Alan Michael

I'm eighteen months old, 82 cm long and 11.4 kg heavy.  I walk and run and climb.  I also talk but in my own baby language which means that my Mom understands me but hardly anybody else does.  I love summer because that means I can be outside all day!  We have moved to Bucharest, Romania and I have a new nanny - Valli.  She also loves to be outside, so we're made for each other.
I also love my little brother very much.  My first word in the morning is "Da".

Things I've learned:  
Walking is a piece of cake now, I do it all the time.  I can also run quite fast now and climb with very little help.  I learned how to open doors, stick keys into keyholes, identify the car key and use it to open the door to the driver's seat so I can climb in and honk the horn.  I point to the things I want - sometimes I'll get them and sometimes not.  I walk up the stairs up and down now if there is a banister I can hold on to. 

 Things I have not learned yet:  Talking.  I babble all day long and I say "Mama" and "Dada" and I sting together syllables but I don't use real words yet.  I'm a little confused because all things seem to have three names: Mama, Daddy and Valli all use different names for the same object.  It's very odd. Maybe I should make up my own names for things then?  I do talk a lot on the phone, though.

Things I like:  Airports (and my parents think that's a good thing!), planes, people, action.  I love putting things into other things -- somehow, my parents think it's not so funny when I throw things into the garbage or into the toilet, though.  I wonder, why?
I still like being outside.  I love the playgrounds here and I love playing with other children.  

Games I like to play:  I love playing hide-and-seek and catching.  Those are really fun games.  I also love riding my Daddy's shoulders.  We have special shoulder games:  "Giddy up" is Daddy playing horse and galloping through the house with me.  "Chucka" is Daddy singing and dancing - it's very funny and I have to grab his hair so I don't fall off his shoulders!  And then there is "Upside down" which all females seem to hate but Dad and I love it.

My favorite book:  "Where's Spot?"

My favorite song: "Weisst du, wieviel Sternlein stehen?" (Do you know how many stars?)  When Mama sings that to me, I instantly fall asleep.

Things I don't like:  Taking naps and having my face wiped.  Who wants a clean face? Also, hats, still.  And kiwis.  Uagh.  How can people eat that stuff?