This boy is talking. All of a sudden, there are words coming out. Alex has been saying “hi” and “bye bye” for a while, but now he’s added “ello,” or what you say when you answer the telephone.

Most of the words are hard to understand, but he’s trying to say a lot. Here are most of the words he tries:

school
shoes
diaper
more
bottle
Ziggy
baby
door
Daddy
Mama
snack
barn
bear
dog
bath
duck
yogurt
blueberry
ball
bubble
bib
down
go
no

Alex has also started drinking from a real cup at home (he has been drinking from a cup at daycare for several months). He’s enjoying “reading” his books and putting his puzzles together. He has started playing with his shape sorter toys and putting the pieces in the right spots. And he loves to climb and wrestle and laugh. Eighteen months is a great age.

And finally, Alex has his first ear infection of the “fall.” Yes, in mid-August. We’ll be talking to the ear doctor about tubes next week. We don’t want it to be another winter like last year, when he was sick practically from October until May. Poor kid!