Time flies when you're chasing after a toddler. Yes, a toddler. Though Sweet Pea took his first steps on 9/17, he outright started walking in November. One day he just decided, "I'm going to walk now." And he hasn't looked back. His dad and I are cringing less and less as he walks partly due to him falling less and partly due to us getting used to him falling ALL THE TIME. How the kid has any brain cells left...I do not know. There were a couple of weeks that I wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap to protect that cranium.
The little chatterbox isn't saying many actual words but he enjoys talking to us like we should understand him. He says Dada, dog, star and probably some other words that I may not recognize right now. He understands many other words and phrases and can point out Maya, dogs, owls, noses and ears, pictures of himself (we call them Baby Luke), Grandpa, Grandma, stars, airplanes, his blankie, pacies, bottles/milk, kisses and hugs. He can bring objects to you when requested or not requested, blows kisses and has started pursing his lips occasionally when giving kisses instead of the wide open mouth ones he favors, he waves bye-bye when people leave or when he gets in the car, points at everything when communicating, has figured out how to push buttons (literally, not figuratively...yet), still laughs when people tell him no, likes to slap things and people (we're working on the latter), likes to pull hair (we're working on that too), still throws his food on the floor when he's done eating, and probably a dozen other things. 'Mama' is a bit of a challenging word for him right now. Whenever I say Mama, he says Dada back. Every. Single. Time. When I ask him where Dada is - he points to his dad. When Jess asks where Mama is - he points to his dad. When I show him pictures of moms and babies in books and ask him who the women are, he says 'Dada' quite proudly. Palm * Face.
So many other events of the past month: Visit to a pumpkin patch, 2nd trip to Oklahoma with friends, Halloween, Thanksgiving at Nana's, visit from Uncle David, Santa at my office, and a Christmas visit by my parents.
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| Sweet pea with a cutie pie friend. |
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| Halloween |
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| Remnants of a Thanksgiving Feast |
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| Not a fan of Santa |
Sweet Pea, you are a complete joy: an exhausting, whirling dervish of boyish kinetic energy. You only sit still but for a moment until you're off to your next task and you keep a very busy schedule. Whether that is clearing out our pantry and cabinets, playing with your toys, trying to play with the dogs, seeking out that illusive remote control or cell phone, or simply looking for your bottle/blanket/pacie/whatever else you have put somewhere along the way that you now desperately need. I love the fact that you are now willing to sit in our laps or by our side on the couch as long as we can keep your attention - which usually isn't for very long. You love communicating and talk up a storm. You even sing if the moment moves you to compose a song. I just wish we could understand the stories you're telling because I'm sure they are quite good. You love pointing out things that you know and get really excited when you make the connection between objects - like the owls on your wall and the owl you find in a book. You love being tickled when you're happy but won't even crack a smile when you're not in the mood. You are the most independent little thing that can't do very much for himself yet - no hand holding, no constraints of any kind, you even cry out when your sleeves feel too tight on your wrists; being picked up is okay unless you are in the middle of something very important. The only time you do like being penned in is when you get to sit in some sort of box or crate - you can sit in a toy box for 5-10 minutes without wanting to get up! You've also discovered the joys of the Lazy Boy. Nothing better than relaxing with your blankie and a bottle, gently rocking away.
