The Zoo Crew

I called this post zoo crew because we have been to the local zoo so many times lately we might as well just become crew members. Lucas always has a blast, but today was the first time he ran around on his own (usually he stays in the stroller or in Steele's wagon) and he did great. He really loved the birds, coy fish, and turtles (which he called by name and made cute little fish faces at the fish!) The animals were all in great moods and it was a beautiful day for the zoo.
It is so crazy how quickly he is learning lately. He says "no" pretty frequently now--but he does use it in appropriate context so I can't really complain. He is fiercely independent--he wants to bathe himself, wash his hands on his own, and get his own food out of the fridge and pantry (most of which he really isn't QUITE ready to do on his own, but we let him think he is doing most of the work!) He loves going "owwseye" (outside) and is fascinated with sticks of all sizes. He plays with Steele pretty regularly and they seem to really get a kick out of each other. He hates it when the dogs play fight and always backs away and says "NO NO" and shakes his finger at them. He has a pretty big vocabulary, although most words don't sound quite right yet, but we know what he means. The phrase that gives me the most pleasure right now is "P-oo" mainly because he is adapting to potty training efforts beautifully. He loves to run to the toilet and hop on--we have yet to actually do anything, but he knows all the words for the big event and says them frequently and just yesterday he said "uh-oh...pee pee" when he used the bathroom in his diaper--then ran to the bathroom. My heart just swelled--my little boy is becoming a little man before my eyes. (I know all the bathroom details probably seem crazy--but the thought of never changing another diapers really does it for me!! We aren't quite there yet, but we are taking baby steps towards it!) Lucas also occasionally does things that are slightly mortifying...he may be the first to educate his daycare class on where the penis is located since he is very in tune with his body and can point to a ton of body parts--including his male parts. He does this with glee!