What Luke is up to

...about 2 and a half feet. (Sorry =) He's now tall enough that he can't stand under the table without bumping his head, which he does quite frequently.

Here are some of his other recent activities:

• He got a 5th tooth (on the upper right side) sometime around his birthday: I don't know when, exactly, since it is no longer advisable to stick your finger in his mouth.
• He still chews on everything, especially if it isn't food.
• He went from walking a few steps every day (sometimes just one---you wouldn't want to overdo it!) to walking all over the place. His recent accomplishment is opening unlatched doors while standing up.
  
• He is a little monkey, imitating everything. Today we went to the park, and he dug with a shovel in the sand---something I never taught him explicitly. He loves to have a paper towel and wipe things clean (I am encouraging this activity). He'll hold almost anything up to his ear and pretend it is a phone (I think this is what he is doing). He will put unlikely things on his head so that I will ask him "Is that a hat?" For some reason, this is immensely amusing.
  
• He imitates sounds as well. We think he says something like "sssst" to indicate his sisters, and he says something like "esss" for yes after I tell him yes. He says "bay bay bay" when I call him baby, and he is very proficient with "ma ma" and "da da". What is missing is any sure indication that he is associating these sounds with meaning (he'll say mamamam even when he's not really trying to get my attention). The only exception: as I mentioned in a previous post, he does seem to say nnnn when he is being negative.
• He loves playing games. He plays "sooo big," the "yes no game" (shaking and nodding heads) and peek a boo. With Eleanor he'll play "snakes" (lie flat on the floor and say sss). With Amanda he will play a hand grabbing game in the car---I don't know exactly what is involved, except that there is lots of giggling.
• He is generally pretty social: given a big empty room with one other person in it, he'll go to the person. He's happy when he can watch other people, if there isn't enough activity, he'll go find some on his own. The only drawback to this is that he wants to play with whatever Amanda is playing with, and she doesn't always want him to interfere. (Of course, this cuts both ways: Often he will be playing happily with something only to have it taken away by his older sister.)
  
• Lately he's become a bit of a Mama's boy---he insists I hold him or carry him a lot of the time. Let me tell you, this gets old fast. Fortunately, he does consent to be carried by his father as long as I am not available, and he does enjoy playing with his sisters.

Hopefully this gives you some idea of what he's like. I'll ask Michael if I've forgotten anything important and update later.