11

That's the new total number of teeth! Tooth 11 has come through, a big nasty molar on the bottom left side of Jack's mouth. He was amazing in that he gave no real sign of teething except for a shocking amount of drool and a teeny bit of excess emotionality the evening I noticed the tooth. And by that point the entire front edge was already through... He's really becoming a much tougher kid these days. He doesn't get nearly as weepy when he bonks his head on things, or when he loses his balance and falls onto his bottom. This is a good thing, as I fear we have many more bonks and falls to come.

He is increasing his mobility bit by bit. As of about a week ago, he could stand on his own for a couple of seconds (once he'd already pulled up on something), and he could walk around the loop of the downstairs pushing his scooter (with just a little help to steer). He is more secure on his feet these days when he is standing and is coming close to officially "cruising" on furniture. H still much prefers to crawl or, better, climb; he does the stairs at a great rate and also enjoys climbing over the dog and up my torso. He also loves the couch. Sitting on it, standing against the back and looking out the window, crawling from one side to the other and pulling up on the armrests... he looks quite pleased with himself the whole time he is up there. Now he just needs to show a bit more regard for edges so that I can feel more comfortable with his love of high places!

On the talking front-- he is saying both more and less these past few weeks. He is jabbering more, with more intent, but he is not saying as many single "words" as he was using a few weeks ago. For instance, its been a while since we've heard "stick." Dog, dada, and dat (that) remain constant, however.

It is crazy that this little man is almost 13 months old. Time has flown since his party. Being back at school certainly doesn't help matters-- I now see the boy for approximately 2 hours a day, on weekdays. It's a rough change. It also means that I have taken virtually no pictures of him since he's been a year old. Poor baby. It's like he's "old news" all of a sudden now that he's passed the big 12 month milestone. He IS still very very cute. We just don't seem to be as compelled to record every second of that cuteness, these days.

One thing to record-- when I get home from work, he has been greeting me with squeals and great big belly laughs as he crawls to find me. It is so endearing. I like my little muffin a good deal...