A clean sweep...

Griff went back today for his final NICU test (like Allan took last week) and Jay reports that he didn't balk a bit -- did everything they asked on the first try. Everyone commented on how well-behaved his is. If they only knew. I guess it is all right so long as he behaves himself in public.

The Griffster tested normal to high normal in every category (verbal was his best category). He got the duck on a spoon thing on the first try. Can't wait to see how that plays out at dinner.

Griff is getting to be quite a talker. We have to be careful what we say because he picks up on everything. He has figured out to say "too big" or "really hot" if he doesn't want to eat something (this doesn't happen all that often). We were working on our puzzle skills last night and when a piece didn't quite fit where it was supposed to go he would say, "Too big! Turn it around!" like he was encouraging himself. He's his own best cheerleader.

He is still quite a mimic, too. Allan was eating grits earlier this week and, well, more correctly, I was shoving spoons' full of grits in Allan's mouth trying to get him to eat it. Allan would hack and gasp and cough and spit and roll his eyes back in his head (for those of you who don't like grits, I don't care, these were good -- lots of butter, salt and cheese). This tickled Griffith to no end and he would tell me, "AlJude, [cough, spit, sputter]" and then laugh. Thank you. That's very helpful.

Griff is pretty good at names, but he can't quite get his own. Most of the time he just calls himself "you" which might seem silly until you realize that we are all the time telling him, "You do [this, that or the other]."

Griff is fascinated with cars -- he rushes past both Jay and me when we come home, shouting "momma car!" or "daddy truck!" He heads out the door to make sure that the vehicles have made it home safely and are parked in the proper spots. Sometimes we have to go out two or three times to make sure that they are still there. He also loves kicking the tires and patting the fender to make sure they are okay. He has a nearly unerring eye for momma cars (BMW's of any make or model, ditto with Volvos and convertibles) and daddy trucks (tan SUV's). He picked a Z4 out of a full page of used cars on Sunday and kept shouting and laughing "momma car"!!!!!

My favorite, though, is probably when he says "Momma, rock!" which is how he lets me know that he is ready to get up in my lap in the rocking chair in the nursery, have a snuggle and go to sleep. I'm sure lots of people would say he's too old for it and that I should just put him directly in his crib, but I do it more for me than for him. He's such a busy fellow most of the time and not interested in a sitting still. Sitting in the chair, rocking with him all fresh and clean from his bath is one of the best times of the day. Someone is going to have to break me long before him.