Riley: One Year, Six Months

He doesn't say it yet, but if he could, Riley would be telling us in no uncertain terms that he wants to do it himself. (Holden used to call it by his "Holdenself." Maybe it will be by his "Rileyself" eventually.) Brushing his teeth, holding a book, turning the light on and off, washing his hair ... these are all things he now insists on doing with as little interference as possible.

We know this because he pushes our hands away or reaches for what he wants with his patented Riley noise: "Eheheheheheh!" What's most interesting about all of this is how it seems this independence is coming so much quicker than it did with his older brother. While I think that's part nature, it probably also has a lot to do with having an older brother to model after.
All of this development, of course, is centered on all this new communication we have. Riley is quite good at following directions, reminding us he understands lots more than he says. He loves to point out his belly when asked, go find his shoes, put his shirt in the hamper and put things "back" at our request. For as much of a wreck that he can make of the place, he's very concerned about order in an otherwise hectic life. He willingly cleans up his own messes, won't relax until the books that fell off the nightstand are placed back in a stack and is certain to make sure doors are closed and lights are off whenever he can. Unfortunately, a lot of this "cleaning up" equates to rearranging, and it is common for us to find toys with the pots and pans, shoes in the trash and diapers in the hamper.
And those words? They just keep coming. Dictionary of Riley, Vol. II:

"no" = nose

"mouf" = mouth

"back"

"book"

"Mommy"

"Daddy"

"Vroom" = what he says when he's playing with cars and trucks

"Tch! Tch!" = train (he shakes his hand up and down like he's ringing a bell for choo-choo)

In addition, he knows the sounds that dogs, cats, sheep, goats, cows, owls and birds make. He can also point to his belly, toes, ears and hands.

Despite this being the second time we've had front row seats at the Developmental Show, we find we're in as much awe this time around as we were when Holden was at this stage. Everything to Riley is fascinating and new, and it's amazing to watch him figure out his world and his place in it. In so many ways, he's still a baby. But glimpses of that boy emerge more and more frequently lately. As long as he keeps his fun nature and loving ways, we're able to take comfort in knowing that our future with Riley will be filled with adventure, laughter and lots and lots of cuddles.