Thursday, April 28, 2011

Past The One Year Mark...onto 13 Months!

Yep, the Beester is 13 months old and I LOVE IT!!!  At this point in time, every day seems to be more enjoyable.  It is so amazing to watch him explore and learn new things or become more proficient at old things.  A few days ago he crawled over to me, stood up, grabbed my hand, turned it over, and placed a toy in it (for the first time).  Then, he looked at me with the most serious look.  I know if I could read his mind he would have said, "Mom, I have been wanting you to play this with me FOR-EV-ER, so come on.  You didn't get my hints, so I'll just have to be more obvious."

IT REALLY IS THE COOLEST THING TO WATCH AND EXPERIENCE!

He began standing unsupported (for a few seconds) on April 6th.  As of April 23rd........HE began WALKING (watch video HERE, if you missed it).  He is still unsteady, but can take 2 to 5 steps before CRASHING!  He is most steady when furniture creeping.  He will see another object a few feet away, so he confidently lets go taking 3 to 4 steps before grabbing his object of focus, balancing, then he's off again.  Of course, our excitement is contagious, so when he hears us cheering him on he starts smiling really big, occasionally gets distracted and plop, down he goes.  His "walking" confidence has grown ALOT since Saturday, so I am sure in a week he will be pacing the floors.  

The other BIG news............no, we are not pregnant........as of April 1st he transitioned to ONE NAP a day.  That may not seems big to you, but it is a game changer when it comes to MY PRODUCTIVITY.  I knew it was coming, but like most things with a child you can only prepare so much........then, you just have to wait.  Some days, he'll take 1.5+ hour nap, which allows me to get several things done around the house, but not always.  When I get overwhelmed I just take a deep breath and express thanks.  Thanks that in this season I only have one child allowing me COMPLETE freedom during his nap.  Thanks that I have a HEALTHY baby boy sleeping upstairs.  Thanks that, at least, he NAPS!!

His vocabulary is constantly growing and changing.  He has FULL conversations and he knows exactly what he is saying.  I, on the other hand, only wish I knew what he was saying.  I love when he leans down staring into the eyes of his toy (maybe his dinosaur, a character in a book, his trains....yes they have eyes, his duck) and begins to babble, pause, and babble some more.  IT IS THE CUTEST THING!!!  He now says momma and dada very clearly.  Baba (bottle) is beginning to sound more like bot, as he is trying to insert the "t".  He says all of these words in some form or another:  Cheese, Vroom, Roar, Choo Choo, Baby, Bottle, Book, Ball, Hi, Bye, Momma, Dada, Baaaa (yep, like a sheep), Woof and Moo. 

By the way, every animal says, "BAAAAAA" in Bennett's world.  He can say, "Woof," but is very inconsistent with associating the word with a dog.  He started saying, "Moo" two days ago.
B saying BAAAAA to his new sheep!
He continues to love books with his current favorite being LITTLE BLUE TRUCK.  Now, he will open a book and begin to babble like he is reading.  He intentionally chooses the book he wants us to read before handing it to us.  He points at various objects in the book, but has yet to associate those objects with a specific word.


He has began intentionally pushing buttons.  He has 4 dinosaurs that talk and makes noises (those of you familiar with Dinosaur Train, you know all about Morris, Ned, Buddy, and I can't think of the other SCARY dinos name) when you push their button.  Just a few weeks ago he began interacting with the dinosaurs on a daily basis.  He really like Morris.........I do too!  Morris has a cool surfer accent and says, "DUDE," a lot.

He enjoys climbing the steps.  He continues to amuse us with his frequent LAUGH.  He eats well for us, but still won't drink milk out of a sippy cup.  When he is finished eating he pulls on his bib to let us know.  He still uses the food sign each time he is hungry.  While sitting, he still turns himself 360 degrees using his heels to propel himself.  He thoroughly enjoys all things water....his bath, the fountains, the hose, the pool, and the ocean.  He enjoys opening his toy chest on his own.  He points at objects he wants.  He still takes two bottles a day, still loves his paci, still loves Goldie, still makes me smile.

Dad makes me LAUGH from Amber cullum on Vimeo.

He points to his belly button and my belly button when asked.  He points to his/my eyes, nose, and mouth, but doesn't always associate the word with the correct body part.  However, you can ask him for a kiss and he comes for your mouth with his open wide......EVERY TIME.

Now he gets excited when Sam comes home.  His internal clock must know when it is close to time for Sam to arrive, because he starts saying dada.  When he hears the door being unlocked he looks toward the door or points and gets really excited.  Some times he will crawl over and greet Sam at the door.

He enjoys Veggie Tales and always dances when The Bunny Song plays.  However, he is beginning to dance to a lot of music.  Now, when you ask him to dance he will begin shaking his head up and down.   Hopefully, he won't be a head banger :)

We go for his 1 year check up next week (yes, I know we are a little late), so I will let you know his size.
Other than that, I think I covered the highlights.  I mean I could go on and on about him sharing fun facts and  photos, but while your still reading I'll say good bye.

6 comments:

Casey Martinez said...

It was really fun to read this post not to mention to look at your stunning pictures of B! Love the one of him peaking around the side of the dresser...great creative shot!! Daisy is 13 months in a few days so I could relate to a lot of this and then some of it not as ever kiddo is so different which I just love!! I gotta be honest I'm not too excited about the one nap a day thing so props to you for tackling it with grace!

- Jessi - said...

Awe what a cutie! I love that first photo, how adorable

Courtney said...

I just wanted to let you know that I think your photos looks amazing! You have grown leaps and bounds since I first started following you! You should be so proud of yourself and all your hard work!!

Laura T. said...

He is just too cute. My daughter is 15 months, but isn't walking yet. She grabs onto things and pulls herself up and cruises along the furniture, but hasn't taken any actual steps without holding onto anything yet. This is fine by me, because she is already our little daredevil. Like your son, she stopped taking two naps also. I thought it would be hard, but it hasn't been so bad - good luck.

Janell said...

What a cutie, they grow up so fast! Thank you so much for your kind words on my blog, it really really made my day!

Carrie said...

I just can't believe he is that big already!!! My goodness. He is such a cutie - and I so know what you mean about the two down to one nap thing...just wait until he drops it entirely. :)