First things first.

As you'll notice, this is like 2 weeks behind in me sending this off. I suck, I admit it. Life lately has been getting more and more in the way of quality blogging time, what can I say? So, with that in mind, Nathan and I are thinking of just sending these out occasionally, instead of on a regular month-to-month basis. Any objections? Let's hear em...email them or add them to the comments section. Also, we rebuilt my machine, and silly me forgot to save my Outlook contacts. So I inadvertedly waved adieu to the update distribution list. So if you're getting this, and don't want the email, my apologies, I was just trying to rebuild the list from memory. If you want off it, again, just email me.

So, with that out of the way, on to the stuff you WANT to know about, the adorable Baby Munkey.

The biggest news is that he finally decided to start walking! Just after he turned 13 months, Nathan and I were working with him, and he finally put two and two together and realized that he COULD in fact take more than a step or two and it would help him get places. Once he figured that out, there wasn't much stopping him. He just pops up, and starts walking. He now has been able to go about 20-25 feet before getting tuckered out and flopping on the floor. But he still manages to pop back up and do it again. Pretty cool, huh? He's also figured out he can use those long legs of his to help him climb on stuff. His favorite perching grounds are the shelf by the feet of Nathan's desk, and one of the comfy couches. And the dog, of course; now if he could just get Wrigley to cooperate, he'd have himself a riding pet.

He's also getting more responsive to what we're saying to him. The newest word in his vocabulary is, "Heddo!" accompanied by a wave and a smile. It's the cutest thing you could possibly ever see. And he's picking up more on what we're saying TO him, and he knows to respond with head nods or shakes, and with the correct word. He also manages to say "whatchadoooin?" to try to figure out what we're up to.

A new thing he figured out is peekaboo. But does he play it like a typical baby? Oh no. He'll either find the closest cloth, and hold it over his eyes until you play along and start asking, "Where's Mikey?" As soon as you do, he rips the cover away with a huge grin, so we can respond, "THERE he is!!" He's just started holding an arm over one of his eyes in true drama queen fashion and peeking at you with the other eye. While he does that, if you don't respond soon enough, he starts waving with that same arm, as if to say, "Here's a hint, I'm right here!"

Another thing he's doing is trying to figure out more about the world around him. If there's something he wants you to notice, he'll grab a handful of your shirt, pull it until you look at him, then point to something. You tell him what it is, and he seems to start processing it. For example, he loves the airplanes that always are flying over our house. He'll grab my shirt, and point to it. I say, "That's an airplane." Then Nathan later on will ask him, "Mikey, where's the airplane?" and he points up to the sky.

He's also trying to figure out on his own how to read. He'll grab a book, look through it the correct way, and babbles as if he's reading it aloud. He also knows what the phone is used for (he grabs it, and says "Heddo!" into it), as well as the remote. Many a time we've been watching a movie, and he grabs the tuner remote, presses whatever button it is he presses, and suddenly the sound and volume sound a million times better.

Speaking of sound, he's trying to start a career as a musician. He plucks at Nathan's guitar all the time, as well as trying to play the keyboard we have. And actually is pretty good at it.

On the health front, his iron levels have finally started to improve with him taking the iron drops every day. The doctor still wants him to keep taking them, though, so that they can get even higher. Good for him and his body, bad for Mama and Dada's sense of smell when changing his diapers. He's also up to 10 teeth now (one of them being a dreaded molar), with the 11th and 12th soon to pop up, I'm sure. Good for his ability to try new foods now, bad for Mama and Dada's fingers

Shutterfly is about to be shut down any day now, so if you want to look at new pictures of him, make sure to look at the Ofoto page. If you need access to it, just let me know. And don't forget to leave a comment here!



Until next time...

Heddo!

(see, because he says that for hello AND goodbye...)

Ali