Wow...

Walker is 13 months old!

And he's SO excited to be walking!

Walker likes/loves:

-banging objects against each other. Or banging one object against a stationary object.

-pooping all day long (sorry if this is TMI, but seriously, folks...he poops so often!).

-putting items through slots, into boxes, inside trucks, in the laundry basket...you get the idea. Whenever something goes missing, I try to think like Walker to see where he might have stashed it.

-fruits, especially apples.

-remote controls.

-tools.

-pushing around chairs. (Lainey loved to do this, too.)

-pointing at an airplane when he hears one in the sky.

-carrying around things that are big - like plastic golf clubs, sticks, baseball bats...

-being carried on our hip through our master bedroom closet - he likes to put his hands out and touch all of the clothes! This is especially delightful when he's got a runny nose.

-meals. When he's hungry, he's hungry! There is no delaying mealtimes for him.

Crawling first with the remote...

and then crawling with the cup of yogurt. (This is a typical thing - he likes to crawl while holding onto something, either with an object in one hand or objects in both hands.)

He cannot stand it when:

-he has to have a diaper change. I feel like I'm changing a crying, wiggly, aggressive monkey.

-things don't come apart: the lid on the small trashcan won't come off the trashcan itself, the finger puppet in his book that won't come unattached from the book.

-he accidentally tried cilantro. Not a fan. At ALL. He absolutely hated it and cried and cried while trying to get it off of his tongue!

cute happy boy

Walker has learned how to:

-walk. Well, when he's up and able to. He still crawls a lot, too.

-say "dee," "dis," "aye," "ish," "iss," "baba," "dada," (not directed towards Ben) "itss," "mama" (not directed towards me). He loves to point at things and say "ish" or "itsss" or "iss."

-sleep all night long. (He will still wake up in the middle of the night. He stands at his crib railing and cries. However, I know that if we go in there it'll turn into a big scene so it's best if we just let him cry and put himself back to sleep (he always does). He usually cries anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.)

-push the button on the TV to turn it on/off.

-get an ear infection...a raging one that left his right ear draining for a week and a half...and the doctor had even vacuumed it out the week before!

-eat so much food. He mows it down. He still eats like a little bird - if the piece is too big, he'll put it in his mouth anyway and then take it out and then put it back in...yummy.

-drink whole milk. He will even drink it cold!

-use a sippy cup at meals and for snacks...but he still drinks milk from his bottle

-get off of things. He backs up and puts his feet down on the ground first. It makes park experiences a little bit less stressful for me! Except he still loves to put those wood chips in his mouth...

Funny stuff:

-He still puts his little fists on his cheeks to communicate with us. It's to the point where others will ask what it means (like nursery care workers or the babysitters at the gym).

-He pats his tummy with both hands (randomly) and will swing his left arm forcefully when he's frustrated.

-Walker will sit in any available basket, box, doll bed...

-He likes stuffed animals (especially ones that talk/make noise). He'll carry them and walk around and give them hugs.

We love you, Pumpkins!