Gavin is now almost 15 months old and he is absolutely so excited about the world around him. The other day we were walking out of a restaurant and he was walking ahead of me with Benjy and they passed by a tall palm tree. I called out, "Gavin! Look at this BIG tree!" (we'd been working on the idea/word "big" lately so I thought this was a good teaching opportunity) He spun around as if on cue and shouted a really dramatic and long "OOOOOOH!" and looked up and pointed up at the tree. He then ran over to it and threw his arms around it and essentially gave it a hug! All the people waiting outside the restaurant were cracking up along with us! He is really animated about things like that!
In contrast, on our first ever trip to Sea World he was absolutely stunned into silence during the Shamu show though he stared at the action and never moved! Afterward when he'd had a chance to process it he spent the rest of the day waving his hands up and down and saying "Shamu, Shamu!" (or his muffled version of it-something like "mamu") This is what they had taught us to do during the show in order to get shamu to splash really big! It is so amazing for Benjy and I to re-experience the world through this child's eyes. He is so passionate and really throws himself into this life and we are really enjoying the ride with him!
His latest passion is big trucks and tractors and he can hear and see them a mile away and is quick to point them out with his characteristic motor sound which I think God programmed into all boys! (Vroooooom!) The other day we took a walk to a dirt field behind our house and visited some enormous tractors. Gavin saw them from a football field away and his little legs just couldn't carry him there fast enough. He climbed up on top and tried every lever and handle to see how to make it work. It was a fun adventure.
