kitchen table smiling from ear to ear. I knew he was climbing in the playroom and asked Chris to check on him. Chris went to check, "Um, yeah, he's on top of the piano!" He had climbed all the way to the top and was standing there looking so proud of himself. Why shouldn't he be? He also climbed the 6ft ladder to the 3rd rung and used the step stool to step onto the ledge of the tub. So, he keeps us alert in hopes of avoiding any ER visits.

His vocabulary is also growing. It currently includes, but is not limited to; Daddy, Mommy, uh oh, oops, up, moo, sit, hot, ta (tunnel), steps, kitty, tree, pretty, ball. He loves to bring me a book and say, "Sit." he then climbs into my lap and wants me to read him the book. He is still working on sitting still for the entire read and still likes to chew on pages, but we're improving.