The Skinny on the Chubster

I wanted to write some of the things M has been doing lately.  I am always amazed at how quickly he grows and changes, but this past month in particular has been packed with milestones.  Well, maybe more than actually acquiring new skills he has really finessed old ones.  Seeing him move those little limbs with more coordination makes him seem so much older to me. 

Recently, M has loved to grab people’s noses.  He is constantly grabbing our faces with those cubby little hands of his.  He also loves to throw his hands up in the air when he gets excited.  When we talk to him in our most excited voices, he throws those arms above his head and waves them all around like he’s at a rock concert.  It’s pretty darn cute.  

M loves to suck on his fingers.  The middle finger and ring finger in particular.  He hasn’t used his pacifier in months (except for during take off and descent on the airplane to help his ears pop). 

Cutie Pie has been getting better and better at sitting up on his own.  And he has been trying harder to do it without help.  Often when we put him in his car seat he will lean forward as hard as he can so that his head is not touching the back of the seat.  He does this while he’s sitting in the stroller too.  He really wants to be able to balance and support his own weight. 

He continues to be a pretty quiet baby, but he does have times when he is a jabber box.  We LOVE it when he talks.  He seems most talkative when he is in his bouncer.  And sometimes he will sit on my lap and look up at me and talk and talk like he’s just telling me all about it.  I love those times.  I adore our “conversations.”

M just barely started doing this thing where he fusses with his lips pursed tightly together so that he makes a kind of humming noise. And man, our child can SCREAM.  He doesn’t do it often, but if he misses a nap or gets overly tired, our kiddo can blow the roof off the house with his hollering.  That is generally the only time M gets really upset.  He’s a pretty cheerful dude, but don’t even think about messing with his sleep schedule.  

One of his newest tricks is sticking out his tongue.  He is CONSTANTLY sticking his tongue out or sucking in his bottom lip.  He makes such adorable little faces. 

Cutie Pie continues to love all his solids.  He has tried a few different veggies now (green beans, squash, carrots, and peas) and has liked all of them.  I think mealtime is his favorite time of the day.  Like a true man.  He has a total fascination for watching us eat.  He watches every bite travel from plate to mouth and smacks his little gums like he would like a taste too. 

Second only to mealtime, M still loooooooves bathtime.  I think he would splash and chew on his rubber ducky all day long if we would let him.  He also loves when we sing “wheels on the bus.”  I have invented a dozen rather creative verses and accompanying actions because I get tired of the same old song every single time.  If M is upset, usually a few rounds of “wheels on the bus” or “popcorn popping” will happy him right up.  He continues to love peek-a-boo and likes to be the one to pull the blanket off his face.  He LOVES to dance while we hold him in our arms and spin about the room, or if we just hold him under the armpits and help him do a jig of his own. 

I suspect that M is maybe left handed because, so far, he has preferred doing things with primarily his left hand.  He almost always grabs objects with his left hand first.   

It’s interesting because I can already see a few things that M and I have in common.  I don’t know if any of it is learned from me versus just commonalities, but I like that we are so alike in certain ways.  For one thing, we both LOVE going on adventures.  It doesn’t matter where we are going, we just like to go.  M is at his very happiest when we are strapping him into his car seat or stroller.  And he is a total trooper when we are out and about.  He is perfectly content as long as we are on the go.  I am totally the same way.  It’s nice to get out of the house, even if it’s just to go to the grocery store.  We also both have a very small comfort zone when it comes to temperature.  And we both love people watching, but get a little shy when we are the center of attention.  M does not seem to like having lots of people crowding around him looking at him.  He will laugh and chat and sing all day long, but if he has an audience he totally clams up, just like me.  He does the same thing if he sees a camera.  Hence dozens of pictures of M’s serious face to one of his smiley face.  He’s just a bit camera shy. 

(I love this picture of him.  I know it’s a little blurry, but those big blue eyes KILL me.  Silly boy.)

We sure do love our little sweetheart!