Caleb is Growing Up!

Caleb is almost 15 months old now! He's doing so many things lately, I'll try to think of them all and list them here:

• He has over 25 words in his repertoire. The other day he pointed to the design on my paper plate and said, "Flower" just as if I'd been trying to teach him, which I hadn't. I had never pointed out a flower to him in his life.
• He is very creative, and likes to think of new (and sometimes silly) ways to do things. He lays his bread on his plate, then brings his plate to his face to try to eat the bread. It's not always successful, but he thinks it's funny.
  
• He knows what a key is and that it belongs in a doorknob.
• He can reach the doorknob, though he hasn't figured out how to turn it yet, thank goodness.
• He can follow simple commands, like "Close the door," "Go get your blanket," and "Where did you put your cup?"
• He is generally very nice to the cats, though he does get on a tear sometimes with "no no!" and "down!" to show that he is still bigger than they.
• He knows exactly where the yummy cookies are in the cupboard, and is quick to point them out when I ask what he wants for a snack.
• He is starting to be able to make simple decisions, like choosing either an apple or crackers.
• He hands me his plate when it's empty, with a simple "more" to let me know he's still hungry.
• He is perfecting his fork usage and will sometimes refuse to eat until he has a fork with which to eat. The other day we were at a Mexican food restaurant and I'd given him his spoon early to keep him occupied. That and his goldfish were not satisfying him, and I chalked it up to his need for a nap. But the minute my plate of enchiladas and beans and rice hit the table, he dove toward the beans and had a huge spoonful in his mouth before I knew what was happening! It was a messy dinner, but he was happy!
• He knows how to wipe his hands, his nose, and his mouth with a napkin, and he knows how to blow his nose. He doesn't always do it, but usually will when I ask him.
• His favorite word is "puppy," and he can identify a puppy barking all around our neighborhood. I think this is interesting because we taught him that puppies say, "woof, woof," which really doesn't sound much like real barking. But he knows it anyway. And always says, "Puppy! woof woof...."
• Caleb seems to finally be adjusting to the new nursery here. As a matter of fact, the last two times I dropped him off, he waltzed in, turned to me and said, waving, "BYE!" Makes me happy.
• And last but not least, Caleb is telling us he's poopy! Now I know that may be a weird thing to list, but I didn't think that happened until kids turned 2 or so. And today he said it while he was pooping, instead of after the fact. Is it possible that he's on his way to being ready for toilet training?? I was perfectly happy to wait on that little hurdle until after Newbie2 arrives and we're all settled back in. I'm kind of dumbfounded at this little feat of his (am I right that this is abnormal?). I don't want to miss an opportunity, so I'm going to go ahead and order him a little toilet seat and see what happens. We have to get it at some point anyway, so might as well have it on hand. If he doesn't take to it, we'll just wait awhile.

So, all this to say, we've got one pretty great kid. I love the fact that he is using words to communicate. Things like "more, milk, down, up," and even "poopy" have made our lives much easier. I can't believe how much he's accomplished in such a short little life!