13 months

Once you turned a year old I planned to only do updates every few months, but you are just growing and changing so fast that I already have a list of new skills and talents of yours!

Some things about you at 13 months:

• We moved the crib all the way down.  You're a very active little boy so now that you're pulling up on the crib daily we decided we better lower it before you try to climb over the side.  We also finally readjusted the straps in your carseat to be at the highest level.  You're still a little too short so the straps run along your neck but you're more comfortable than before.
• You like to play with the magnets on the fridge.  Daddy bought you some fun dinosaur magnets that can be all your own.  You also like the dishwasher and try to climb onto it whenever the door is down so I have to make sure to always keep it closed and locked when you're awake.
• You are still regularly throwing tantrums whenever I have to take things away from you.  Thankfully you usually calm down after a second.  We try to just ignore your tantrums so you are quickly learning you don't get attention for screaming.
• You recognize your favorite books and toys.  If we're holding you and you see your binky or a favorite book you'll get excited and point your hand at it to let us know you want it.
• You climb stairs!  And very well too!  There was almost no learning curve, one day you saw the stairs and decided you wanted to climb to the top, and so you did it like it was no big deal.  We had to put baby gates and the top and bottom of the stairs because anytime the gate is down you see your opportunity and start climbing up.  Today you climbed up all by yourself in search of Daddy before we realized the gate was down.
• You LOVE to feed the puppies.  This has caused some problems at mealtimes because if we give you more than a bite at a time you'll throw the food over the side to the puppies.  So we are still mostly spoon-feeding you to prevent this.  You'll even grin and share your favorite treats with them, or will "share" by letting them take a lick, then putting the rest in your mouth.  Ew!
• You say 5 words now.  You learned them in this order: hi, lights ("dites"), Dada/Daddy, uh-oh, and thank you ("tankew!")  So cute.
• We started you on formula and cow's milk.  We still have about 11 gallons of mommy milk in the freezer but we didn't want to wait until it was gone to transition you, plus we're going to NY in a month and won't be able to take enough milk to cover the whole trip.  It has been a rough transition since you flatly refused anything but breastmilk but we're slowly getting you to take other things, and some days you even seem like cow's milk.  Right now your breakfast bottle is half mommy milk/half formula, and then the rest of the day your sippy cup has 2 parts cow's milk to 1 part formula.  You don't drink nearly as much milk the rest of the day but we give you lots of cheese and dairy to help supplement.
• As you have become more active you've had less and less physical obstacles.  For example, when you first started crawling and getting into the puppy food we hid it behind the couch.  Eventually you figured out where it was and would crawl behind the couch too.  So we put it ON the couch, out of your reach.  Then you would stand on the puppy's bed or other things to make you taller to reach.  So now we have the food back behind the couch, and the ottoman is creating a blockade.  It's only a matter of time before you learn to climb over the couch to get it though!  You climb over toys and people all the time.
• You had your first haircut yesterday!  Thankfully it doesn't make you look too grown up, and your head has seemed a lot less sweaty from the hot summer sun.