Baby Bits XVIII – Fourteen Months and One Day

It’s time for some Bits.

• E has a joke. It involves putting random things on his head and saying “Hat.” Lately he’s getting especially silly and putting multiple “hats” on Mama or Daddy at once. Latest example is an aluminum pie plate AND a plastic octopus… what a stylish combo!
• His vocabulary is growing at a ridiculous rate – it almost freaks me out. But then he still does sometimes come out with a phrase that I am pretty sure is accidental (or I hope so, anyway) – like the time he woke up and said “Biker gang”, or the time Sean and I were talking about taking him to the potty and he grinned at us and said, “F**k that.” You can imagine the way our jaws dropped.
• Among his newish skills I may not have mentioned yet are clapping his hands (sometimes he even adds “Yay yay yay!”), giving kisses (usually nice big open-mouthed ones with tongue), and eating unmelted cheese which he previously rejected (extra-old only – don’t try any of that medium or old stuff, unless you’re gonna melt it).
• He sometimes hugs his stuffed animals, especially his mouse. It’s the cutest thing ever. Then again, sometimes he casts them away like last week’s puffs.
• It’s awesome being able to have conversations (sort of) with him. He likes to answer questions (e.g., “Do you need to go to the potty?”, “Would you like more blueberries?”) with a nod or a shake of his head – and sometimes he’s even right! Then again, sometimes he leads us astray… I changed many poopy diapers today so this is still a work in progress.
• The learning at this age is mind-boggling. I love seeing him make connections, like recognizing holes (one of his new favourite things, if you can call them that) in different places – he’s a pro at sticking his finger into them and saying “Hohhh.” I even dig the false connections that reveal how his mind is working, such as: he knows his vegetables are hot, so I blow on them; then when I blow on his privates to dry them off after wiping them, he says, “Hot.” Pretty astute, n’est-ce pas?
• In spite of our own relative neutrality regarding vehicles, E is thrilled by all of them. At Camp, he would get all agitated as we neared the sandbox, saying, “Tah, tah, tah, tah.” (Car.) He’s also figuring out “truck” and “tractor” and “train”, and today he was distracted from one of his very favourite things – bubbles – by the neighbour’s lawn mower. Has wheels, makes noise, let’s go get it right this second!
• I feel that this is as fun as a baby kid could possibly be… but he seems to get more fun every day! Where does it end???

***