13 Months

Right now you are loving:

the broom/swiffer/duspan
your toothbrush
the clear maracas at childcare
mama's cell phone
really any phone
The Very Busy Spider
playing bucket head

The dislikes, we'll chalk those up to toddlerhood. You have no love for any form or being restrained (see high chair, car seat, crib) or being fed. You want to do it all yourself and get where you need to. Unless it's time for cuddles.

The thing that's making me shake my head the most. When dad picks you up at child care you give Ms. F, the assistant a hug when she asks. If I'm there you ignore her totally, or play shy. Only once did you give in to the question. It was after 5-6 asks and a refil of your bottle. Even then it was more of a lean than a hug, your chest touching hers with your arms stubbornly at your sides.

10

Overdrive.

That is the theme of you at 10 months.

The skills you spent the last 2 months learning have been perfected and you are on the go and intense.

You don't crawl anymore, you zoom. You know how to crawl on your hands and knees, but don't really like it. For a few days you experimented with putting your right foot flat on the floor, perpendicular to your torso and everything else in regular crawl position. That wasn't it either. After trial and error you've ended up in a modified army crawl- using your forearms and feet, with your belly lifted just enough not to drag.

Since you've figured that out you've been off. Exploring the hall and rooms upstairs, going from the front room to living room and up the stairs.

You will take steps if we hold your hands or you are pushing the cart at child care.

Purees are only tolerable in small doses and then you want food. You especially appreciate cheese. Your pincer grasp still leaves much to be desired, especially when you are trying to chow down. After a few tries you start grabbing with your fist, bringing it to your mouth, opening your hand against your mouth and hoping for the best. The seat of your highchair has the grubbiness to prove it.

At child care you are thriving. In my work brain, I know you learn a lot at child care. That you you have important relationships there*. But seeing it in action is so cool. You have buddies. Luke is your favorite and I sometimes spend a few minutes peeking through the door to watch you chasing after each other. The other morning Dad watched you two take turn pushing the other across the room in a Radi0 Flyer cart. One would push until the wall, stop, then the rider would climb out and stand to push once the other climbed in.

You take the 'work' you do there and apply it at home. Your favorite work is essentially a wooden piggy bank with a large hole for retrieving the coin. Two days after you first did this you started using mason jars as the vessel, dropping pieces in then pulling them out. Over and over again.

To join your tantrums you have started shaking your head no. I don't think you quite know what you're doing. But you use it in the right moment enough to leave me guessing and laughing.

You have perfected high fives and still love peekaboo. You play shy around others. The combination of your smile and curls continues to melt hearts. Mine most of all.

*that's why we pay more than our mortgage for child care each month