Ahhh! 12 months is here! Happy birthday blue eyes! It’s been another wonderful month of play, laughter, and discovering the world. And walking. Lots and lots of walking.
His biggest development this month has been walking. At the end of last month he had just started taking more than a couple of steps. Now, a month later, he is walking between rooms. With walking came new ways of tumbling but it never ceases to amazing me at how fast he learns from those falls and adjusts accordingly. It only took him a couple of falls before he corrected and caught himself so he wouldn’t eat it. He can still be wobbly when he walks. He holds his arms up by his chest and extends as needed for balance. He can also often be seen holding something while he walks. Thankfully he hasn’t impaled himself with whatever he is carrying. And he is happy to be walking, you can see it in his face. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder what he is thinking when he walks to point A, then comes back to me, then off to point C, and on to B. I think it is more of a, “Oh I can go here and here and there!”
All this walking has made him able to push his cart at a much higher rate of speed. Lots of pushing it right into things. And it is funny, once he hits the wall or the couch, he will stop for a second and then keep trying to push it. Because you know, if we just push a little harder it will go, right? So there has been lots of following along behind and adjusting as needed so he can make the loop in the living room. But now he is starting get that he can maneuver the cart and is doing so! When he wants to, he can loop the living room all by himself.
With this mobility, play time has changed a lot. Play actually feels like play to me. I can now “chase” after him. It makes him giggle like nothing else to look back and see me coming after him. Sometimes he tries to “run” too fast and ends up falling but it just leaves ample opportunity for me to devour him up. Also “chasing” after him and simply grabbing at his leg makes him laugh. We circle the couch and he hits the cushions with his hands. When I am on the floor he likes to come up to me and “push” me over. I comply and he laughs.
Earlier this month we started doing this thing where he becomes my “turtle shell.” I would kneel on the ground and he would come up behind me like he was going to push me over. But instead I would reach back, hold him against me and bend over. We have since upped the game. When he is on the couch he likes to crawl onto the side tables. So I kneeled down and backed up to the edge of the side table. He knew what I was getting at and scooched up to my back and got on. And like that he is on my back and we are running around the living room.
He loves all this interactive play. He still likes to be tossed up in the air and hung upside down. Likes to be tickled, raspberries, and noms. So much delight in play time. He is also delighting a bit more in snuggles. He likes to bury his face in a blanket as well as burying himself into us if we are on the floor.
He experienced his first cold this month. It wasn’t anything major but mostly a whole lot of snot and stuffiness. Thankfully it only lasted a week from start to finish. He absolutely hates the nosefrida but man does it make a difference. He also pushed two more teeth. These ones were a bit more painful than the others. An upper and lower lateral incisor… because you know, I knew what teeth those were before this! His 5th & 6th if you ask me. The others are following. He also started crossing his legs/feet this month. It was one of those small things I first noticed while he was in his high chair and now he is doing pretty regularly. Lots of chatter (and whining). He discovered his tongue in a new way too. It’s cute to see him lick his lips. He is still doing a great job with eating. Sardines, lobster and steamed milk foam are the notable ones for this month. Loves ‘em.
Finally got around to getting him some shoes. I didn’t really worry about shoes before he was walking and I know barefoot is better for foot development. But with all this walking and winter weather something needs to be one his feet. So we got his feet measured and learned what styles fit his feet best. Starting out with a couple of pairs of soft soled shoes. He’s done really well with them. Had to restrain myself from buying more pairs than he needed! I tell ya, this kid is way better dressed than I am.
Not So Serendipitous 
I love all the “Can it fit in my mouth?” pictures. It’s that fabulous time when absolutely everything in the world is divided into those two categories; what will or will not fit. Love it! (And glad to be done with it, too, haha!)
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! THIS is the good stuff!!! He is finally old enough where you can start to have real fun. And it’s going to get even better! Yay! \o/ I wish I could hear him giggle and laugh. I love that shirt that says “Leader of the Pack” LOL! It seems like everything ends up in his mouth. haha!
Happy Birthday Blue Eyes!