More

I have been trying to teach Nick sign language. I personally, have seen babies and toddlers use sign language to communicate. It is wonderful. They usually pick up the sign language before actual verbal ability and can effectively communicate (with in reason). We have been working on "more" and "all done". Nick has mastered "all done". Especially at dinner time. If he is done, he will do the sign for all done, and means it. Once he has done this, I can rarely get him to eat another bite.

The sign for "more" has been a little slower. I have seen him do the sign, but have not seen him use it consistently. Yesterday, we were sitting during therapy. His physical therapist Mandy has been doing some sensory exercises on his feet to get him off his toes, and ready for walking. She was sitting with him, put a towel over his feet and was rubbing them. She rubbed his right food for a minute or so. I have never seen my child so still. He just sat there and let her rub. She stopped to change feet. Before she could restart on the left foot, Nick did the sign for "more". Guess he does know the sign - and he likes his feet rubbed!

Nick has really been working on the walking thing. He uses his tonka truck to push all around the house. He hasn't yet learned to steer- so we often have crashes, usually into the dogs.

Not Much

Sorry it has been a bit since I posted. Not much has been going on here. Nick continues to protest to the "baby food", opting instead for food that he can feed himself. His assertion of his independence is a great source of joy for me, but frustration as well. If he is this independent now, what will happen in 5 years, or 10 years? Help! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore watching him grow and learn, but how do you convince a 14 month old to eat when he would rather play in his food - and don't even think about trying to feed him. That will get you a clamped mouth, and furrowed eyebrows.

He is learning new tricks and words it seems almost daily. His favorite "bye" with a hand wave has now been replaced with "hi". Every morning, we spend a few minutes of him pointing to things, I give it a name (door, window, dog etc) then he waves and says "hi".

Still pulling up, getting closer to walking. However, he has learned the art of climbing. The dogs being his favorite "step stool" of choice to get on the couch. He tries to climb anything he can get his feet on top of.

Just a little of what we have been up to. Tomorrow Nick gets his (hopefully last) RSV shot of the season. I am crossing my fingers for 20lbs so we can get out of that rear-facing car seat! Think heavy.

What Happened to my Baby?

The other day Nick was sitting in his high chair pleasantly eating his gnocchi (more on that later), when I noticed... he is starting that morph from "baby" to "toddler". I know it is inevitable, and I am happy to see him grow and thrive, but I guess I was just caught off guard because I wasn't looking for it. I just saw him sitting there, and bam, he looked like a toddler to me. Sadly, I didn't grab the camera to capture this moment, but I will post photos soon.

Gnocchi - this is the chosen food for now. Nick is transitioning in his food as well. He pretty much refuses all baby food. Even the 3rd foods with some texture. I think he prefers to feed himself ("independent" would be the understatement of the year!). Anyway, trying to find soft foods that he likes, has enough calories, and that he can easily chew with his 4 teeth is sometimes a challenge. I have tried other pastas, but he didn't eat them well, especially if I had to feed him. I saw the gnocchi in the store, right size, soft, caloric rich, why not. He loves them. Warm them up with a little butter, and he goes to town!

I didn't take any photos of Nick the other night when I had my little moment of "Oh my, I am on the cusp of having a toddler", but we did have a little "hair fun" after bath time. His hair is SOOOO thin (thanks for that Tiffany!), so I don't want to cut it, but the top is getting pretty long. I apologize for the quality of these photos - I took them with my camera phone because it was the first thing I could get my hands on, and I knew he wouldn't sit still long enough for me to grab my camera.

I don't style his hair like this everyday- just for fun. This is what he looked like 2 minutes later....