Today, we have had a break through with the STEP UP practice! For some reason, for the last few weeks, he had no interest in stepping on my hand and 'going for a walk' to his playscape. I have been concerned since he is caged in the living room where the sunlight is limited. I think he needs some real light. So, I have been dragging his honkin' big cage through the house to get him to the family room then dragging it back at night! What a pain in the behind! "Hang on, Axel, you're ok" has become my mantra! He didn't freak-out on the trips, but it is not something I look forward to as a forever thing.

Anyway, I have been trying to regain his trust in stepping up and it sure wasn't going well. No improvement and I just seemed to be tickin' him off! Being a stubborn old goat, I am not giving up on this process and, today, for some reason, he regurgitated for a short time while doing his little one foot up, then down, the other foot up, then dowm dance but..... then he got up. I brought him toward me but he acted concerned so I returned him to the perch and he stepped down. We did it two more times, then I had to stop to prepare to go out for dinner. I really wanted to continue and not lose the progress.... but...whatever.

When we returned, I started to clean the cage - talking away to him as always , and he started his little baby squeeks and got all shivery - he does that when he wants to feed me, so I put my hand up and he started to step up. He did his dance a couple of times but then just stepped up. I didn't move to bring him away from the perch. He stayed put then stepped down. Then he stepped up turned around then down. He must have done it fifty times! A couple of times I moved him to me and be beaked my nose and made his kiss sound. Wow!. Can't figure what got into him!

Although, I must say, that I suspect that by the little booty shake of his lovely red tail feathers, he may have been having an amorous moment! I must look that up, somewhere!

He still preferes to bathe in his drinking water but he likes to bite the little ducks we have for his tub (cake pan) that I still offer to him every other day - he doen not bathe every day.

Another new behavior this week - he has begun to use his words when we are in the same room with him. Until now, he made very few noises when we were sitting near him but the minute we left the room he whistled, and talked like crazy. Well, that has changed. He uses all of his words wherever we are. He really enjoys talking when I am on a phone call. If I am sitting right next to him he comes as close to me as possible in the cage and puffs up a little, tucks one foot up, then chatters with a lot of OK's and Allrights and Byes. Sometime I have to leave the room because I cannot focus on the phone call because I am listening to Axel. He makes the sounds of a conversation, but kinda' under his breath. His voice inflection is perfect but I don't think they are all words. I think it is just tone and nonsense chatter. Sure sounds like he knows what he is talking about.

One night this week, I was cleaning the bottom grate and not talking to him - I guess I was deep in thought, probably about poop and how dry and hard it can get in 24 hours, and he was perched right in the center of the cage watching. He broke the silence with "What's a matter?"

Now, how cute is that? I laughed a little and he laughed a little too. He has a variety of laughs! Cute little chuckles, bigger hearty laughs and and a really evil low pitched laugh. Gosh, he is an amazing little guy!

Almost forgot another breakthrough this week! He has let me scratch his head and neck a few times. How could I have forgotten that? He has quite a few new feathers coming in and they are pokey with that covering on them and I think he really wanted a little help with them. Whatever, this is a first for us! I felt a little giddy that he would let me help him out. He has lowered his head many times before but when I made a move to scratch, he was like a serpent striking at my offensive finger. He got me a few times but I have learned a lot about his moves and generally I am able to avoid the bite. When he is successful at 'getting me' he makes his evil laugh then bashes a nearby hanging toy. (Don't know what that toy bashing is about, but it is a pattern that anytime he tries to 'get me' he grabs the toy and smashes it against the cage.) That's when he gets to hear my rendition of "Wild Thing"!

I think that is it for now. Each day of these eleven weeks has been filled with the joy of Axel and what we have learned about each other. He is precious and we are blessed to be able to have him with us.