Crawling, talking, play dates, oh my!

This has been a busy week for Daniel! Last Wednesday (3/19), he crawled for the first time. He had been trying to "get into position" by rocking from a cross-legged sitting position, but couldn't quite get both feet out of the way. On Wednesday, we were at Dad and Carol's house, and he just figured it out. I looked down, and he was crawling! He doesn't yet go very far, but the safety gates have gone up because we know it won't be long before he's all over the place.

Danny is also saying a couple of words - Mama and Daddy. He can also make the signs for Daddy and "all done," although his favorite "sign" for telling me he's all done with a meal is still throwing everything on the floor! This morning, he was saying "Daddy, Daddy" and also making the sign for Daddy. And when he wants me to come get him (i.e. when he wakes up from a nap), instead of just crying, he calls "MAMA! MAMA!"

Yesterday, Danny had his first official play date with two other little guys who came from Guatemala, the sons of the woman we made friends with on our pick-up trip. (I'm leaving out their names to maintain their privacy.) Daniel had fun playing with them. We went to the park, and he played in the sand for the first time. Danny and the younger brother (who came home on the same flight as us) go crazy when they see each other, and pat each other's heads and arms, etc. It's so cute to watch!

Last week was a real turning point in Daniel's adjustment. He's been sleeping much better the past week, although still not through the night. We started putting him to bed in his crib instead of in our room, and he seems to do better there. And he's going more readily to other people, I think because he realizes it doesn't mean we're leaving him. He just keeps getting cuter and more fun all the time!