14 Months

It's getting chilly, the leaves are beginning to change, and it's unmistakably Fall in Wisconsin. I'm in heaven. Fall is my favorite season, especially when it IS a season, complete with cool weather and orangish red leaves. Robert and I have been playing a lot these days. He's already got a great imagination. We built a "cave" fort out of couch pillows and a blanket. Then we played Noah's Ark with his new (barn sale for $1) Little People set. He knows how to make the animals walk along and even feeds them from the little food barrels that came with the Ark. He repeats everything I do, so I pretty much act out a scene, making the animals talk and eat, and then he does it. It's so fun! Sometimes he pretends to eat out of the food barrels, too, and sometimes he pretends to eat the animals. Hmmm....I haven't found out how to work that into the story of Noah's Ark. Everyone keeps asking me if Robert is talking, yet. He's trying words all the time, but nothing really consistent besides Dada. He's got that down and uses the sign, too. He loves his Dada! He's also tried bubble, PaBop, dog, shoes, water, milk, Elmo, and unfortunately poop (he gets that from us telling the dogs to hurry up and "poop" when we take them out :). I'm sure he's tried other words, too, but these are the ones that come to mind. He's still signing, and we will continue to add more signs to try to help him communicate. He makes an annoying grunt and points when he wants to say something for which he doesn't have a word or a sign. It's awful, especially during dinner!

He's getting clingy lately, a bit like seperation anxiety, and has even been getting up again at night. He cries when Daddy leaves and when I drop him off at Kids Corner when I work out at the Y. He gets over it pretty quickly, but it's really sad. I've read about it, and though he's a little old for seperation anxiety, it really seems like that's what it is. I've just been trying to nurse him whenever he ask for it and to give him lots of extra cuddles and attention to reassure him of my love and support. And of course, prayer. We'd certainly appreciate your prayers, too!