Toad lately

I can't believe how much older Toad seems since 6 months ago!  He wasn't talking very much until about 20 months old and then exploded with words.  He doesn't make any guttural sounds (g, k), replacing most of them with "t" and "d", so it can be challenging to understand him, but he talks on and on like everyone knows what he's saying.  It's adorable.

Binary questions always affirmed with "yesssssss".

I wanted to be sure and remind my future self how he loves to get himself breakfast while I'm making (2nd) breakfast everyday.  For months, he used to pour himself a nice, cold, bowl of frozen peas from our bottom-drawer freezer, but lately he's discovered the frozen "boo-loo-bellies" (blueberries), and now prefers to eat breakfast with the family sporting a purple goatee and hands to match.  Toad can also serve himself a nice Babybel cheese wheel- which he can open and undo the circumferencing wax strip, but then rips the whole thing in half, nibbles what is poking out of each red, half-moon, and discards the rest somewhere for me to discover (hopefully before it becomes fossilized).  Heaven help me when he gets ahold of the raisins...

I also love that Toad will often spontaneously sing "Happy birthday to you, for mama"  (and that's the only part he knows).  He loves loves LOVES music.  He always requests "I want CD" in the car, but the only one he wants to listen to is "Beedas" (Beatles).  "I want subma-een"  The older kids like The Yellow Submarine, and I stupidly let them listen to it on the Yellow Submarine album (which is not their best album, I must say) and now that's the only CD Toad is satisfied to recognize as the Beatles and will allow us to enjoy.  I'm pretty sure I've heard that album 50 times last week alone.  He loves to dance- especially spins that land him on the floor or wide sways of his adorable, diapered, buns.

Toad is very interested in toilets right now.  He often wants to look in at the mechanisms in the tank when we flush, and must then watch, and flush a few times more.  He likes to try and help me wipe too, which is often a struggle, but I usually manage to win that battle.  Once flushing (which usually occurs before I'm done, or when there is no need) he often asks "where it go?"  And when I tell him "in the pipes under the house" he always responds very knowingly "OOOOOOhhhh."  He has even used the toilet himself a few times, much to my extreme amazement, but is not interested in using the potty exclusively.  The Toad will never own up when I accuse him of poop in his diaper and seems to always time it perfectly for just after I've put him in the car to leave, especially when we're in a hurry.

He has already picked up on making sound effects (undoubtedly from The Frog), especially unique ones for his vehicles.

Toad never really used our Lego Duplos, jumping right to the "Yegos" he sees his older siblings use.  He can often be making lop-sided, holey, houses and "panes" (planes).

Toad really really loves babies.  He points them out wherever we go.  Anytime I get on my phone he grabs at it so he can "see baby" in Marco Polo videos from my sister and friends.  He tucks in dolls for sleep and was really excited when my friend and her 3 boys (one of them just barely walking) came to play and loved to "help" that baby find something to do (until he wanted something Toad was particularly attached to).  Oddly, he got very protective of his changing mat when I loaned that out and reminded me of it today.

I'm sorry to say, I probably have 1/100th as many pictures of his childhood as I do of the others, and I vow to be better about that- especially since he's my most willing photography subject!  However, I only get one chance for a good photo with him because as soon as he thinks I've had enough time to snap his posed smile, he totters straight for the camera, arms outstretched, saying "ca-I see?"

Toad does NOT like to be left behind.  Whether I'm walking the kids to the bus or grabbing a can from the basement, if he notices, he will drop what he's doing and urgently ask,
"ca-I come?"
me: "sure"
Toad: "oooh-taaaay!"