22 Months: Mr. Smarty Pants

Walt may only be 22 months old, but I think he's already realized that he's got a lot to learn because the first thing he wants to do every morning is look at his shape/color/number/word books.  Sometimes before Daddy is quite ready to get started.

Thanks to his dedicated studying, Walt now can tell you all of his shapes (semicircle "hemi-hurka" included), most colors (still a little shaky on green, but has purple down pat), and tons of words out of Richard Scarry's Greatest Word Book Ever. 

He's also very good at following directions.  Here, I've told him to show me his tongue . . .

. . . but he can also do useful things like go get a kleenex, find his shoes, and vacuum.  Okay, so maybe his vacuuming is just pretend, but as soon as he's old enough to use electrical appliances, you can bet we'll put those domestic inclinations to good use.

Walt is still a music lover and likes to play his drum along with whatever song is playing on Daddy's computer.  However, his newfound talking skills have also spurred a singing career.  His greatest hits include "Happy Birthday" and "The ABCs" (although he just kind of says random letters to the tune of the song).  Here, Walt listens to Putty's running music, which I believe is some kind of army marching song. 

Walt has gotten considerably better at using his fork and spoon, although his choice of what foods to put on those eating implements is still questionable.  Here, he uses his spoon to eat the sour cream that I put on his tray to dip his quesadilla in. 

Let's see, what else has young Walter been up to this month?  Well, in an attempt to get him to expend some energy indoors on rainy days, I've set up a big pile of pillows covered by a blanket next to the couch in the back bedroom.  On days that we can't make it to the playground, Walt can spend a long time (and a lot of energy) jumping off the couch onto those pillows. 

This month has also been the first time that Walt has shown any preference as to what he should wear.  Some may think that it's a little early for him to be concerned with fashion, but given the fact that Josh is his father, I was surprised it took this long.  Here, he sports his new slippers, or his "frog shoes".

I'm sure I'll think of more stuff I could tell you about Walt's development this month, but as usual, Mommy is tired.  We're still having a lot of fun and are quickly closing in on the (sniff) two year mark.  Over and out!