Orin-13 Month Update

It seems like Orin has learned so much lately.

Right around 13 months, on Saturday the 27th, he started taking his first steps. Grandma and Grandmpa K, along with Ben and Molly, were up for the weekend visiting. It was Grandma's goal to get Orin to walk. Well sure enough, she stood him up and he took 3 steps. Each time he practiced, he got better and braver. By the end of the weekend, he was taking steps halfway across the room. It still seems a little crazy to see my baby walking around the room, but it was so sweet that he shared that milestone with his grandparents and uncle and aunt. He can now walk really well with shoes or without, on grass, cement, or carpet. And when he falls down, he is just as content crawling to get him to where he wanted to go in the first place.

He's been talking up a storm! Of course, none of it is really comprehensible, but we love all the babbling and "words" that come out of his mouth. You can tell that he knows exactly what he is saying. Again, around 13 months, he started saying "mama". So now his two consistent words are "dada" and "mama". "Dada" is said very excitingly and playful. "Mama" is said as more of a whine and cry. I don't know what that is all about! We have heard him say "sock", "yuck", "Sadie", and "uh-oh". We are really working on other words, but he just likes to smile and laugh when we try to teach him.

He loves to clap his hands, shake his head violently in the "no" position, and chew on his fingers. He goes to get a book when mama tells him to get a book to read. And he gets his Donald Duck animal when mama tells him to find Donald. He loves pens and will even scribble on paper or anything else for that matter, if allowed. Giving hugs and cuddles is a favorite of his, but not for too long of a time period.

When he brings us a book, we had better read it. He whines and gets crabby if we don't, and will continue to grab our hand and place the book in our hand. But when we do read it, he gets very excited and will sit and smile as we read.

He is getting his two eye teeth on top. They came in at the same time around 13 months. They aren't completely through yet.

At around a year, he started sleeping with two blankets in place of his sleepsacks. And we try to get him to drink at least 16 ounces of whole milk from a sippy. No more bottles after a year. He does really well with the milk on an every other day basis. We just try to give him plenty of yogurt, cheese, and other dairy to make up the difference. Around 12 or 13 months, he gave up the pureed baby food and could handle most everything that we eat. However, I'm trying to use up the rest of the babyfood so he still gets some occassionally. He is wearing 18-24 month shirts, and 12-18 month pants and shorts.

He is just growing and changing so much. I cannot believe how old he looks as he walks around in his big boy shoes and shorts. It is so fun to see how much he is learning and to see him developing into a little boy. But I would be okay if he wanted to slow down just a little bit!