13 months

Plus One is 13 months old, and it is still staggering how quickly time passes. We have spent the last two and a half weeks with my parents and they are always eager to point out his new developments. It seems like there are a load of them this much. His hair seems to be growing. When Mr. Thinkin' isn't around I like to put a dab of gel in the front to keep the curls throughout the day. The back is also getting frizzy, meaning the curls are on the way. PO's top two teeth popped through about a week after his birthday and then the bottom left broke through on July 4th. I can feel and see two more on the top, but I would guess they will not be in for another week or so.

Communication
He knows and uses about six words and then has an additional blanket work for all large animals. He says Ni-ni for his blankets, bye- bye while talking on the phone, yeah when he claps, uh-oh when something falls, kitty for kitty and ap (maybe he is saying stop?) to express his frustration, Pa-pa for my dad. Still no mommy or daddy or anything remotely close to those. However, he has a nasty string of yell/stream sounds if you do not cooperate with his agenda, or if you tell him no-no. He loves to point at horses or cows and say key-key???

Sleeping
I can't decide if it is time to cut out the morning nap or not. Some days are difficult and others are just fine. On a typical day he wakes around 7:00 is up until around 9:00 - 9:30, then he goes down and sleeps for a couple of hours. I try make sure he is up a least 2 hours between naps. Sometimes he is difficult and will not sleep in the afternoon. He doesn't cry he just lies in bed and plays and plays. I think my plan of attack with be to go to the gym during the morning nap time and then I can avoid dealing with his difficult mornings.

Playing
It is so amazing to watch a baby discover the world around them. PO can spend hours just exploring (i.e. and stack of books, the piano peddles, tupperware dishes, the dishwasher, a stack of CD cases). I try to spend time everyday working on toddler games, and a little counting and singing. We read several books a day. He loves to hide in curtains and he starts to giggle when we get near him.

Eating
We are down to one bottle a day. I always thought he would be completely weaned by 12 months, but I like knowing he is getting that 8oz of milk for sure. I am mindful of keeping water available all the time in his cup. I would say he averages about 18 ozs of water a day. I offer milk at breakfast and right after his bath. The list of what he will not eat is much shorter than the list of what he will. He favorites include; bananas, cereal bars, grapes, pb&j, scrambled eggs, and cheese. He would eat a hot dog for every meal, but I'm not a fan of food that heavily processed. I need to find an organic variety???

He is such a love. He is kissing and hugging more all the time.