Learning to speak 'Cruz'

It's no secret that little kids grow up fast.  They change almost daily and before you know it they are big.  Cruz's first year was definitely no exception, as I found myself sprinting to catch up to his pace.  But just recently it seems that Cruz has morphed from baby to toddler right before my eyes.  He's so much fun right now - I'm convinced this is my favorite baby stage thus far ;)  

The newest change I've noticed even just this week or so is Cruz's ability to communicate.  He knows what he wants and understands much more than he can say, however, he's learning ways to get his message across...

...he's added to his word bank.  He says 'dis,' or 'deese' all the time, usually in a question form which we think equates with 'this.'  He says 'hot' while peering through the oven door, and 'uh-oh' while he's throwing his supper on the kitchen floor.  He's finally saying 'mom,' and still says 'HI' all the time.  The best is in the morning when we go to get him out of his crib.  When he's not crying, he's perfectly content, and greets us with a friendly 'hi.'  

  
...my favorite form of communication lately is Cruz's one and only sign language.  He must have picked it up at daycare, as I had big plans to teach my littles sign language, but never got around to it this time around.  He taps his index finger to his palm to signify that he would indeed like 'more' of something.  We typically see his sign when he's eating or when we're listening to music, two of Cruz's favorite things.  And just tonight, when I wouldn't give him more Captain Crunch with his supper, he threw his remaining pizza on the floor, pointed to the pantry, and tapped that index finger as fast as he could.  

...Cruz has also become quite the little helper in the last couple weeks.  He understands when I ask him to throw something away, and I can usually coax him into handing something over to me that he finds really cool.  The trick is to treat everything like something unique, fun, and engaging - Me (in a high pitched voice): "Oh, Cruz, I just love how nice you are holding that very sharp pencil you found under the table...can I take a look at it?"

Works every time.  

  
...Cruz loves to destruct, and will have a kitchen cupboard cleared out in a matter of minutes, however, he also loves to pick up, throw things away, and be a 'helper.'  The other day, I spent a half hour looking for my cell phone.  It, of course, was on vibrate, and Cruz was bundled up ready to go run errands with me.  All of a sudden, I had the inkling to check our kitchen trash can.  And there is was, nuzzled somewhere between a paper plate and leftover meatloaf.  We definitely have to keep an eye on our little 'helper,' as we've lately found our daily possessions in very unusual places :)

It's amazing how such a little person can have such a mind of his own!  Although at times we're flustered, we have grown pretty accustomed to communicating 'Cruz.'  Maybe it's time I start declaring I'm bilingual!