I really should update

I keep thinking I'll do it later when I have time to play catchup and post a bunch of photos, but I never do. So here I am, checking in. Much has been happening around here. (As opposed to almost nothing happening.) Most notably, Brayden is picking up new words and saying new things at a rather rapid pace considering he's spent the last entire year with a vocabulary of a dozen words - less if you only count the ones he actually uses with any frequency. Anyway, he's picked up a handful just in the last week or two. He's even stringing two words together - mainly 'help me' or 'help please'. It's nice to know he has some manners! Here's a list of his words and phrases:

Go
Stop
Ball
Weeee
Ga Boom (we say this when going down the stairs on our butt to make it seem more exciting)
Up
Down
Don't (as in 'no! don't!')
Boo (he says it with me when we get to that part in "If You Give A Moose A Muffin")
Jump (complete with jumping)
Woah (not the Blossom-Joey kind of woah)
Uh Oh
Oh No
Vroom (yes, this is technically a sound effect)
Roar (this, too)
Rock and Roll (said as we head out the door)
You Rock (complete with hand sign)
Ah Ha! (said with magnifying glass to eye)
Hold On (just added to his vocab today)
Let Go (also added today)
More (he learned this last night)
Tickle Tickle
Yeah
No
Choo-Choo
Chugga-Chugga
Help Me
Please
Momma (yay!)
Daddy
Socks (his most recent obsession - we take them on and off all day.)
Hello
Bye

That's like 30+ words!

In addition to all this, he has started 'helping' me read at naptime and bedtime. He is remembering the words to his books and will supply the ones he remembers at the appropriate times. Last night we were reading the Moose A Muffin book and he said boo, paints, soap, dry, and blackberries. I am amazed that he is memorizing his books as we read them. He is also obsessed with The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. In fact, I read it twice a day for so long that I finally had to hide it because I got so tired of reading it. (It's just too long sometimes.) He's still looking for it under his other books. (I know, I know. I hear you saying mean Momma. Don't think I don't.)

Also, (I know, the mind reels) he is responding to his shows on Noggin like Dora and Kai Lan. He says yes or no when prompted with a question, and repeats the Chinese phrases on Kai Lan. He has picked up mannerisms (like the Ah Ha! and crossing his arms and harrumphing to make his stance known - which is totally cute).

He loves to dance with Mommy. If there's music, he asks me to pick him up and he holds on tight while we dance together. Even if it's just to music on a commercial.

He likes to turn the lights on as we head upstairs each night for bed. Last night they were all already on and he was very offended.

He's growing up so fast now. I bought another potty seat so we could have one in each bathroom and some cool-alert pull-ups. I figure now that he's learning new words, it might be time to try potty-training. We're gonna start this weekend and see how he takes to it. He likes the potty and really likes to flush it, so maybe he'll catch on. And if it doesn't take, we'll put it away for another day.

Alright, I have lots to go do, but I'll check back in in a day or two with some totally cute pictures and stories.