Michael is Thirteen Months Old!

I do believe this is my most pathetically late update issue yet... Ugh. I don't know what's going on with me & my blogging - or lack of blogging - these days. Oh. Yes I do. It's Michael. The kid is running me ragged. Seriously. He doesn't stop. Right till he falls down asleep.



But I'm here now, so lets get the show on the road...

July 15 - Michael is officially a climber. Which means I now have to relocate my "office". (Read: corner where my desk is pushed, next to a pile of bankers boxes.) The little bum has figured out how to push my printer off my hard-drive, climb up on that, and from there climb onto my desk. Annoying? Sure. But life-threatening? Actually, yes. You see, my desk happens to be on the top floor of our four-story townhouse, and it's right next to the banister which drops straight down to the basement. Granted, if he did make the fall, he'd really just land in a huge pile of dirty clothes and towels, cuz the drop also doubles as my laundry shoot. But still... I suppose if he didn't break too many bones, he'd just think it was fun, and would likely do it again. And then people would think I'm a bad mother.

But sometimes I'm good. Cuz I take my kids on picnics and stuff. Like here. Here is Michael and his friend Baby Zachary. To date, this is still his only friend. Okay, maybe I'm not that good of a mother after all. I say this cuz right now, as I'm blogging, I'm listening to Emma having a full blown temper tantrum on the kitchen floor cuz I put the stopper in her sippy cup lid when SHE CAN DO IT herself. But anyhow, here's MickNew & Zack, clearly enjoying some male bonding time while the girls frolicked in the park.





Sometime in June - cuz I forget exactly when, and I know I didn't include this on my last update, so... Michael is now very into swinging his head violently back & forth, y'know, in that "NO WAY JOSE!!!" stance kids get when they have definitively decided that it's enough... there is absolutely no room left for just one more itty-bitty spoonful of yogurt.



And speaking of spoonfuls of anything... Michael has decided that he MUST now feed himself. No more being treated like a baby, thankyouverymuch. Yup, my 13-month-old would now like to be treated like a big kid. And that includes using his own spoon. Eating with his hands? So, like, the food actually gets INTO his mouth? Again, thanks, but no. Needless to say, mealtimes have just gotten a whole hell of a lot messier.



Something seems to have suddenly clicked inside Michael's little basketball head and he just 'gets it'. Very cool. Like, when I'm going to bring him up to bed, he'll know to wave good-bye to Daddy & Emma, who are usually sitting on the downstairs sofa. Oh... and he also leans over to kiss them both too. Which he does now. And I mean REAL KISSES. Not the kisses of times past where he's mostly just trying to eat your face. (Fine, they are still often open mouth, but there are no teeth involved, and it's just open lips nicely placed on your face for two seconds. I could die so sweet. And Emma does a totally cute imitation of a Michael kiss... but guess you'd have to be here to appreciate that. And if you were here, then I'd actually know you... )

Speaking of things that just 'clicked' for Michael - CLAPPING! At appropriate times! Like when he's excited about something! Or when I say, "Michael... show them how you can clap!" My own personal monkey-boy! How fun!!



When he concentrates, like REALLY concentrates, or sometimes when he just 'is', his tongue will just stick out the side of his mouth. In that special short bus kind of way. "You're a good boy... yes you are... yes you are!"

I really am going straight to hell, aren't I?



And now for the all-important date portion of the update:

July 22 - I guess I can say he's "officially" walking as of today. Why? Cuz he took like 25 steps in a row. All the way down the hallway. And earlier he walked around the bed. That's right. The kid took a CORNER.

He's getting a little cocky about his ability though... and is trying to run alot. And then he falls into things. Like wooden chair legs. And then things like his happen to his little button face:









How totally cool is my son?!



August 1st - totally into figuring out how to work those clasp-like buckles that are on all the high-chairs, strollers, life-jackets, car-seats, ... Pretty much anything that can contain him, he's bound and determined to figure out how it works and how to solve it. And he's really good at it too...



August 4th - Michael's first haircut. Don't get me started. Jeff & I had a major difference of opinion on whether or not he needed it. I said no. Jeff said yes. Granted, this isn't too unlike anything else in our lives, but this time it was really important. I mean... this is Michael's HAIR!!!! I did a silent "Alissa, pick your battles" conversation with myself, and kinda sorta gave in. End result? He's still cute as a button.

But more on that later... Pictures too. That's my teaser tag to keep you comin' back for more!

August 5th - Started High-Fiving. Showed him once. ONCE. And he got it. Yup, my boy is brilliant!!! Who says kids who fall on their heads alot as infants are dumb?

Agust 12th - Cheers! Same thing... showed him once. ONCE. He thought it was hysterical. And likely a huge mistake on my part cuz now he's been slamming sippy cups and bottles all day long. It's kinda getting on my nerves. Probably cuz, at least with the bottle, it's kinda messy. What with the formula flying everywhere.

And on a different note, anyone know who is hosting Fun Monday this week? I may just give it a go... if it's easy enought, that is.