Imanuel is now 14 and a half months.  He really is a lot of fun at this stage because first of all, he can walk on his own so he’s in exploration mode, but at the same time, he knows how to obey so he doesn’t get into too much trouble.    (The worst things he’s done so far are calling Mark Finley’s cell phone, digging up a bunch of dirt from one of our plants and, he and Bentley were playing with a wasp that was crawling on our floor and he grabbed it and got a little sting.)  He’s pretty good about not touching things that he’s not supposed to and it is a joy to see him obey.  On the flip side, it is quite heart-breaking when he chooses not to.  He’s become a little chatterbox too.   His speaking vocabulary has literally doubled in the past week or so. 
These are some of his new words that he says:
– ball
– flower
– bird
– cat
– Chance (orange cat)
– Aroe (gray/white cat)
– “bread” in Korean/Spanish
– “orange” in Spanish
– Mama (- FINALLY)
He still uses his signs too so he’ll speak/sign sentences saying nouns and adding signs like “please”, “eat”, or “give to me”.
He loves birds- particulary seagulls which fly around our house from time to time.   I think it’s because they are so big and not afraid of humans.  He and Juan will need to go birding sometime together.  
Imanuel has also improved on his animal sounds.  He can now “baa” like a sheep and “meow” like a cat in addition to the roaring like a lion.  He can also pucker his lips like a fish!  (Poor Nemo didn’t live to see this day…)
I think the cutest thing that Imanuel has gotten into (-thanks to Israel) is that he loves kissing!  He even likes kissing Bentley and Aroe!  Chance always runs away by this point.  When Sikhu was over and he was kissing her good night, he didn’t want to stop!  HAHA.  Israel had to intervene.  Anyway, so that’s been fun. 
So yeah, now is definitely a fun time.   Especially now that the weather is warmer and we can go outside, Imanuel loves walking on the back deck, blowing dandelion seeds, picking up rocks/pine cones, seeing flowers etc.  The only down-side is the bugs.  There are LOTS of bugs here.
So anyway, that’s our update for now.

Here are some pics from the past month or so:

Uncle Sebastien came up to visit for a week!  (Notice the progression of Sebastien’s smile 🙂

His new thing is sitting in boxes or laundry baskets (when they’re filled)

Auntie Sikhu and Imanuel

Israel and Imanuel looking at the tulips in our front yard

Imanuel in his car seat before going into town

Picture of his 3rd haircut (he wasn’t a happy camper)

Imanuel smelling the peony at his grandparents’ house

Hugging his baby mickey that Uncle Steve got for him from Disney World.  Thank you, Uncle Steve!

NEWEST UPDATE:
Our family has decided (as a means to provide further income for the home) to open up our backyard for U-PICK Goh-Sah-Ree (AKA:  baby fern).  There is an over-abundance of this organic-grown-in-the-wild edible plant and we’re thinking that for you Koreans out there, it’s a perfect opportunity to come pick some within the safety of private property (w/out the risk of getting stopped by the police- as is a common occurrance when our moms would make us pick them on city/state property).   I must admit that as I was out picking some today, it was a refreshing feeling not worrying about being a spectacle to the public eye and not feeling like an immigrant who is desperate for food.  For you non-Koreans, this may also be the perfect opportunity for you to get acquainted with this baby edible plant.  Think of it as preparation for the time of trouble when there may be times when food is not readily accessible.    So, the invitation is open, but act quickly because within the next couple weeks, the baby plants will blossom into adult ferns and will no longer be edible (I don’t think).