Thirteen Months

Well, it's finally happened. I knew that there would be a time in the near future when I would stop the monthly updates. I had considered stopping after your birthday, but you are still changing so much every month, that I thought I should write one for your 13 month milestones. Unfortunately, I got as far as titling this post, then wrote nothing. Here it is eight days later and I'm just getting started. It seems that we've gotten so busy it is tough to count on having blog time on the 10th of every month. In addition, I've forgotten which things you did last month and which you've just started to do in the last week. The important thing is that I start writing, so I'll do just that. This may be your 13 1/2 month post instead!

Perhaps the big news is, nope, you still aren't walking, but you are cruising A LOT both with push toys and along the furniture. You will now make a push toy out of just about anything. Boxes, strollers, even your Dad and me. You also are standing a little more on your own than you were. I think your longest time standing on your own is still less than a minute, but you might have reached 30 seconds by now. When you aren't cruising, you are doing the Sam more and more. In fact, today you were really only crawling with one knee and the opposite hand. The other hand held a toy and the other leg you used to plant your foot and push off. Your Dad calls you "peg-leg."

You have started to communicate more reliably. You officially have a sign for "more" during eating. I'm not sure you understand the concept of "more" but I give you another spoonful when you do the sign anyway. Sometimes you do the sign when you aren't in your high chair and I wonder if you are trying to say you are hungry. You haven't done the sign for "all done" yet, but you will "wave bye-bye to the food" when you're done. You still just point to your cup when you want it. We've finally found a sippie cup you like. It's a Tommy Tippee brand one with a straw. You LOVE it. I have to limit how much milk is in it so you'll have room for your food! I'm not sure if these other things count as communication, but you stick your tongue out when we say "where's your tongue?" and you've been slapping yourself in the head as if you're thinking "uggh, when will my parents ever understand?!" Once you realized that was cute to us, you began to do it when I told you "no." You're trying to work us over already. You also pair the head slap with the "blub-blub" to show off. I'm not sure when you started this, but you wave to cars. All cars, whether they have people in them or not. In fact, if you think you hear a car (often an airplane overhead) you wave.

You definitely have been keeping us busy. It takes a lot to keep up with you. You usually prefer to be in the same room with me, but you do really well playing on your own for a while. When you decide you've had enough of that, you start moving closer and closer with your toys. Sometimes (when you're tired, cranky and or hungry) you skip the subtleties in favor of the more direct approach of just hanging onto my leg and whining. This is tough to handle for long, and, therefore, quite effective. Unfortunately, if you are hungry I have a pretty hard time making your food while holding you. I look forward to the day when I can explain that your food will be done in just a minute and have you understand!

You and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. You still race to the fridge, freezer or pantry anytime they are open. You especially love the bottom two shelves in the refrigerator door. You enjoy unloading and reloading the shelves, you like to shake the Worcestershire sauce and rice wine vinegar bottles. You've also figured out how to open the drawers and have availed yourself of some shiny silver napkin rings to rattle amongst your toys. This past week you enjoyed helping me spin the spinach in the salad spinner. You were able to pump the spinner yourself and had a blast.

When we aren't in the kitchen, you have several favorite toys. You like to put things in and out of other things. We save boxes and plastic bowls and you fit them inside each other or put your toys in them. You also really enjoy seeing through things. You like the window in your room (and think it's fun to fog it up with your breath), and like to smash your face up against the glass in the french doors to the sun room. You enjoy that you can see things, but can't touch them. You've also begun to enjoy hiding things. You still don't remember where they are for long, but if we're missing a toy, it's a good bet that you've stashed it under the corner of the couch.

We've gone to the park several times this past month. You've begun to recognize it from farther away. It's hard to tell whether the swings or the slide are your favorites. You clearly love both and would spend all day on them if we could. Going to the park has meant we've needed to put some shoes on your feet. You aren't content to be ferried from swing to slide, your independent little self wants down. So we've started putting shoes on your feet to keep your socks on (and your feet warm) or when we go out. You've learned by now that the shoes and socks go on your feet and often try to put them on yourself. Your a few years away from accomplishing that, but it's neat to see you get the idea.

I'm sure there's more, but those are the highlights for now. Even though you're half way to 14 months as I'm writing this, I know there will be more to write in just two more weeks.