Another Switch Has Been Flipped

As with how Evan started walking, so goes the talking. He has been saying a lot of words and putting them together for awhile now, but about 10 days ago it seemed a switch flipped on. All of a sudden he is able to say anything and everything - and does. He repeats everything we say and even answers questions with words I didn't know he knew. Words we've used so actually he knows them he's just never said them. He will bring you a book and now says, "read a book" and he is naming everything he can. The wall, tv, couch, grass, street, bus, car-car, nose, mouth, head, hair, eyes, all sorts of food, etc. He is putting more and more words together to make little sentences as well. It is amazing to watch his mind just absorb everything and try to figure things out as he is very curious how things work. It's amazing to actually have little conversations now and have him be able to tell you what he wants more clearly, beyond a word and a point. He has even started calling me "Amy" when I don't answer to "Mommy" fast enough. I wish I could record him and will attempt at some point to get some of it. We are having such a great time with our sweet boy.

Legos, Coloring, Play Doh, Oh My!

Evan received a Lego Table with a removable hard top as a hand me down gift from his cousins in Houston. He LOVES it! Here he is saying "eeeee" (which is what he says for pictures) while playing with Legos.

Coloring with the hardtop on. Looks to be right-handed for sure. Sorry Lela!

Our first experience with Play-Doh. He did great and really liked it. He didn't even eat any...this time - although he thought about it a few times. However he did suck on his fingers for awhile afterwards until we washed them for dinner.

"Quacking" and walking the duck we made.

Making a purple cow.

Walking the two purple cows around.

Rolling out the orange to make a horse.

Bobby? The Mystery Is Solved!

Back in December Evan came home from his MDO talking about "Bobby." He talked about Bobby all afternoon. I thought, how fun, he has a friend in school, when we go back in a few days I'll have to ask his teacher. When I asked his teacher if there was a Bobby in his class she said no and that no one named Bobby had been to visit the class either. Hmmmm.... Evan has talked off and on about Bobby for the last few months and will even pretend to talk to Bobby on a phone. As his vocabulary has improved we have learned more about Bobby but still we didn't know who Bobby was. Jeff and I were beginning to think that Evan had an imaginary friend, although it's quite early developmentally for that. It has just been so strange. Then a clue came. My brother in law came into town for work and stayed a night with us. Evan had been saying his name, Peter, all day. So at bathtime we were practicing family names and he was repeating them. When we got to my sister Robyn he repeated "Robby." I stopped and thought -could it be that all along Bobby was Robyn? It's bedtime after bathtime so I didn't take it further but the next day I got a picture of my sister's family and asked Evan if Bobby was in the picture - he pointed right at my sister Robyn! Jeff did it later and we tested him a few more times with other family pictures and it always came back to Robyn.
Evan does not have an imaginary friend, he has an Aunt Bobby! I talk to my sister on the phone almost daily so Evan always gets to talk to her as well, thus pretending to talk to her on the phone all the time. My sister is thrilled to be "Bobby" and I think she will remain Aunt Bobby as long as she can. Mystery solved!

The Trip to Iowa Begins...

We went to Iowa for Jeff's sister Cindy's wedding and we drove. We took two days each way so we could have a little flextime and Evan would not be in the car forever. The first day was about 8+ hours and the second day about 4.5 hours. We stayed overnight in Lawerence, KS and drove around KU - the first of our 4 Big 12 stops. Evan got to swim that night and the next morning and loved it. The second day's drive consisted of blizzard-like conditions with 30-40+ mph winds and snow. We had about 1 - 2 tenths of a mile visibility for a few hours but thankfully due to the wind the roads were dry and we made it safely. Jeff's parents got snowed in along the way and had to stop and spend the night.

We stopped in OKC on the way north and visited the OKC Bombing Memorial. It was a cold, windy day but the memorial was amazing.

Pointing out his letters at the OKC Bombing Memorial. Evan is constantly amazing me with the things he is learning - one of those things is how many letters he can not only say, but point out correctly. He is talking more clearly and stringing words together that actually make sense.

Evan is in the children's area in this picture. The children's area is a place where kids can leave messages in chalk, it's inspiring. Evan and Jeff wrote his name.Another silly face...he is the boy of many expressions.
Evan at the memorial...he was hanging out in this area and I realized he was by the word faith. There was another woman there taking pictures of Evan here as well. A picture of faith and hope of future at a memorial of such tragedy.

ISU Basketball Game

Evan went to his first ISU basketball game and he had a great time. He loved meeting Cy and was so into the game. He clapped no matter what team made a basket but at least he caught onto that. He made friends with everyone sitting anywhere near us and just had a blast. It was very cold that night and so Evan wouldn't take his hat off for quite awhile after we got inside. I tried a few times but he would hold it on.

Meeting Cy for the first time. We were worried he would be scared of him, but not at all.
Coming back up the steps with Grandpa

Watching the game.

Opening stockings with the Iowa family
Evan fell in love with the piano and played every chance he got - good thing Jason and Cindy have two now. Here he is playing with Grandma who used to teach piano.
Wii bowling with Daddy
This was just such a funny face...Jeff and Evan at ISU - about 16 degrees outside!
The grandkids...Evan was none to thrilled to have to sit still.

One last run through of the candle lighting...Evan had to be in the middle of everything as he always wanted to know what was going on.
The new family plus the brides parents
The Bride and Groom
Evan and Jeff touring the new (and unfinished) ISU Alumni Center Evan loved the snow - he called it ice - and as you can tell he loved eating it. Whenever we left snow he cried "more ice, more ice." Jeff also taught him to say "ice, ice baby."

Evan and Aunt Cindy dancing. Evan was completely intrigued with the disco ball.

Dancing with mommy and giving a kiss - what a sweet boy.

Cindy and Amy

Evan loves his Uncle Jason

Evan danced the night away and was at the reception until about 10pm - a very late night for him. We changed him into his pjs before we left but as you can see, he headed out to the dance floor for more. Here he is (tired but not giving in) dancing with his cousin Alyssa.

The Trip Home...

No snowstorms this time, just beautiful blue skies and warming temperatures the further south we went.

Learning to blow bubbles in the pool, he got quite good at picking his head up to breathe in after trying it the other way a few times.

In front of Eskimo Joe's before driving the OSU campus continuing our Big 12 tour. We also drove through Norman and around OU to complete the small tour of KU, ISU, OSU and OU...why not?

We stopped about 2 hours from Dallas to stretch - Evan joined in the fun.

For 20 months, Evan did well in the car on the long 2 day drive. Here he has created a game where he can put his feet on the back of my seat and throw the ball at the headrest, catch it in his feet and roll it back to himself to do all over. Surprisingly he never hit me in the head and it kept him entertained for awhile.