Eirik's first winter

So January and February have been two of the coldest months I can ever remember living through! Our heating bill was the highest it has ever been and it seems like we haven't been outside for ages! Luckily, on a happy note, this week we had two days actually warm enough to go on walks. We practically lived outside those two days. Eirik got to play in the mud/ grass and pick up dead leaves and get messy. He loved it, and so did I. I guess it's needless to say that we have major spring fever! Winter is a super drag and it is my dream to someday live far enough away from it that I forget how miserable it is.
On another positive note, since we are inside all the time, Eirik and I are reading tons of books. He has these pop up books that he loves! This morning we flipped through them for almost an hour. He's learning so fast!!!

He can make the sounds of:
growl: dinosaur, bear, tiger, lion, crocodile, shark
neigh: horse, sea horse, sheep, goat, lamb
moo: cow
high pitched chirp-like sound: rooster
wooa woo: train
brbrbr: truck, car, airplane, helicopter

He can make the baby signs of a fish, airplane and pattycake
He dances and sings on demand

He can say hot, hat, mama, dada, bat, doggy, hi- oh and this is the cutest. He says hi like a sweeping drawn out low, high, low hiIIIiiiiiii. I wish you could hear it. Paul and I just laugh and laugh.

He has been walking with his little walker but up until today he would go straight forward until he was stuck in a corner and then he would cry for help. Today he learned to push the walker sideways so that he has a lot of control on turning and he can go anywhere he wants by himself for the first time. I wish you could have seen how proud he was!

He has completely refused to eat anything unless he has his own spoon and honestly, he's pretty adept at eating with his own spoon. He will soon not need me to feed him at all. He figured out that his favorite way to drink is to sip through a straw.

I'm going to have to take some video of his tricks!