13 months old and counting...

13 MONTH MAN~

Well, we had our first birthday party, and it went great! The Fajita/Walking Taco bar was a hit, and we got to eat for days! Dexter has a love for food, so he liked his bday cake, but doesn't really like to get too dirty. He was pretty dainty when it came to actually putting his hands in. Sometimes if something gets stuck on his hand, he puts it in front of me wanting me to clean it off. One of his favorite past times is picking fuzz or Kela hair off the floor to give to me, so that I get rid of it. I feel as though he may take after all the neat freaks in my life. Ha ha..which is EVERYONE but me.

What else has little man been doing you ask?? Well he has been destroying things. I like to call him "Dexter the Destroyer". He has a joy throwing tv remotes, hard toys, books, and pushing table chairs across the room, and dumping full cups of water everywhere.

Dex began full-on walking everywhere a few days after his party. He had been taking short strolls prior, but only full fledged after. He doesn't take too many spills anymore, and loves running into the dog and flopping over her furry belly. Thank goodness the dog doesn't mind. His fave toy is the Cozy Coupe car from my Godparents!

As for talking, he seems to think he has a lot to say. He will mimic us if we stay things, and the we are surprised if he actually says it back. It's exciting to see him copy us. I showed him how to put blocks on top of each other instead of showing him how to push them all down, which is funny to watch..he actually placed them on top of eachother, and THEN he pushed them down. He also points the remote at the tv and pushes the buttons because he sees us do that. He pretends to text on my phone, and looks super into it when he is hitting the buttons with his thumb, and he bashes away on our keyboards. He recently tried to play my DS game, and I thought it was the cutest thing. I cracked up the other day when he was watching the animals drink water, and he started sticking his tongue out thinking he was being a part of thier club.

He claps and waves bye bye, and the thing he does ALL DARN DAY..is point to direct us where to go. He thinks this is great, because he has just realized how to play us. He will scream and point to go into one room, then get all giggly and quick point to a different room thinking he is so funny for switching it up last minute. His pointer finger is basically his voice right now. I leave certain things out, because then he can just show me what he wants. He seems to always point at the cheerio box. I think he has a cheerio obsession. He enjoys stealing his best bud, Hudsons O's all the time. He's a pretty smart little dude, and loves being outside. It's getting cold out though, so I might actually get him a little snowsuit. I was going to wait till next year..but he won't last being cooped up inside all day.

He recently was reintroduced to the Einsteing Dvds, and those have been a LIFESAVER! I cannot tell you how those help me get things done. He forgets I left the room he is so engrossed in the tv. He eventually figures it out and then goes and screams at the gate..but still! It helps. He is getting SOOOO heavy. It is difficult to bend with him, and pick things up. OMG. But ya can't just put him down, or he will run away and go open cupboards or try to go down the stairs(we still need a gate for that area, we just have him gated in the living room and dining area) The stairs he has always been a big fan of climbing, but recently he has wanted to try to "walk"down them. He always wants me to hold his hand, and step down each one. I do this for a few steps then pick him up, because it is dangerous. I don't get a good grip that way. Those kids will sucker you into doing anything.

Soooo...what have I learned the first year??? Don't listen to all the crap people tell you to do with your baby!! We did a lot of the norm, and a lot of the stuff people said NEVER to do, and guess what?? They were totally WRONG in what he ended up doing. First of all, little man slept with us for the first 5 months, in our room/in our bed. We were told he would never sleep in his room, and freak out and want to come sleep with us. He did the opposite. He actually slept better, and slept through the night once we moved him. This also was during the time we started to feed him solid foods. That also helped. Since Derrick worked all day, it was a nice time that he got to spend with Dex cuddling.

We were pretty laid back in the beginning and let him sorta show us his schedule, and it was surprising that they do just fall into one! After we sorta found it, then we got strict with it. That schedule determines theirs/and your night. Now I know why moms freak out when someone else watches their kid in the beginning. If any little thing goes different in the day, it could determine a horrible night for the parents! Luckily I had my moms watch Dex from day 1, and then they could see how he was. This helped that he doesn't freak out when I hand him over to be babysat. He is pretty good with strangers depending on if he has had a nap or not. Otherwise, it's mommytime all the way.

It has been great hosting playgroups because I think it will help the kids to learn to play/share. This is hilarious to watch since it is all beginning right now. They just grab each others toys and freak out. The moms usually laugh, and just try to explain sharing. I am not sure when that clicks..but so far it's not too bad!

Can't wait for all the other milestones to come. That is pretty much a wrap for now!