More and more personality showing...

Strider as a 15-month old...

This totally typifies Strider’s personality these days:  He was sitting playing with a toy that was frustrating him because he couldn’t figure it out.  He got so mad that his whole body started to convulse and he threw his head backward with a big yell.  When he threw his hand back behind him to catch himself from falling, it came down on a toy that plays music.  As soon as the music started, he stopped mid-yell, switched to a huge grin and started dancing! 

He’s now really into praying before eating.  And not just before HE eats… anytime he sees people sit down to eat, even if he’s supposed to be playing, he’ll come running over and reach out both hands to be included in the saying grace part.  And then sometimes he just wants us to keep praying and praying.  But when it’s HIM that’s about to eat, he’ll pray for a  little while, but if the prayer gets too long, he’ll pre-empt with an AMEN so he can get to eating!

He said/signed his first phrase today!  (At least the first one that doesn’t include the sign for “more” in it)  When we go to play on the swings, he always wants me to swing next to him – which he indicates by leaning way over and pointing and grunting vehemently at the empty swing next to him.  Today finally, though, he said “Mama” and signed for “swing” at the same time.

Today on a tv commercial he heard the doorbell rang.  He immediately ran for our door and started pointing and grunting.  I thought he would be satisfied if I finally opened the door, but he still was becoming increasingly more upset as he tried to communicate something to me.  Then he started banging on his head with his fist!  I couldn’t figure this out for awhile, until I recognized that he used to do this when we would play “Knock on the door, peek in the window” game (where you touch the various points on his face).  So I suggested that game and immediately his face lit up!   Funny how he connected a doorbell noise to that game!

Laughing is becoming a dangerous sport for Strider, or I should say, still is.  He laughs so hard at things that he falls over – even if he’s just sitting!  Today I was doing this silly slapstick-like thing over and over and each time, as soon as I started making a goofy face, he would start laughing uncontrollably, fall over and then get to the point where his laugh wasn’t even making any noise – he was barely breathing!  I quickly learned to move all objects away from any area around him so he couldn’t fall on them!