I don’t know if the “experts” would agree or disagree, but I think Ted is already starting to develop a real personality and it’s a really cool thing to witness happening on a daily basis. What’s not so cool? I’m fairly certain my son is a first-class smart-ass.

He seems to have learned a new trick of sorts. Well, not so much a trick as a sound. An ear-piercing, high-pitched, volume-up-all-the-way sound. If you didn’t see his smiling, giggling face while he was making it, you’d think that perhaps he was being tortured. And the best thing about it? He only does this for us. Apparently this is only a part of his at-home vocal repertoire. If we’re out somewhere he’ll talk with his usual vocabulary of babbles and might even let out a cry once in a while if he’s upset about something, but he never does his new listen-to-how-strong-my-lungs-are scream. He saves that just for mom and dad.

Then again, I am tempted to blame Madison, the feline with which we share our condo. On most nights, once all the lights are out, she will do this combo meow/scream thing for a few minutes. We’ve always assumed that Ted sleeps right through it as it’s not terribly loud, but maybe he does hear her. Maybe that’s who he’s trying to communicate with. Maybe mom and dad should spend a little more time reading to Ted so that his first language doesn’t end up being cat. Although if he were to learn how to use the litter box from Madison and put an end to diapers, I’d be ok with that.