Logan is changing daily at this point and seems so different than the tiny thing I gave birth to last winter. He has so much personality and I feel like he sees into my soul and just warms me from the inside out when he smiles at me.
Social
Logan is a very social baby. He will smile and most everyone and has great eye contact. He knows who his favorite people are (me, Charles, Julia) and greets us enthusiastically. He is still spotty on the waving but it is cute when he does it. He has developed a new behavior that I think is his version of a “hug.” He isn’t normally much of a cuddly baby (he’d rather be exploring on his own), but after a day of work when he hasn’t seen me, when I come out to play he crawls over to me and sets his head in my lap for a few seconds. He’ll then crawl away and play and then look up at me again, smile, and crawl to my lap again. It is so sweet. The longer I’ve been away, the more he repeats this cycle. It is so precious.
We’ve had a few play dates with other kids. He loves Addison (7), because she is very entertaining, but is less sure about Ella (2 weeks younger than him) because they both sorta do their own thing. They seem to enjoy having the other one there, but compete for toys and are happy to do their own things. It is cute to see them learn and conspire together, though. If one figures out something neat to do, the other will quickly follow. We hope to do these play dates every other week or so, but they are a bit of a drive, so it is a commitment. I’m hoping to also connect more to mom’s with kids of similar ages nearby so that we can socialize more frequently.
Eating
Logan still loves to eat. He has gotten a little bit pickier, and demands more variety, but overall eats well. We’ve had a few feast/famine phases where he will eat very little for a day or two and then make up for it, but overall it is pretty steady. His favorite foods this month were: Chicken and apple sausage, zucchini (a real favorite), mighty hot tasty cereal (rice/corn hot cereal thing), oatmeal, yogurt and peanut butter mixture, hummus, avocado, and pretty much anything we are eating (meatballs, lentil stew, etc.).
I am still pumping twice a day and we are rotating our breastmilk supply. We are rapidly going through it though because Logan drinks 18 ounces a day and I am making about 10.
Moving
He is fully an expert cross-crawler now and crawls very quickly. He loves to explore and use his independence. He figured out how to get to/and play on his knees a little before his 1 year birthday and shortly after figured out how to sit on his own. He is so cute the way he will go find and toy and then sit himself down (sometimes just for a second to play with it), then he will crawl again to another toy and repeat. He also loves to pull up on everything and play with anything he can reach. He shows the instincts of a climber too, which may cause problems down the road. For now, he seems to love his independence and being in control of himself. We rarely carry him much anymore because he’s happiest on his own.
He isn’t walking yet, but will walk with his walker, cruise on furniture, and hold our hands. All 3 are when he wants them and he’ll make it clear when he is done. His balance is really pretty good, so I think he is close to walking (but if it is like crawling, he could do this for quite a while before he takes the next step, literally).
He loves to go into our bathrooms and play with the cupboards and drawers. It is his favorite play area (I've never spent so much time in bathrooms!). Because we moved with him, we were sure to not put anything bad for baby down low, which means he is safe to play.
Bath time is more interesting because he will crawl around and stand up. Here is an adorable picture!
Language
He isn’t saying a lot and it isn’t clear how much he understands of what we say. He definitely knows his name and will respond when we say it (unless we say it too many times in a row and he’ll ignore us and keep playing). He knows “no” and will generally respond. A harsh “no” lately is often responded to with a giant meltdown. If we says “not for logan” and distract him with something else, things are easier. Distraction is the main discipline recommended for this age, so we’ve been doing that most. If he tries to chew on the table, we’ll say calmly, “no we don’t chew on the table” and hand him a toy he can chew on.
He says “da da” very well. It seems to mean both Charles and I. He is consistent with looking up when either of us enters the room and saying “dada.” When he is happily playing with us, he will also say “dada.” He also says “up” pretty regularly, but only sometimes when he wants to be picked up, usually just to announce that he is standing up or crawling “up” the stairs. He says “duck” really well and seems to know that it means his little wooden ducks. He seems to refuse to say “open” or “ball” even though he has said them many times before. Seems like sometimes he says “book” or “truck” or “food” but they aren’t very clear. “mama” seems reserved for “I want something and you aren’t giving it to me.”
He’s a delightful kid and we are having a blast with him!
