14 months: Devon (November)

WHY oh WHY do people still insist on giving me their children's' age in months after they turn 1? Sorry lady, but just say your kid is one-and-a-half .... none if this 17months stuff. Just round up to 1 and a half, it's fine. Or just say he's 1. I actually had a mom count on her fingers when I asked how old little Parker was. Turns out he was 19 AND A HALF months (like I care about the half). Why do people do this? I get it that there are milestones involved here, but no one outside your family circle and already existing close friends really care if your kid is 12 or 13 months. BUT ... since this is the way that people do things I am going to list him in months until he's 2, but THAT'S IT!! ;)

Anyway, Devon is one now and I didn't think it was possible, but he is getting cuter by the second. He gets up around 7:30 am, but is content to stay in his crib for 30 extra minutes looking at books. Joe went to get him out of bed the other day and he was flipping through "One baby laughs" like it was the Wall Street Journal. He is over teething for the moment and happily goes with me to the gym 3 times a week. The girls at the daycare just love doting on him.

We just finished the "semester" of Movers & Shakers. It was twice a week and story time is still once a week. It sounds like we do a lot of stuff (and I guess we do), but it is nice to have a schedule of things to do that get us out of the house for a little bit every day. On Fridays I either set up a playdate with Jane or another friend, go to the park or we just hang out at home. I have been trying to do the grocery shopping on the weekends so Joe can watch him and I am not dragging him on boring errands. And let's face it .... it's faster if I go by myself.

At the end of the Movers and Shakers class we put all the babies on this parachute, hold the edge and walk in a circle while we sing,"Ring around the rosie." This was the last class (of 12 weeks twice a week) and it was the ONLY time he got through this ordeal without crying. My sensitive little man.

Devon loves to click his tongue, play with bubbles, look at books, feed the ducks, make music and do anything with his Daddy. His newest "party trick" is he will "show you his muscles" which means he makes tight fists, clenches his teeth and literally shakes with muscular flexing furry sometimes even emitting a "grrrr" sound. It's hysterical.

I don't "let him" watch TV, but I have turned on "Tom and Jerry" and he was mesmerized for all of 5 minutes. He will play peek-a-boo for hours on end and is warming up to the idea of walking, but still gets around faster when he crawls which is just fine by me. He has started doing the sign for "finished" when he is done eating and with his bath. He also blows on his food .... weather it is hot or cold and it is the cutest freaking thing you've ever seen. He loves to eat strawberries, cantaloupe, peas, beef, green beans, laughing cow cheese, eggs and pasta.

I sing to him a lot and all that singing has paid off because he will open and close his little hands when we do "twinkle, twinkle" and point to the sky on the "up above the world so high" part. This literally makes me squeal with delight which makes him giggle and the song falls apart, but we always start again. It is also a super bonus when we will be driving in the car and he will be crying or carrying on and I will sing to him and he becomes instantly quiet in order to listen.

He says Mama, Dada, kitty, cat, yeah, bubble, Bob, cute and cool quite clearly, but not on demand. He is getting better at playing by himself for about 10 minutes at a time which really helps when I am trying to get dinner ready or just need 10 minutes to sit and veg. He is such a great guy and everyday I think,"He is so much fun it can't get better than it is right now." and then another day passes, he does something new and the fun continues to grow.

The Ends.