Whoa... I thought it had been at least 2 months since I last wrote but I was wrong. So much has been going on it is making my head spin. Not to mention how quickly Leo is changing....
The last post I talked about how Leo was starting to say more and more words, and he is still adding to his vocabulary. A few Leo words:
strawberryblueberry
corn
pool
poop
potty
park
pet
pat
bubble bath
boat
bye-bye
bread
book
back
walk (pronounced "bach", yes it sounds like the sound a chicken makes)- Leo sings this word as it is the chorus of a song on The Best of Elmo dvd he watches. Destiny's Child sings it and if I sing a verse he will fill in the chorus which is walk walk but in Leo language is "bach bach". I love it.
He knows that a sheep says baabaa and a cow says moo and a cat says meow (or neow)
Names he has now said (some only once but most of them he has used multiple times)...
Sara
Rebecca
Emily
Tiernan
Liam
Henry
Greg
Debbie
He really likes to shout names, like calling out for someone to come back so that is how I can get him to say names lol.
He is an exceptional communicator and with his mix of sign language and verbal words he gets himself understood. One of his favorite sentences to sign is "One more time please." He does this by using a finger held up, signing more, than please. He signs please a lot now which makes refusing him even harder.
This month started out with some really nice weather and Leo and I spent a decent amount of time at the garden. Evan's parents came up to visit over Memorial Day weekend and the week following and we had fun going to stay on Cannon Beach with them, than hanging out around town. Cannon Beach was beautiful. It was overcast and cloudy for part of the time but on Memorial Day we had gorgeous weather and we got to walk out to Haystack Rock and see the tidal pools.
Leo LOVED the ocean and if it had been warmer I'm sure I would have been hanging out in the water all day. The water was pretty cold and Leo ran in, got soaked and was still laughing and splashing...brrrrr! I can only imagine how much fun he is going to have at the beach in Florida when we go in July. During Nana and Pap's visit we were able to get some time out of the house... I was FINALLY able to take Sara on the "girl date" I had promised her for her birthday in November, Evan and I went on a date (dinner and a movie), and I had a sub job. We also got the soil in our garden ready for some more planting. After they departed, we put in our tomato plants (4 of them) and put down beet seeds so our garden plot is completely used up at this point. There are a few spaces that I think we might pull the existing plants and be able to plant something else. Everything is growing HUGE! I like going and seeing how much progress they are all making. 
For the past week and a half, I took over a maternity leave for a friend of mine and had a blast. It is hard leaving Leo and thinking about what I am missing but I also find that I really enjoy being at work and talking to adults. It definitely didn't hurt that I was leaving Leo with my sister Emily during that time. I knew I didn't have to worry about him being neglected or unloved while he was there which is such a blessing. It was during that week that he said Emily and has gotten much clearer while saying Sara and Rebecca (which used to sound like rababababa) I think he is saying Riri more now. He loved going to their house and was excited when we would say where he was going for the day. His time with them was cut a little short as Rebecca had gotten sick over the weekend so Evan took a sick day on Monday while I went to a professional development and then I had him on Tuesday. He was really well behaved and I was able to finish up what I needed to do. So the plan for the upcoming year is to start working as a substitute (same maternity leave) in a Kindergarten half and extended day class then finishing up the day with a sixth grade literacy block. Talk about two ends of the spectrum! I am excited about starting out the school year but am apprehensive about leaving Leo. I know he will be fine but I'm not so sure about me : / I have been incredibly spoiled getting to stay home with Leo this long and I know it. As fast as this past year and a half has gone, I know it will only seem to go faster once I am not with Leo 24/7. I am trying to make full use of our time together this summer to make memories that will sustain me until next summer.
So let's see... I am going to add on some random happenings around our household,
Leo is now down to one feeding per night and will hopefully be weaned completely at night within the next two weeks. (fingers-crossed!) He is getting in more molars, has at least 6 teeth on top but he still only has 2 (front) bottom teeth plus two bottom molars. Our new favorite activity is the pool. After going once Leo started signing water (meaning the pool) and pointing in its direction. After going twice he threw a tantrum when we left and got home. After the third time he had learned the word "pool" and I am pretty sure he could get there on his own if I let him. He starts in on "pool, pool, pool" if I walk in that direction which is a problem on the cold, rainy days because it is the same direction as our mailbox and the office. Well, I am off to get some reading done... I can't believe my baby is 17 months today. Pretty soon he'll be closer to 2 than to 1 : / Last and final thing is that we have started learning how to go potty! Leo showed an interest in the potty about 2-3 weeks ago and he was even telling me he was going to the bathroom either during or right before. I figured there is no harm in spending the summer working on it so here we go! Love to you all! 