Well you know my name is Simon

I’ll be doing another post this week reflecting on Simon’s first year and my feelings as he turns the big zero one, but before that I’d like to do one more post about some recent milestones and activities.

Last weekend Simon spent lots of time on various farms, first with his dad at Emmerdale Farm on Saturday, and then with both of us at Andrew’s Scenic Acres on Sunday. Both farms had lots of goats and chickens - apparently two of his favourite domesticated animals. Christopher reported that Simon repeatedly squealed with delight at the sight of the chickens at Emmerdale and he really liked feeding the goats at Andrew’s. It’s great seeing him connect with nature.

Watching the goats at Emmerdale

Peeking through the fence at Andrew’s

Feeding the goats at Andrew’s

Let me in!

Playing in the pumpkins

Compare this pumpkin picture to the one last year!

I’ve really enjoyed the past month with Simon. He’s still teething and cranky now and then, but the good stuff has definitely outweighed the bad lately. Both Christopher and I have noticed a huge leap in his comprehension and ability to communicate with us, and not only because he’s learning sign language. We just really seem to understand each other now. As you’ll see in the video, the first sign Simon learned was “more”. He pretty much uses it for anything he wants, not just if he wants more food. So if he sees Christopher’s cell phone (a favourite prohibited toy), he’ll start signing “more” furiously. I’m also amazed that when we’re hanging out in our room in the morning and I ask him if he’s hungry and would like to eat, he’ll sign “more”. I really think he knows what I’m asking him.

Simon also took his first steps on my birthday, probably the best present I could have asked for. He loves standing up now and will often do it without needing something to hold on to. He regularly takes a few steps from mom to dad and is full of pride when he does. Crawling is still a faster means of locomotion than walking, so he’ll do it to get from A to B, but other than that he would rather be standing. Now it’s really obvious just how tall this kid is!

-Leila