It's crazy how much he's talking these days. The single word utterances mostly make sense, and he'll repeat just about anything you say. The fact that he'll usually pick the second of two options just by the merit of it being the last thing you said can be exploited, but not every time. Sometimes, the kid wants what he wants. They tell me that's what it means to be a toddler.
These are some of the rituals Asher and I have established over the last couple of months.
Meg bought Asher a (really kind of ridiculously dapper looking) set of cloth training pants today. Sure, it's a little bit of wishful thinking on our part to have this kid, not even one-and-a-half yet, trying at full-time potty sitting. But then again, he has successfully used the big boy potty a handful of times. And I've heard stories about kids (we actually know one of them!) who were potty trained before they could utter even the shortest short sentences.
Some months ago, a good friend of ours chuckled when I asked if I was allowed to start calling Asher a toddler. "He doesn't walk," she said. "And he doesn't know how to say no."
Well, Asher still doesn't do either of those things, even if he is close. But he sure wants to walk, and he sure understands the word no.