MetaToddler Update

I don't mean to bore you, but this is probably more a family update than one of my usual posts. You have been warned ;-)

Things our little Boogie has been up to lately:

• Taught MetaDaddy how to sign avocado.
• Made up a sign for monkey. Does it with the "ooo ooo, ah, ah" sound effects.
  
• Made up and taught us a sign for tissue/baby wipe.
• He'll ask for a tissue and wipes his own nose. Not very successfully, but a good start.
• He learned to kiss, and is getting a lot of joy out of it. He'll kiss either of us or blow kisses upon request.
• We take our shoes off when we get home in an attempt to avoid tracking outside dirt inside. It really does work! We tend to leave our shoes lined up near the door at the bottom of the stairs. One day, MetaDaddy took his shoes off quickly to dash after MetaToddler. When we passed the door later, we realized all the shoes were neatly lined up in their usual spot. Our little Virgo at it again :-x
• He used to go to sleep pretty easily. That is, after his night time rituals, he would lie down in his crib, thumb in mouth, and drift off into a quiet slumber. Then, for no apparent reason, he stopped. Every time we put him in his crib, he would scream, cry, etc. At first we reacted by comforting and doing what we could assuming that it was teething or something else. Then we realized he was just being stubborn. Surprise, surprise. He just didn't want to go to sleep, despite being miserably tired. Nap time was just as bad. We kept to our same ritual and slowly, things have gotten better. Then one day for nap time, I left him in his crib and said "night, night." We waved at each other, blew each other some kisses, I closed the door...and silence. Golden. I'm sooooo crossing my fingers for a trend :-D
  
• Every time he sees me use a brush or comb, he asks for it by signing brush and proceeds to "brush" his hair.
• He danced to a Madonna song. It was totally unprompted since I don't really like Madonna.
• We saw a fire truck recently, and it's wailing siren really got MetaToddler's attention. Since then, he signs car every time he hears a siren, truck, plane, etc. If we're at home, he'll run to the window and look out for the fire truck.
• Some new favorite snacks: blueberries, mango, dried fruit (e.g., cranberries, cherries, black currants).

OK, that's it for now. No really, I'm done. Whew!