Month 14 - Recap

My darling bear,
Another month has passed and you still show very little desire for horizontal movement.  You do, however, show a lot of desire (and a heckuva lot of skill) for vertical movement.  You're a climber.  And to be honest, I haven't the foggiest idea how to manage a climber.  You climb on top of people.  You climb on boxes.  You climb on top of chairs.  Sometimes you push the aforementioned chair to a table, climb up on the chair, then climb onto the table.  Then cry when you can't get down.  One of your favorite things to do is climb onto Natalie's bed, crawl to the other end of the bed, climb down from her bed, climb back ONTO her bed, crawl to the other end, climb down from her bed and repeat.  I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed with how well you climb down from her bed.  You figured out on your own that you need to use the Scooch Yourself Down From the Bed by Going Backwards approach, rather than the Dive Headfirst onto the Floor approach.  That's not to say that you never use the Dive Headfirst onto the Floor approach. You do; it's just not on purpose.

So even though the horizontal movement hasn't come yet, it's looming on the horizon.  Just in the past week, you've gotten more and more comfortable standing without holding onto anything.  I know my world is going to get 10 times crazier with you walking, but I so can't wait for that to happen.  Natalie is going to flip her lid over having someone else to play tag with.  Even if, for a while until you get sure-footed, it'll be the slowest game of tag in history.

In keeping the tradition alive, you are a pro at the Scruncher Bear face.  It's hilarious (to me, at least) how pretty much the first thing you and your sister learned was to do the Scruncher Bear face on command.  Natalie chose the mouth-closed approach; you, however, opt for the mouth-open-and-bearing-your-teeth approach.  Both rock.

You had a double ear infection this month.  I probably should have realized earlier that something was wrong when you pitched a fit every time I sat you down or every time I walked to the kitchen or, really, every time I breathed.  I assumed it was teething.  And while your mouth might have hurt, it was definitely your ears that were giving you fits.  Thankfully after two days of being on antibiotics, my sweet mellow Bear was back in full, rascal-y force.  Side note: please work on your Tugging on Your Ear motion.  Because you didn't do it.  And that's the easiest way to tell if a non-talker has an ear infection.  So I'd appreciate it if you took some ownership of my slowness in taking you to the pediatrician.  Had you tugged on your ear on Day 1, we could have avoided the several days of screaming and misery.  Just some food for thought.

Speaking of teething, the great Tooth Count still holds steady at four.  Can I put in an order for a molar or two?  You'd probably like some more foods if you were able to chew more effectively.  Just a suggestion.

You're a big fan of OPF (Other People's Food).  You can't stand for someone to eat in front of you without them offering you what they have.  Even if what they have is the exact same thing that you have in front of you.  The exact same thing that you have in front of you THAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY EATING (or CURRENTLY DROPPING ON THE FLOOR).  If you see someone eating, you immediately drop whatever food you're holding and point and squawk at the food they're eating.  This makes you a gigantic punk.  A gigantic punk who hasn't realized that his momma does NOT fix special meals for people.  So just because you don't like what I put in front of you, it doesn't mean that what I'm eating is any different.  What you eat, I eat.  And what I eat, you squawk at me until I give you some.  And then you're all disappointed when you see that what I'm eating wasn't a cupcake.  It's best you learn this now: I save the cupcakes for after you and your sister go to bed. 

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for January 9, 2013:

• Giant squid caught on film in natural habitat
• Hospitals overflowing with flu patients
• Obama open to full Afghanistan withdrawal after 2014
• Drinking diet soda linked to depression 
• Lance Armstrong to talk doping scandal with Oprah
• Couple launches protest after city threatens to fine them $500 a day for garden in yard 
• AJ McCarron is currently the reigning Miss Alabama Katherine Webb.