Happy 13 Months to my toddling man! You've mastered the art of taking a bunch of steps at a time, though you choose carefully when you want to walk, and crawling remains your main mode of transport. You do love to stand up in the middle of the floor, or push to a stand from the fireplace hearth, and you get our attention by calling out, smiling, and clapping at yourself. We are obviously very supportive of your new tricks.
You remain the sweetest, easiest, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. You are flexible and a willing participant in just about any of your sister's crazy activities. You roll with the punches, going down late for a nap, waking up early, riding in the stroller, and crawling along, following Maddie with joy and gusto.
All I have to do is look at you these days and you break out in a huge grin or cackling laughter. I don't even have to make a face! You just think I'm hilarious and it is great for my morale. All I have to do is make eye contact and we have ourselves a little moment.
It's nearly impossible to get a picture of you sitting still these days. You are on. the. go. I have tried multiple Easter photos with you in your Reyn Spooner shirt (thanks, Kelly!) and Maddie in her dress, to no avail. You won't sit still, nor will you let Maddie put her arms around you. To be still is torture, to move divine.
I was laughing with a friend today about just how adventurous you are. You climbed to the top of a toddler play structure, then climbed on top of the bench inside the structure, and as I approached to rescue you, you tumbled off the bench and down a slide, headfirst, crashing onto the rubberized mat below. Not one second after I picked you up you were ready to get down and climb back up. Crazy.
Like your sister, eating with you is always an adventure. You love to eat and will consume just about any food I put in front of you, even though it may take a few tries to convince you it's worth your time. You love to steal the spoon away and feed yourself. Every couple of days I'll let you feed yourself yogurt, and I'd say you follow the rule of thirds: 1/3 in your mouth, 1/3 on or around your mouth, and 1/3 on your bib and on the table. It's as fun for finger painting as it is for eating! You especially love fruit, crackers, cheese, yogurt and anything your sister is eating. And the occasional piece of sidewalk chalk. Yum.
You are quiet and sneaky at times, finding your way into corners and bathtubs and closets, leaving me playing "find the baby" as I search high and low. I call your name and you refuse to answer, preferring that I grow more anxious by the second as I search, dumbfounded. No room is off-limits, no space too small.
Just last week you discovered the dryer drum and its warm, cozy environment. Now every time I am doing laundry I have to distract you because you make it really difficult to load and unload the clothes!
In the past week, another side of my sweet boy has started to emerge: dramatics. When you are refused a toy or access to a room, you throw yourself down on the floor, face first, and squeal loudly. No, it's not just squealing, it's full-on, high-pitched screaming. And it's hilarious. Today I watched as you threw yourself to the floor and barrel rolled across the bedroom, screaming in protest. (I think I closed the door so you couldn't hurl yourself face first down the stairs. I know. I'm a horrible mom who allows you so little of the good things in life.)
It will be interesting to see if these little episodes of drama evolve into toddler tantrums. You are so easy so much of the time. Am I beginning to see a shift?
This week I have had many of those great moments that make all my hard work seem worthwhile. One night I asked for kisses and you grabbed a lock of my hair, pulled me toward you, and spent the next 1-2 minutes leaving big, sloppy "MWAH"s all over my face. On a trip to town a few days ago, I listened with pure joy as Maddie had you in hysterics, bobbing your head and kicking your feet as you let out big belly laughs. Yesterday after Maddie took a particularly bad fall, she was sitting in my lap and you leaned your little face toward her, giving her a kiss right on her mouth. It's moments like these that my heart just sighs. It's those tender and hilarious moments that remind me anew that you are such a gift, such a gracious, sweet gift from God to me.
Thanks for making our lives so rich with your laughter, screams, giggles, games, claps, walks and full-octave sounds. You are so much fun to have in our family!
Love,
Mama
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