Reading today: I was given a "Parents" magazine.
Music today: A polka in my head, strange huh?
TV today: Baby Einstein's "World Animals"
-----------------------------------
People say that the time between 12-18 months is when we will see Roman changing daily. I nodded and smiled, of course I know that. But man, when you actually see it! He is actually interacting with us now, and his environment, it's really neat to see. Examples:

1. When changing his diaper, he will now reach under our shirts and tickle our sides. He laughs while he does it, because he knows we're going to laugh. And really, it does tickle!
2. He understands that his shoes have to be on to go outside. Twice now he has brought me his shoes, and then pointed to the door.
3. He is starting to think ahead - he knows that to get up in the burgundy chair in the living room, he has to move the footstool close to it, climb on the footstool, and then get in the chair.
4. He clearly understands many of our words now; breakfast, lunch, dinner, upstairs, downstairs, door, spoon, bowl, and even will respond to some simple directions without us pointing ("put the toy in the basket", as long as the basket is right near him).

We also have seen Roman's babbling explode again the last three days or so. They even commented on it at daycare today. His tongue is going a mile a minute in sounds we haven't heard before. They're not even clear syllables, but it does sound more like he's trying to form conversations. In fact, during his bath tonight, he would put his toy up on the bath ledge, say a babbling thing, and then on a certain sound would push the toy off the ledge. He did this multiple times, and the babbling sounded the same, and the toy-push occurred at the same time, every time. How amazing - in his head I think he's saying some little rhyme or song. Crazy, but it's so cool to see!