Dance Dance Dance...

No Boundaries

I'm sure it happens with every kid, but about a month ago Max started magically pointing at things with his little pointer finger while grunting questioningly for an answer. Nobody showed him how to point, it just happened.

So today I rearranged the "kid gates" set up in various doorways around the first floor with the specific reasons of giving Max more freedom to roam, and us a lot less of an "ear-full" when we happen to be on opposite sides of said gates.

Max's first unencumbered trip through the gate-free doorway into the kitchen was classic. He proceeded to stop and point to every little thing I still needed to child-proof. It was like he was giving me fair warning of things I needed to move - or he would do it himself at his convenience. The fly swatter hanging under the chalkboard. Spin 60 degrees to the stack of mail scattered about the kitchen table. Spin another 40 degrees to the chest in the hallway supporting various odds and ends, none of which should be eaten by a one year old.

It's nice to have a kid who has your back...

Plenty of Purell

On a recent trip to the mall we discovered a new little "play area" for those 42 inches and shorter. (No offense to some of our friends...)

Max had a blast. Absolutely no fear.

Learning Stuff

Turning one seems to be much more of a milestone than just a date on the calendar. Some things we've noticed over the last few weeks:

-Though he can't say the words, if you ask Max where certain things are he'll point to them and grunt. Examples: any ball, Vinnie, Abbey, Mommy, Daddy, his toy truck, pillow, toy phone, the pots hanging above his high chair on a pot rack, teddy bear, books, rocking chair and most recently his belly
-If you ask him where his stinky feet are, he'll raise one or the other up to show you (even attempting to while he's standing...)
-He knows what "no" and "get down" means. Accepting those answers is another matter entirely.
-He gets excited when you ask him if he's hungry, and then complete irate if you don't follow up on it.

Yesterday we took him outside into the snow for the first time. With all the extra weight and padding of snow pants, winter jacket, hat, mittens and boots, he really was at a loss at what we expected him to do. Once he figured out his parents really wanted to see him walk he was fine for a few solo steps before face-planting into the 1/2" we'd accumulated during the day.

Excursion over...

Monkey Boy

It's hard to believe this Halloween is actually Max's second...