41 Weeks and counting…

So many things are changing for Tatum this month that I need to pause in the enjoyment of his constant evolution to write some of it down. Here goes!

Tatum:
In the past two weeks you’ve started pointing at things, particularly our doggies. You love to point at Sierra and Liam, and occasionally they’ll come right over and lick your finger or you’ll stick it in one of their noses. There’ve been a few times when you’ve pointed at us in response to “Where’s mommy?” or “Where’s daddy?” (Granted sometimes Mommy is Sierra the dog and Daddy is the chair or the light, so I’m not sure we can really claim to have this one down yet!) You’re just fascinated by your hands these days, and will even stop nursing to wave them around in front of your face and laugh in amazement that you have such useful appendages at the ends of your arms. You pinch things up from the floor with alarming ease, even tiny specks of dirt and fuzz (which of course end up in your mouth).

You’ve also started waving, though not necessarily to say hello or goodbye. Actually, it’s often a backwards wave, opening and closing your hand toward yourself, which I love—it’s as though you’re constantly greeting yourself, and what could possibly be better than such positive self-recognition? Every time you run into yourself in the mirror you’re quite happy to catch a glimpse of the handsome boy grinning at you on the other side—I think you quite enjoy being Tatum.

You’ve begun shoveling in the table foods in earnest. These days you pretty much eat what we eat. We had grilled chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes one day over the weekend, and guess what? You had some shredded up pieces of grilled chicken, a small mountain of green beans, and several bites of mashed potatoes! If mommy eats pumpkin bread and yogurt for breakfast, you eat pumpkin bread and yogurt (granted yours is Yo Baby and mine is Greek, but still!). If mommy has cantaloupe for a snack, you have cantaloupe for a snack. You love it all. Except for peas. I’ve tried steamed peas four times now, and this is your pea face (after which you often spit the peas back out onto your tray!):

You cruise in laps around the house with amazing speed, slapping those palms on the floor as fast as you possibly can. No solo steps yet, though you’ll turn to me if you’re standing up while holding onto something, let go of whatever you’re holding onto and lunge toward me. It’s almost a step—and most certainly nerve-wracking, as I’m not always prepared for the lunge!

This is such an incredibly fun time with you. I’m just loving every single day and reveling in your ever-changing abilities. It’s hard to imagine that it will just keep getting better...but I know it will!

40 weeks with monkey: