this month's Forget Me Not's:

1. conrad being able to count from 1-5 on his fingers. albeit, 3 looks exactly like 4, and well, 2 is 2 index fingers instead of index and bird. still, this ability to count on his fingers is a growing indication of him truely grasping the concept of counting. he is even beginning to mimic my little counting game where i place different things like the blueberries on his tray in a 1,2,3,4,5 sequence, or count out things that are the same in books.

2. he put on shoes all by himself this week, which is something he has done for a month or so now, but this week after he had them on he proceeded to strap the velcro down too. my life is getting easier by the shoe.

3. he is also able to take off his clothes and semi put them on by himself. semi because he seems to often hit a hurdle when it comes to getting his pants over the bulging diaper in the back and finding the right hole for his head. i should omit socks from this achievement. we are nowhere close to being coordinated or patient enough for that one yet.

4. this month we took down the railing on his crib and converted it into a toddler bed. it's been such an easy transition, much easier than both jon and i imagined it would be. the routine is not as cut and dry as it once was-nap time has become Destruction Time in his room, though after pulling all his toys and books off the shelfs and the diapers from the hanging dragon, he always climbs back into his crib and for the next two hours silence falls in his room as he sleeps amongst the heaps of books in his bed.

5. ah! the slow fading of my toddler buddah! yesterday, to my complete and utter suprise, i witnessed him yank his favorite toy train from another childs hands. and when i confronted him about how we take turns, it was quite obvious he knew what he had done and he didn't really care i disapproved.

6. words!!!! all sorts of them. all sorts that sound nothing like the word itself. but he is finally trying, and every now and then he freakin nails it, sending me into applause and enthusistic laudations.

7. hugs and kisses and HI's and sharing his juice with my tummy. there is no question about it: conrad understands that there is a baby in my tummy, and he loves the idea of it. after seeing a mother coddle a very tiny one out and about yesterday, he has know began to walk around the house doing the same with his elmo and teddy bear. i know he is going to be an awesome big brother.

8. thomas the train has completely over-hauled elmo's reign of terror on our television. it's "chu-chu-chu" time all the time, and i'm very close to the edge because of it.

9. the emergence of wrestling grunts, giggling at his own farts, screaming in unison with other kids on the playground, going down the big slide by himself, climbing those vertical monkey bar things that they put on playgrounds to give we parents near heart attacks, loving ring around the rosies a bit too much, demanding unreasonable particularities, and being silly for attention.