Leaps and Bounds

Man, when he gets going, Little A just can't be stopped. Last week, he upgraded from the slow, laborious belly crawl to full hands-and-knees crawling. Up he went on all fours and started toddling around the den. Now he is unstoppable, particularly when Vivienne is in view. Bam! He's off like a shot after her, and bless her furry little heart, she tolerates it. Doesn't let him get too close, but she humors him by playing the electronic bunny to his greyhound.

Since he was about two months, Alastair has loved to stand (aided of course by adult hands), thrusting his legs out straight with impunity whenever given the chance. There were times when we had to wrench his legs bent to get him to sit. Standing used to require a willing hand to help him to his feet but now no more. Friday, I put him down for a nap. I could hear him babbling to himself for a while, then a loud crash followed by crying. Terrified at what injury my son had managed to inflict upon himself while in his crib, I rushed upstairs and opened the door to find Alastair standing up in the corner of his crib unhurt and wailing. The monitor transmitter, which had been sitting on the top of his crib frame, lay in the floor. Two lessons learned by Little A: "How the Crib Rails Can Help You Stand Up" and "Cause and Effect".

From that day forward, every nap session begins (as soon as I am out of the room) with Alastair hoisting himself to his feet and holding to the rails, cruising around his crib. Sometimes, I leave the door to his room cracked so I can watch him do this. The expression of joy and wonder on his face is just priceless. It takes every ounce of effort I have not to start giggling.

Cruising is another skill that has come out of nowhere. All of the sudden he can support himself using furniture and slowly walk along the furniture. He also takes steps when aided. He's also fascinated to the dickens with putting something in and taking it out, like his toys into and out of his basket.

He also has been responding to changes in tone of voice, associates an action with that tone, and seeks a response before attempting that action. For example, as we are trying to teach him not to gnaw on the furniture, Adrian and I have been scolding him with a firm "No!" each time he bites down. Now as he goes to sink his chompers into the coffee table, he slides a glance at me, and then of course, still bites down. So he gets the basic concept of "No", but we're still working on the follow-through. All in good time, I suppose. He's only ten-months-old, but only the BEST ten-month-old ever!

In other news, I am increasingly becoming addicted to celebrity blogs (more on that later). I haven't been on a date with my husband in like forever. There's this growing list of films I want to see in the theater. I am trying my hand at making rings out of very un-ring objects. Really enjoying Stephen King's new book, but reading it slower than I've ever read anything by him. Also thinking of running in the Monument 10K next year.

Christmas is fast approaching. Wait, what am I saying? Christmas started back in like September. Frelling American consumerist society. Black Friday means to me that I am going to have to endure over a month of those hideous blow-up decorations with which people are so fond of cluttering their yards. People like my frelling neighbors. Gaaaah. But Christmas also means continuous Christmas music on Lite 98... and that awful "Christmas Shoes" tripe. Gaaaaah. Christmas, the Bi-Polar Holiday.