15 months old

Valentine's Day 2012

Stephen has definitely made the transition from a baby to a toddler. He makes us smile and laugh everyday. He is becoming a big fan of books. He can frequently be seen at the bookshelf pulling books off, sitting down to read one, and bringing books to us to read to him. He seems to have some favorites: his basketball book, "Colors," and "First 100 Animals."

Engrossed in a book

He is still very much a mama's boy, but he also loves his daddy. Stephen gets a big smile on his face and says, "Dad!" whenever he hears Daddy come home. They have great fun playing together.

Stephen has several words now. He says: Dad, dog, woof, go, a variation of "where'd it go?," signs and says "all done," and signs "help" (all the time!). He also says "mmmm" for a cow and clicks his tongue for a duck. He has sounds for "train" and "car" also and will shake his head "no" to answer questions. He puts his finger to his mouth and says "shhh." He's been saying "mamama," but I don't know if he's referring to me or not yet. He knows where his tummy and nose are. If I ask him where Mommy's baby is, he lifts up my shirt and pats my tummy. I know he has no clue what that means, but it's cute when he does it. He will sometimes give nice open-mouthed kisses if you ask for a kiss. He likes giving everything a hug - his puppy, his cup, his ball, anything in his arms.

It is so much fun watching Stephen's personality develop. He can make any day a good day with his cuddles and infectious giggle.