A picture is worth a kajillion words

Tech problems again: we can't post pictures, for some reason. So this update will be entirely verbal, although hopefully not an actual kajillion words.

New stuff to report:

- Better, faster walking technique. Less head injuries thanks to less tripping.
- New, improved bargaining skills: If I give you this book that I'm holding, mom, you have to give me that other, much cooler book on the top shelf. If I give you this stuffed gorilla, you have to give me that ladle you're stirring with. If I give you this piece of fluff I found under the couch, you have to give me that steak knife. If you don't, I'll scream like you stabbed me with it.
- Words recently coined: "wawa" (water), "kulkul" (gentle), "kiku" (thank you), "baka" (backpack), "sha" (snack), "caca" (backyard), "fuh" (flower, fern, fish), "baba" (everything), "shih" (we're not exactly sure what it means, but he sure says it a lot).
- All-time favorite snacks: olives, grapes, cheese, falafel, cornichons (we think there might be some Mediterranean blood in the family).
- Will never eat, no matter what: carrots, avocados, green beans.
- Social skills: waving byebye; giving people hi-fives; talking to strangers; barking at dogs; laughing when other people burp; offering toys to older kids then snatching them away and running like crazy.

All in all, he's doing pretty well. He still generally prefers other people to his parents (we are SO boring) and refuses to adhere to any kind of nap schedule. He loves the cat, hates the stroller, loves bathtime, hates wearing hats, loves running with sharp sticks, hates having them taken away from him. He's a lot more fun than he used to be, that's for sure. We're still not sure what he's going to be when he grows up (we get to decide that, right?), but given his powers of negotiation, mercenary toy-commandeering habits and penchant for italian food, we're betting on something having to do with organized crime. Or maybe politics.