Nanas and Other News - 13 Month Update

I have been a blog slacker of late.  My apologies.  Life has been busy, my camera is being cantankerous and I guess I've been suffering from a bit of writer's block too. 

Mitchell is now 13 months old and continues to amaze us with a new "tricks" daily.  I have been working on the sign for "more" with him for months, but they also use a lot more signs in his new class at school and all of a sudden he busted out the more sign this weekend and I got so excited.  It sure beats the urgent grunts and pointing at things he wanted before! 

His vocabulary continues to expand but really more than anything it's his comprehension of what we're saying to him that amazes me.  He can say Dixie, Daddy (very rarely does he say Momma), hi/hey, hello (usually with hand up to his neck like he is talking on the phone), 'nana (more on that in a sec), a sound that approximates out (as in outside, when we take Dixie to the bathroom), and a very Southern pronunciation of "ice", which basically sounds like EYE-th (emphasis on the loooong "i" sound).  However, if I say "bring me your shoes" he will go over, get them, and bring them back and sit down so I can put them on him (generally, I don't want anyone to think this happens every time, by any means), or if I ask "where" something is he will put his arm up in the air, with his palm turned up, and then will walk around that way until he finds the object.  He is doing a lot of things like that now, so I won't bore anyone with going into more detail, but we are constantly amazed at how fast he is learning and doing new things!

The boy loves his 'nanas.  He has several books that have pictures of bananas in them and I quite nearly have to avoid those pages because he almost always wants a banana as soon as he sees one or hears the word.  It is hilarious.  If one of us point to it and say 'nana, about as fast as he can repeat the word he is up and moving off toward the kitchen and will stand and point up to spot on the counter where he knows I usually keep them.  Luckily we haven't had the problems that bananas can sometimes pose on the intestinal system, but I do try to limit his banana consumption to one per day.

John recently had Mitchell solo for 3 days (Sunday - Tuesday) when I had to go out of town for work.  The boys did great together and they seemed to both have a ball.  John told me tha the was really glad he had that time alone with him (as much as they both missed me, of course), because of his schedule this summer and the fact that Mitchell wasn't all that familiar with him anymore.  Even I could tell a huge difference when I got back, at how much Mitchell would go do him and want John  to do things for him that he'd normally have have wanted me for previously.  It's also nice to see now that Mitchell will just as readily reach out for John when he's tired or upset, when before it alwasy HAD to be me.  Not that I ever minded, but I think any of my readers can understand how nice it is to be able to share that burden with a partner from time to time.  John was also great to send me lots of pictures, texts and videos of my boy while I was gone.  I'll post two of my fave pics; I wish I could post the videos but I cannot figure out how to transfer them off my phone.  They don't e-mail like a picture does. 

Eating breakfast

Fish face



One thing I do have on video is M's newest trick.  He now climbs up our stairs, and every night he waits for us to move the baby gate out of the way so he can lead the charge up for bath/bedtime.  It is so funny and he seriously loves it.  I think we have done well with teaching him about safety though.  If he's ready to go down stairs he will just go and stand by the gate and wait for one of us.  I'm really trying to reward that behavior through lots of praise, so that he keeps that up!

Anywho, we're loving life with our boy and I'm sure I've left out all sorts of fun tidbits, but at least that's a little glimpse into our days of late!