11 months

June 12-

 

This kid is something else!  I don't realize all that he takes in just from watching us.  I was packing his monitor and left it on the floor.  When I turned around he had taken the monitor over to the outlet and was trying to plug it in.  Luckily, we have safety plugs in, so there was no danger, but I was amazed that he knew what to do with it.  Since then, I've also caught him trying to plug in the cell phone charges.

He loves stacking and unstacking! It keeps him entertained for long periods of time. Now, he can get the shapes on the peg the first time, even the ones with small holes.  I would cheer for him each time he got one, and then he started looking up at me after each one waiting for his applause. He also has a lot of fun with his blocks.  He likes to put one in each hand and hit them together.  I will build him towers and he gets excited when he can knock them down. He was quick to pick up the idea of basketball.  He loves putting the ball through the hoop.  I showed him that he could put the ball in the chute at the top and it would come back out and he loved it. He laid on the ground putting the ball up the chute as high as he could reach and then would let go and laugh as it came out.

He is pulling himself up on everything!  Even things that don't support him like the hamper and basketball hoop, but now that he is gaining balance he can catch himself.  Also, he isn't as reliant as he used to be on pulling himself up with his arms and now uses his legs more.  He is cruising around the furniture and loves to go in circles.  His favorite place to stand is at the kitchen gate so that he can squeal at the dogs.  He will giggle and say "dag"...not exactly dog but you can tell that he knows who they are because he says it the same way each time.

I was so excited when he started pushing the laundry basket around while walking (he used to push it on his knees). He is getting braver when it comes to balancing.  Earlier this month he could just stand for a second, but now he can hold it for longer.  He will hold onto your hands and walk all over the house. He is so proud of himself!  Still pretty wobbly, but gaining confidence!  And it is easy to distract him when he falls.  All you have to do is act super excited and cheer for him and he will get right back up with a smile on his face.

And, he does love his puppy friends.  Although, it has to be on his terms.  He gets excited to see them and reaches out for them, but if they get too close he will turn away.  When we go on walks he leans out the side of the stroller to try and pet Tucker.  His other hand is usually too busy picking cheerios out of the cup holder to pet the dog.  He will swirl his fingers around and if he can't find any he will pull himself up so that he can see inside. 

 

Cars and balls still top the list of favorite toys...well right under remotes and cell phones.  He loves to "drive" things all around and has even started making little noises while he does it.  It must be inherent in little boys to make noises for their cars and to bang things on the table (he loves the loud noise it makes). His face lights up when he is the one making all the loud noises and then he turns to you with a look that says "Aren't you so proud of me for making that noise!"

Kingston is getting better at playing ball.  We sit across from eachother and take turns throwing/rolling the ball.  If I throw it to him and it bounces away, he will go get it, but if he throws it to me in the wrong direction (he has no aim, just lets go of the ball above his head) he won't get it.  It's like he knows it's my turn and that I should be the one to get it.  And of course I do!

He is also mastering his tantrum skills. I wouldn't say he throws a tantrum, but maybe a fit.  He knows what he wants and he doesn't want it taken away.  He knows what the word "no" means, but doesn't always follow it and sometimes tests me at.  He was playing with the knob on his humidifier, which was sitting on a tote bag.  He grabbed the handles of the tote and started pulling it off the bench.  The humidifier was going with it so I told him "no."  He dropped the handles and continued to play with the knob for a few seconds and then grabbed the handles and looked right at me.  I told him "no" and he dropped them.  The next time it happened he laughed...he thought it was a game.  I couldn't be mad because technically he wasn't pulling it anymore...just touching the handles, waiting for me to say "no", and then giggling while dropping them. It was pretty clever, and really hard as a parent to not to laugh along with him.  I have a feeling this is only the beginning of him testing us!

He is a very helpful little boy, or at least he thinks he is. He wants to help hold all of our groceries at the store.  By the time we made it to the check out line, he was sitting with a melon, yogurt, salad dressing, salad, and a box of animal crackers. He even managed to break through the foil lid on the yogurt and suck a little out while my back was turned.  He also comes to my aide when unloading the dishwasher. He just loves to climb up on the door and see what is in there. Usually, he will stand up and drop his toy into the top rack and watch it fall to the ground, but now I started putting him to work and he will hand me the silverware to put away.  It is a slow process...one spoon at a time, but hopefully soon he will be able to do it by himself.

 

This was a big month for "boo boos". While playing with a bucket, he slipped and cut his mouth and lip. It left a cut above his lip for a week.  Then, while going down a stair, his head came faster than his hands and he fit his eye. He didn't cry as hard as I would have thought once I saw it, but the swollen, bruised eye stuck around for a few days. His poor little legs get the brunt of it.  All that crawling leaves his knees pretty banged up.

Eating is an adventure! He is getting better at feeding himself.  Favorites include green beans, cheese, and cheerios.  When he is done he will drop them on the floor or play with them in his fingers and squish them up.  Some days he is more willing to try things than others.  He likes scrambled eggs and tortellini, and for some reason he stopped liking banana pieces, but likes it mixed in with other stuff.  It might be a texture thing.  I still blend up and make his food, but it's pretty lumpy now.  When he is done he puts his arms up so you can pick him up.  If he doesn't want anymore of a particular food he will shake his head no.  He is shy to try new foods on his tray.  He will pick it up and then offer it to me.  After he feeds me a few bites he decides its okay for him to try.  You can also trick him into a couple more bites by pretending to eat what is on his spoon (he gets a kick out of that).  And, no matter how much he eats, he always wants to try whatever is on your plate.

I love bedtime!  Every other night Kingston takes a bath.  He still loves it and stands by the tub so eager to get in.  Jonathan was playing with him when I started his bath water and as soon as he heard the faucet turn on he froze, dropped his toy, and started crawling as fast as he could to the bath. It was funny because his hands couldn't keep up with his legs and he nose dived.  

Then, it is story time.  Kingston grabs his two blankies and holds them in his hand.  Sometimes he will pick at the loose fibers on the blankets or turn the pages for me, but mostly he just sits and looks at the pictures.  It generally takes 3 books till he falls asleep.  Jonathan tries to switch out the books, but Kingston definitely has his favorites and those I have memorized.  "Snuggle Puppy", "Good Night Moon", "Little Jesus, Little Me" are his classic favorites and we read at least two of those a night.  He also likes "Guess How Much I Love You (that can be a hard one to read because the bunny's names are so long!), "Thank you God for Everything", and "I Love you More than Rainbows."

Now that the weather has finally warmed up, we spend a lot of time outside.  Kingston loves to crawl through the grass and explore all that the outdoors has to offer.  I have to keep a close eye on him because he wants to put all leaves and dirt in his mouth.  He has so much fun on his play-set!  He loves the slide and tries to climb up it.

Kingston makes funny faces.  The latest is a nose crinkle.  It's pretty cute because its usually accompanied by a cute little exhale from his nose.  He will do it just crawling around or when he's eating.  He also pushes his lips out to make a "fish face".  He thinks he's pretty funny stuff!!!
 

Other highlights of the month include:

*Our first trip to the park.  He really liked the bucket swing!

*Sometimes we just have those days that no matter how hard we try, we just can't keep our clothes clean.  After 3 outfit changes we decided to just call it good with a diaper and leggings.

*I'm not sure if he learned it from the dogs, but he carries things around in his mouth.  It's pretty amusing to see half a hot wheels car sticking out of his mouth!  But it leaves both his hands free to do other things, like unroll the entire roll of toilet paper when mom isn't watching!

*Daddy sure loves his little boy, but I think I got a mama's boy now.  He gets so excited to see dad, but wants to be held by mom all the time.  Although, I am a bit more eccentric than Jonathan when it comes to putting on a show for Kingston. I can't ever remember Jonathan dancing and singing with full arm motions!

*He can wave.  It started late in the month, and he doesn't do it often, but I think he is starting to get it.

*Likes when mommy does "itsy bitsy spider".  He loves the hand motions, and it always gets a smile.

*He ducks when he crawls under low things.  You can almost see the wheels in his head turning as he assesses the object and then puts his head down.  It is pretty cute to watch.  And sometimes his depth perception is off, but he keeps right on pushing till he gets through or until someone comes to his rescue.

*Absolutely loves to play peek-a-boo.  This game never gets old....for him.  It even snaps him out of a sour mood.  If we use a little blanket, he will start to do it himself and lift the blanket over his eyes.  Sometimes he doesn't quite cover them all the way, but he still gets super excited for the "boo".

*I love to watch him figure out how things go together.  He likes to put the lid back on his bottle and the tops on the tupperware.  He just started putting different toys together, like his cars in his basketball hoop.