*Mobility. Max is really motoring these days. In fact, he started walking backward this past weekend. When Holly first saw it, she said that he was doing some strange moonwalk for about 20 seconds. It does kind of look that way - he looks forward in a very intense way and then kind of toddles backward a bit at a time. Very cute. He is also stomping / hopping back and forth from foot to foot when he's excited about something. He is also obsessed with climbing into boxes (like a diaper box, for example) with the aid of a wall, leg or whatever is around. Finally, and most frightening of all, he enjoys climbing on things. The case for our drill. Our kitchen step. He has even clearly considered tackling a step without using his hands. Uh-oh.
*Gesturing. A lot of things that I was (even very recently) wondering if Max was going to get around to doing all seem to be showing up at about the same time. About a month or so ago, he started gesturing when he wanted to be picked up (arms outstretched, hands opening and closing). A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that he started (occasionally) to point at things. Sometimes he just points at nothing, but it's still awesome to see. He also seems to know that when I'm pointing at something and telling him to look or go, that I am speaking about the direction in which I'm pointing.
*Signing. I guess Max's caregiver is doing some signing work with him during the day, because Holly and I gave up months ago. But this past weekend, I noticed that he signed "more" when I asked him if he wanted more food. Holly saw him ask for more Cheerios today by signing too. That blows my mind. Also, before dinnertime tonight, I asked Max if he wanted some food and signed "food" to him. He actually responded by putting his index finger on his mouth. The gesture was really tentative and I have no idea if he knew what he was doing, but it's a start. The next things I'm hoping to work on are "drink", "bath" and "encyclopaedia".
*Speaking. Max is babbling like mad these days. He is so talkative, yet not one of his utterances are in English. "no" is soooo close to a reality it hurts. He also seems to be getting pretty close to "mama"...it might be a dead heat in the end. I wonder if all of the gibberish he's saying means something to him. If so, he certainly is telling quite a story.
*Understanding. Max has done some crazy stuff lately that definitely shows that he's paying attention. It all started back in September, when he once picked up a pop can and put it up to his mouth. We weren't drinking a lot of pop back then, so I'm really not sure where he got that from. Then it was a beer can at a friend's house. Oops. Then, the socks about a week ago (caught in that video in an earlier post). Finally, Holly saw Max go into her purse the other day and grab some keys. Max has always liked playing with keys, but this time he wasn't playing around. Check this video out to see what he did without pause:
*Playtime. Max is also getting a lot more playful and loves playing with us. One of his favourite things these days is to play on couches. As in standing on the couch and then falling over onto the cushions. He really loves this. But the latest game we have gotten involved in is the "who can hold a serious face the longest game". I've tried to capture it on video here, but essentially what happens is Holly and I stare at him with a serious, stern face. He realizes what's happening and then chuckles at us. We laugh too and then resume the seriousness. Then, Max actually joins in and fires back his version of a serious face...which looks at bit Mick Jaggery. Everyone looks serious until, invariably, Max cracks (sometimes with an adorable chin quiver) and starts giggling. We all giggle. Repeat.
*Food. Max is almost off purees completely. We still give him two cubes of apple in his cereal every morning and about 2 cubes every night, but the rest of his sustenance comes in the form of finger foods, either prepared specially for him, or part of the meal that Holly and I are having anyway. He is essentially eating everything under the sun, except for shellfish (which we'll likely try him on soon), seeds and non-peanut nuts (a little more down the line), soy products (soon), and peanut products (way down the line). Also, his appetite is insatiable. I'm not going to hold back until the doctor says so (and also because so many of the calories he gets are good, unprocessed calories from fruits and vegetables), but he is getting a little pudgy. If only I could travel back in time by a year and tell all those who were concerned about his weight that he would be pudgy before long...
*Daycare. Max loves daycare. He loves his caregiver, his caremates and the playgroup they go to three times weekly. I still haven't had him running away from me as I pull up in the morning, but he certainly never cries anymore (except when I'm dressing him to go...but that doesn't count - that's just him hating mittens and snow gear in general). Holly and I are so grateful for our care situation!
*Sleep. Max is once again back on track. Due to a runny nose, we've got a vaporizer gurgling away in his room these days and I'm convinced the white noise makes things better. But the days of the ear infection and what I could have sworn was teething are definitely behind us (for now). There are still only 6 teeth, but I remember that teething stops and starts, so we may not be out of the woods on that just yet. Particularly if it's the eye teeth. We'll definitely be monitoring closely...
*Creativity. So Max has produced some artwork. I have no idea what it is, but he made it at playgroup about three weeks ago. I'll have to snap a picture so that you can all see it. Holly recently taped brown packing paper over our coffee table for Max to draw on, but he seemed more interested in introducing the markers to the couch. Holly's reflexes are good, though, so there isn't any graffiti quite yet. We'll try again with the table soon.
So this seems to be a heady time for Max developing new skills. At times like these, where I sit back and take stock of all the crazy new things Max has picked up in a matter of days, it boggles my mind and makes me really anxious to see what the next few days will bring!
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