13 Months Old

Here is the post from last month which I know is late again.  I've had it written for a couple of weeks now, but Elias and I got hit with Hand, Foot, Mouth disease and so my editor became our nurse at the same time he was prepping for a new school year :).

Little Man, the months are flying by really quickly this summer and we've been on the go.  We hadn't done much traveling in the car with you since October, because flying seemed easier for our little lap-baby, but we did a couple of road trips this month.  They were only 3-4 hours each but they were still a good gauge to see how you would do in the car before we left for Ireland.  You did so well!  Now that you play in your carseat and eat snacks, you are able to ride for about 2-3 hours without stopping.  You will reliably take naps in your carseat now, which is so convenient.  These trips were the first time we've stayed away from home since you started sleeping through the night, so again, it was a good way to test the waters before we flew overseas and dealt with a five-hour time change.  You handled it like a champ, going right down at night and sleeping until morning.   For a while we were convinced that you did best with familiarity and routine, but you have shown us this month that you love new environments and meeting new people.

This month we continued to see a lot of growth in your communication skills and it became apparent to me how much you comprehend.  You still sign very frequently, but you understand so many words now beyond just the ones we sign.  Here are some examples:

• Do you want a snack?
• Are you ready to eat?
• Do you want a banana (your favorite)?
• Could you please give Momma/Daddy your paci? (And you will give it to the specific parent that we request).
• Please give that to Momma/Daddy. (This is SO helpful!)
• Do you want your paci?
• Please put your paci down in your bed.
• Do you want to nurse?
• Do you want to go outside?
• Are you all done?
• Do you want more?

And here are your first words (in the order you said them):

• Momma (ma ma - you say two very distinct syllables)
• More (sounds like "ma")
• Li Li (This is a family nickname for you.  It sounds like "yi yi".  Even though you say it consistently, I'm not sure you know the meaning yet)
• Banana (sounds like "na-na-na" but you mimic the three syllables you hear us say)
• Dada
• You will say "gna! gna! gna!" if you are mad.  This is usually accompanied by crying.
• You also have a happy noise that sounds kind of like, "ah uhhhh" with a lot of inflection.

I also realized this month how much you are observing.  You will pick up an object and know what to do with it just from watching us use it on a regular basis.  When you get a spoon and cup, you will put the spoon in the cup and stir it around like you are cooking.  One day you came up to me with a washcloth and starting wiping it on my face and I realized you were "giving me a bath".  Another time, you found a box of sparkling water on the floor and took out a can, put it up to your mouth and threw your head back like you were drinking from it.  If you find my sunglasses, you will bring them to me and try to put them on my head or on your head (where they usually rest during the day).  It amazes me how much you pick up on things. Sometimes you will put a piece of food on a spoon and then put the spoon in your mouth.  If you see a shoe, even if you've never worn it, you will put it up to your foot and then want me to help you put it on.  One time I put your paci in a specific pocket on your stroller when you were about to get out.  The next time you were about to get out, I noticed you were trying to get it in the same pocket.  I love discovering what you've learned from observation.

Likes:

• You LOVE the park!  You know if we are within a block of the park and will start fussing in your stroller and pointing towards the park.  You will usually be unhappy and unsure whether we are going to the park until we get very close.  Then you will stop fussing.
• Your pacifiers!  This is nothing new, but I think it's worth mentioning that you still sleep with 5 of them in your bed.  You have to have one in your mouth and you still like the cuddle at least one other.  It seems to be soothing to you to take out one paci and put in a different one. 
• Eating - you are the best eater.  You will try anything, and are not particular although you definitely have your favorite foods.  You love bananas and tomatoes.
• Cuddling - again, nothing new, but you need lots of hugs throughout the day and will initiate a cuddle by resting your head on us.

Dislikes:

• The nursery - we go every Sunday but Momma stays with you.  You will usually cry on and off the whole time we are in there or if anyone comes up and tries to talk to you.  I think you are afraid that they are going to try to take you from me. 
• Being away from Momma.  It seems like your separation anxiety is here to stay for a while. 

Milestones:

• When we were at the library for storytime on your birthday, one of the other boys told the storyteller that it was his birthday.  She asked if anyone else had a birthday, so we raised your hand!  All the other kids sang happy birthday to you, and you seemed to understand that they were singing for you.  You had a huge smile on your face and halfway through the song, you got shy and cuddled your face into me.
• At the beginning of this month, Daddy was still out of town at his conference so Grandma Pegelow came to visit us for a few days.
• Daddy came home from his program for a quick visit on Father's day.  This was your second Father's day.  Last year you were only 3 days old.
• You went to five days of swim lessons this month.  We missed the first week because we thought we were going to be out of town, but I think five days were enough for an introduction to swim lessons.  Our main goal was to help you stay comfortable in water.  You were a little overwhelmed by all the other kids, but you gradually let go of Momma and floated hanging onto a noodle!
• We went in for your one-year doctors appointment a week after you turned one.  You had a fever of 101 degrees and cold symptoms, so we opted to hold off on your vaccinations.  We went back the next week and got your shots plus two blood draws (to test lead and hemoglobin levels) from your big toe.  You recovered very quickly!

• You love to pretend different objects are phones.  You will put anything up to your ear and then yell, "Yah?!" or "Ah?!"
• You love positive affirmation.  If we clap and cheer for you after you do something, you will pick it up very quickly.  Daddy didn't like that you were saying "banana" but not "Dada" on a regular basis so I told him to cheer and clap when he heard you say "Dada."  Within a day, "Dada" became one of your favorite words to say.  It's also how you became so consistent at giving items to us when we asked you to.  I noticed you started giving me things on your own, so I started clapping and cheering for you.  You started giving me things and then immediately clapping for yourself.
• You now have 4 top teeth.  They all came in around the same time, but you did not complain.  I caught a glance of your mouth one day and realized how much growth was going on in there.  You have the cutest toothy smile now.
• We celebrated your 1st birthday with a party on June 28th at Taylor Lake.  Grandma and Grandpa Angell, Grandma and Grandpa Pegelow, Auntie Kim, Aunt Lia, Uncle Randolph, Orla, Great-Aunt Juanita and Great-Uncle Jim, and your cousins, Tia, Tony, Savannah, and Aloyious all came to celebrate.  We also had a few friends from Upland join the party.  You can be such a ham around company, and it makes us think you may be an extrovert.  You get a great energy from people.  We arrived a few minutes late since you had taken a long afternoon nap.  I got you out of the car and as soon as you saw the crowd of people waiting for you, you smiled at them and waved.

• One evening we had dinner with all our family members that came into town for your birthday.  Right before we prayed, you saw everyone fold their hands so you also folded your hands and held them like that for the whole prayer. 
• You learned how to clap properly this month.  You clapped before this month but you would take one hand and hit the other wrist (also your universal sign for a while).  Now you use both of your hands.
• We went to Chicago for Great-Great-Aunt Lil's 94th birthday.  She loves you so much and calls you "my baby." While we were in Chicago we stayed with our friends, who have a little girl who is 7 weeks younger than you. We were impressed by how much the two of you interacted and played together. You would hand toys back and forth and follow each other around the house. You liked to cuddle your little friend and at one point put your arms around her like you were giving her a hug.  You also took Momma's sunglasses and tried to put them on her.  You had so much fun at their house.

• We recorded our reading time for the summer reading program at the local library.  Then when you had enough minutes for a ball, we cashed them in.  The librarian brought you two options and you picked the bright yellow ball with a smiley face on it.
• You are starting to test Momma.  If you know something is off-limits, you will look at me out of the side of your eye and slowly move your hand towards it. If I have to remind you not to touch it, you will sometimes touch it really quickly.  For example, you know you are not supposed to touch fans.  You will smack the fan in your room very quickly while looking at me.  Also, you know that you need to stay on your back during diaper changes until I tell you that you are all done.  You will start to roll over and then roll back really quickly.  You definitely give me a certain look, though, if you are doing something you know you are not supposed to do. 
• We made a trip to Michigan over the fourth of July weekend to see some friends and meet their daughter.  You really enjoy meeting new people and visiting new places.  While we were there we had a picnic with some other friends we knew in the area.  You loved their big kids.  You seem much more comfortable with elementary age kids than adults lately.  You went right over to one of the 9 year old boys and surprised us by taking a seat right on his lap.  I don't think he knew what to do at first, but he was very sweet to you.

• You "help" us dress you now.  You know the routine so when we put an arm in the sleeve, you push it through.  Then you'll transfer your toy to the arm that is already in the sleeve so that the other hand is free to go through.   
• You love riding the little horse ride at Meijer.  It costs a penny, so you get to do it after we check-out. 
• You have started pointing to where it hurts.  This is extremely helpful information.  Usually this happens if you bump your head.  It seems to help a lot if I kiss it and ask, "Are you okay?!"
• You will clap your hands at the appropriate times when I sing, "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands".  You get a big smile on your face when you hear me start to sing it.
• You sign all the time now.  I should have mentioned this a few months ago, but you made up a sign for "loud noise".  You make your hand flat and move it around in a circle.  You have always been sensitive to loud noises (when you were really little you cried whenever we sneezed).  One day I needed to use the Kitchen Aid mixer so I turned it on and then smiled at you and showed you with my hand how it was mixing everything together.  You immediately started imitating me and from then on you used that hand motion as a sign either that something makes a loud noise (i.e. when you see the vacuum) or if you hear a loud noise.
• You have started singing.  I sang "Old McDonald had a Farm" to you one day, but instead of using the words, I replaced them with "ba ba ba ba."  You started saying, "ba ba ba" with me and now we hear you singing it to yourself as you play or go about your day. 
• You love to wave.  If we are out and about you will wave at people we see.  If you see a car drive by, you will wave.  If you are going to go outside with Daddy, you will turn to wave to me on your way out the door.
• We do a family grocery shopping trip each weekend where Daddy and I each go to different stores to be efficient.  We always fight over who gets to take you since you are so much fun.  Daddy usually wins since you spend more time with Momma during the week. 

The schedule for this month shifted around a little.  At the end of last month, we thought you were ready to go down to one nap since you were really fighting them and taking pretty short naps.  However, as this month started, you surprised us by sleeping in until 7, taking your morning nap early (around 9:30) and taking a 2 hour! afternoon nap.  This only lasted for about a week, though, so it must have been a growth spurt.  By the end of the month you were back to a similar schedule to last month. 

6-:00am wake up and nurse
9:30-10:00am morning nap (I tried to push it earlier b/c you were having trouble going to sleep at night with your afternoon nap getting later and later).
10:30-11:00am wake up and nurse
12:00pm lunch
3:00pm nurse
2:30-3:00pm afternoon nap
3:30-4:00pm wake up and nurse
5:30pm dinner
7:30pm bath and get ready for bed
8:00pm bedtime

Little Man, there has never been an age or stage so far that I haven't liked, but I LOVE the stage we are in right now.  You are such a cheerful, happy little guy who does so well in so many different situations.  You are a great grocery shopper, do well in restaurants, ride contently in the car, and sleep at night and for naps.  You have a great sense of humor, love to laugh, and are such a joy to be around.  I think that as parents we will continually balance our excitement to see you grow, express yourself, and even push the boundaries a little with the desire to savor every moment of your current stage.  It's a blessing to be caught in that place.  We love you to the moon and back, Sweet Boy.