The last few days when I've picked Atticus up from daycare, he's gone around to hug his various girlfriends goodbye. Ava is still the primary girl he talks about, but she tends to not be the first one he hugs goodbye. Maybe he's playing hard to get. He waves to the few boys if there are any.

He's getting very good at dressing and undressing himself, shoes included, except for the shirt part. That he likes help with.

He wants to do everything himself just about. He gets up from dinner and moves his step stool into position to reach the paper towels instead of asking us for one.

His favorite books at the moment are From Head to Toe and If You're Happy and You Know It--both books that require that one get up and move (e.g, spind around, jump, stomp feet, kick legs like a donkey, etc.). He will happily read them over and over.

He had his first ugly encounter with ants this past weekend. Strangely, though he received quite a few bites and Chris swears they were fire ants (the pharmacist and a bystander side with him on this), Atticus didn't appear bothered in the least by the bites. And they healed miraculously fast--going from fairly large red welts to tiny pin pricks in 12 hours or so. Chris did run him to the shower to wash him off immediately. Then I applied hydrogen peroxide and topical antibiotic. Chris gave him an anti-histamine before bed. Plus, he had had some raw garlic that morning. (I was taking it because I had mastitis over the weekend. Ugh. And he was interested in what I was doing and swallowed a few pieces before he decided he wasn't into it anymore.) So I guess it could be any or all of those things.

I love how when Atticus is displeased by something--whatever it is--he says "Don't like it" and shakes his head. Sometimes its music altogether because for whatever reason (I suspect overstimulation; it certainly happens to me plenty) he's not in the mood for music. It could be songs he loves even.

And btw, I don't think we've had an accident at all in the last week and a half or so.