Gummy Bear is walking: I repeat, Gummy Bear is walking! He's taken a step or two before on his own, but in the last week or so he's really taken off-- literally! I catch him toodling around and then falling over, or tripping over something, and sometimes he just stands there. He is walking longer and longer distances, and walks back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. My favorite part are his hands, way up in the air by his head, trying to keep his balance... Although most recently he walks around while chewing on a toy. This last Sunday he figured out how to stand up unassisted, and we're giving him a week, maaaaybe two, before he figures out how to run. He tries to run but ends up falling over, and then he gets up and walks very carefully, trying to have patience... It's so funny. He's too smart!
The monster also doesn't like grass, or at least the half-dead variety... Our area is slow to get green grass, and the two times I've put him on the brown grass he picks up his hands and looks at the grass like it's gross, and then starts to cry. Every time! A couple days ago we took him out and tried to get him used to it, and he just whined the entire time. It's hilarious! My friend raked the dead grass out of her yard and he likes her grass better, so it's probably just the dead grass he hates. The more we take him outside the more he's getting used to the feeling of grass and concrete and rocks under his feet.
He still loves food. A LOT. Whenever we eat something he comes up to us and stares at the food until we give him some. If he likes it, he hangs around, and if he doesn't then he moves on. The staples, such as Cheerios and graham crackers, he scarfs down; chocolate food is even better. I was eating chocolate teddy grahams at a friend's house, and he thought that was the greatest thing since chocolate pudding. (I figure this chocolate love should be attributed to the maaaaaany bowls of Cocoa Dino-Bites I ate when I was pregnant, haha!) I could feed him all day and he would never get tired of it. He still licks everything, too, (like me and my pants,) although he's starting to test the waters with his two little teeth, and will sometimes give his toys a thorough inspection before slobbering on them, as if he hasn't seen that part of it before.
He's very observant, but only when something really catches his attention. Lately he will stare at commercials on tv that involve lots of animals, and will push you away if you get in front of him and block his view. We were standing by the stairs the other day talking with another couple, and as their 17-month-old son came down the stairs on his bum Gummy Bear watched very intently, just like he did when he watched older kids run around. You can almost see the wheels turning in his head, how can I do that...? There was one time I was trying to teach him how to go up stairs, since we don't have any in our apartment for him to practice on, and he wasn't buying it and spent the entire time whining. Fast forward a month or two, and I'm at a friend's house... and I look over and he's climbing the stairs. What?? This kid learns quickly!
His favorite games are anything to do with being thrown around, and when you roll him across the floor. The rolling game is great, because he almost tucks his arms up so you can roll him unhindered and he will crawl back to you over and over again. Going for walks is great, even if it's just in the hall of our apartment building--I think he's sick of our apartment! We walked to the thrift store down the street today and he just stared and looked around and didn't move until we stopped walking. He also loves to shake his head "no". It seems like the head shaking is just for fun, until you yell "No!" at him when he's touching the tv and he looks at you, grins, and shakes his head... and then touches the tv again. We're pretty sure he gets the basic concept, but doesn't listen. Booger.
Being opinionated is another thing he likes. Sometimes (oftentimes) his reactions are extreme. He's either really happy and excited and chirps and smiles and is silly, or he's screaming and crying and yelling... And the squealing! Oh man. We were in Walmart the other afternoon, and every so often he would let out an ear-piercing squeal! It's all fun and games until he squeals in your ear... Naptime and going to bed can be tricky because he will only snuggle with me when he feels like it; otherwise he yells and cries and struggles to get away. So then I put him in his crib so he can go to sleep on his own, but then he sits there playing and chirping in the dark... The little stinker. Reading books to him is also difficult, because he always wants to close the book and pat it, which means you're trying to read him a bedtime story and he's squishing your fingers inside the book trying to push it closed! We still don't let him have the board books all the time, either, because he still chews on them until they start disintegrating in his mouth.
He is doing fantastic, overall. He loves playing with the big kids, getting Mommy's attention (whether by being cute or by being annoying and doing thing he isn't supposed to...), and getting Daddy to throw him around. We love this guy, even if he always keeps us on our toes!!
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