obsessed with water

i was reading the 12th month of What to Expect: The First Year (a must have book) and they're talking about weaning your child off the bottle by only giving them water in the bottle. this would not work for ben. when he sees his sippy cup lying around, he grabs it, tips it back and drinks without taking a breath for as long as possible. he cannot get enough water. when we go to the pool, he dips his face in the water with his mouth open. in the bathtub, he used to suck on a washcloth until i took the cloth away. now he just fills his little buckets with water and tries to pour them into his mouth. the other day, tim had him on the deck during a short period of no rain and before he realized what ben was doing, ben was on all fours, head bent down into a little puddle trying to lap up the water!!! is this kid thirsty or what? i haven't introduced juice because if he likes water this much, who needs sugar added? to help him learn to drink from a regular cup, i give him a cup of water when he's sitting in his highchair. he slams it back, gets water everywhere and then hold it out for more.

does anyone else's kid like their water this much?