YumYUMYUMYUMYUM! Bye bye!

I realised suddenly; it's been ages since I've posted here!

-and yet, so many things have been happening.

O.O. has taken a trip to Newquay with us and his grandparents, has had his very first barefoot walk in the sand, has met some new friends (Home-Ed Mel and family ROCK!) and has been communicating in new and exciting ways.

It is so exciting watching him figure out how to do new things. He has been tidying up his toys, wiping up spills and picking up clothes to put in the washing machine-all without me so much as asking! It's a dream come true! He's also becoming more and more responsive as he develops verbal communication, which has been a very late/slow process for him, but I can see notable improvement. He is getting better at responding when I ask that he do or not do things, and as ever loves to chatter. He loves to say double-words right now, in particularly "yum yum" and "bye bye". It is so cute watching him eat his favourite foods, saying "yumyumyumyumyumyumyummmm!!" the whole time. He really loves the things he loves-I think he is very passionate and so a boy of my own heart! He waves as he says "bye bye", as we leave the store(where Daddy works). It is, strangely, one of his favourite parts of the day. The other day he, appropriately, said "Bye bye Daddy Daddy!" and then, "Bye Bye Mummy Mummy"---but I don't know why he was saying bye to me, I wasn't leaving! Such a funny guy.

He's also sitting on his potty on his own accord-which isn't to say that's where he's going all of the time, but it is fantastic that he's trying and going without help sometimes. He's getting more nappy free time as a result. Still some accidents on the floor, but at least he is more than happy to help wipe them up! Bless him!

Oh, I SO wish the weather would stay warm all year round. It's starting to get cold at nights and I dread it so!
Love my little man! I can't believe how close he's getting to the big 2!
Anyone have any awesome ideas for celebrating his birthday(other than a humongous chocolate zucchini cake)?