playing at grandmas

we're visiting grandma right now and finn is taking advantage of warm summer nights in a big open yard near the woods. he doesn't seem to notice mosquitoes (i wish i didn't either!) and could run around for hours out there.

he's been a pretty good boy recently, but we're dealing with some major sleep issues and a change of schedule. he's dropped the afternoon nap and prefers to go down for about 2-3 hours in the middle of the day. but i'm stuck trying to figure out what time of day is best to do that. 11 is too early for him, it seems. so lunch first, then nap? then snack later? i'm not used to a sleeping baby in the afternoon - those have historically been his prime play hours.

he's been signing "more" all of the time now (mainly for snack foods and objects he can't have) and responds to many commands like sit down, let's go outside (walks to the door), and bring me this or that. he says mama and dada clear as day but still won't do it directly towards us. he uses "nananana" for milk and food consistently. today he heard a dog bark far away and said "doh doh". he points at everything. he recognizes airplane sounds and looks to the sky for them. he's so very smart and i think he's starting to move towards a huge growth in communication.

he doesn't sit still, ever. he's running, rolling around, climbing up and down furniture and up stairs. he's smart enough to slide belly down off of docks (over water!), off the bed, down the slide. i caught the above picture only because i perched him atop some rocks and he couldn't turn to shimmy off.

i'm struggling to keep up with him, but i'm working to find ways to manage his adventurous side. i take him to splash decks, parks, and play areas. i find suitable alternatives to dangerous items. running with sticks in your mouth? um, no. how about this ball? if there's something he can hurt himself with, that item is exponentially better than anything i could offer, unless of course said offer was more dangerous. ah, 16 month old little boys. love them :)