1) How, when we are playing, any time I say "bouncy bouncy bouncy" he will stop whatever he is doing, crawl over to his horsey, swing a leg over, and ride and ride and ride, smiling so big and clearly saying "Alright, Mommy, I will ride my horsey for you. Isn't this fun for both of us???!!!"
2) The way that one bottle really just isn't enough for him in the morning. He will chug that first bottle like he has been trekking the Sahara without a canteen, and when it is empty he will try to take another sip or two, and then just get so sad - like "seriously, I am SO THIRSTY!!!!" Fortunately we can either top him off with an extra shot of milk, or do breakfast and keep that sweet pitiful boy from starving.
3) The laugh / sigh. When he is so happy and giggly that mid laugh he does a contented sigh. Without a doubt, the best sound EVER.
4) The way he is already on his way to the baby gate to greet me when I get home. He has finally put 2 and 2 together and realized that when he and Daddy are in the play room and he hears the door in the kitchen open and close, well then that must mean Mommy is home.
5) His hugs. He will crawl into my lap and put an arm on each shoulder and lean in and stay there. A real hug. It is perhaps one of the most amazing skills he has brought to the table with his new vertical abilities.
6) He totally gets my humor.
7) He is fair. He doesn't want Mommy or Daddy to feel left out, so when he touches one of our noses, he will immediately put out his hand to touch the other person's nose. He may still be in a bit of a Mommy phase right now, but it is like he is saying "It's cool Dad, nothing personal, here, I will prove it, I want to touch your nose, too."
8) He shares. When he eats, he always stretches one hand out at some point, with a smooshed sticky something that he wants to offer.
9) He loves to play and will totally start things up. He will be in a crawling position and kind of crouch forward and bang his hand on the floor - this means lets each get on one side of a toy and chase each other around it. He will stand behind me, supporting himself by putting a hand on a shoulder and then he will peak from behind me on one side and smile at Steve, then go to the other side - he is all like "peek-a-boo Daddy, THIS IS HILARIOUS!"
10) "All done!" We are working on using sign language to signal "all done" when he is finished eating (in lieu of his prior preferred way of signaling which was to put his hand on the table and wipe them frantically back and forth until- TA DA- the table was clean... cause everything was on the floor.) "All done" is shown by putting your hands in the air and kind of shaking them. He picked it up right away, at least how to do it, if not what it meant. At first he would do it, and then grab another bite... kind of not the point. However, in the past few weeks he has transformed as an eater. He is SO mannerly, and delicate. He has stopped stuffing EVERYTHING in his mouth at once, and takes bites and practically clears his table (he eats off the table now... goodbye high chair) every night.
11) The way he looks in his shorts and short sleeve pajamas. Those pale and squishy thighs. He looks more and more like a little boy every day, and no longer a baby, but when I see those baby thighs, absolutely bursting with baby chub, well, I hold on to that a little bit, cause I am not quite ready to give it up. I know I just went past 10, but for those thighs, you would too.
