Lessons learned

Recently I mentioned that Liam has been acquiring new skills at a frenetic pace these last few weeks. When we went to visit my mom and dad at the end of February, he began climbing the three steps that lead from the family room up to the door to the deck. Once he got home, he decided that three steps is for pansies, and he began tackling the entire flight to the second floor about a hundred times a day.
He is also finally waving hello and goodbye in a recognizable manner. I find it really difficult to nail down an exact date for some of these firsts, because for weeks or even months he has given maybe a single movement of the arm when we have been headed out the door, and who knows whether that means he's trying to wave or whether he's just jerking around. Anyway, it's definite now, which is fun to see. Right along with the waving he has started clapping, which I have been trying to get him to do for months and still can't, but Chad can get him clapping at the drop of a hat. Go figure.
A few days ago he finally started using his Roll Around Treehouse the way it was meant to be used. Since its introduction at Christmas, he has enjoyed chasing the Roll Arounds around, but he only just figured out how to drop them in the opening intended for them in order to get them to roll down the ramps and start the music. Once again, major cause for cheering from Chad and I. Liam gets a real kick out of the cheering.
Alongside the good skills Liam is picking up, there are of course bound to be some bad ones. So far these are not our fault - it's not like he is running around cussing after hearing one of us drop the f-bomb at home. Rather, he comes up with these ridiculous ways to entertain himself all on his own. The latest is this: taking a big swig of milk from his sippy cup, holding it in his mouth for a moment, and then letting it all dribble down his chin and soak his clothes (a bib does nothing to stop milk running down the chin and neck). If you don't catch him when he first starts doing it, then he soon needs a change of clothes. Hopefully the novelty of it wears off quickly.