Carter: 13 Months update

 Stats:

Weight: 21 lbs. 4.8oz

Length: Unknown

Diapers: Size 4

Clothing: Size  8(9-)12 months & (6-)12 months. C has finally outgrown some of his t-shirts (too short) & those had to be put away. We'll have to make do with what we have though cause he swims in the 18 month shirts. =(

Shoes: Size 4 or 5 depending on type. He rarely wears shoes at home, but often wears them now when we are out & about.

Milestones:

08/25--First trip to the zoo! We only went for a few hours as we didn't want to completely wear him out & have a grumpy screaming baby, but he did well & seemed to enjoy the animals alright. He especially enjoyed the petting zoo portion of our visit.

08/28--First unassisted steps!! It was only 2-3 tops, but he did it!! He walked from Daddy to Momma. I'm so proud of my cautious little man. =)

09/03--Started saying "Outside"  & "Awesome" with consistency. It is the funniest thing in the world to hear you say awesome too just because of the infliction in your voice. =)

09/04--Started saying "Bathtub" with consistency & knows EXACTLY what it means. lol

09/05--Started saying "Auntie" for the first time.


In Other News:

Nursing: Yep! =) C is still nursing 3-4 times daily on average. He takes about 2-3 bottles while I'm working 2 of which tend to be 100% WCM. No end in sight as far as I can see. We don't plan to transition away from the bottle JUST yet.

Food: We were having issues with him not eating much at all for about a week, but he seems to be back to his usual trash compactor self. =) His favorites this week or so consist of puffs, "cookies" (graham crackers), fruit/veggie pouches, pasta & bread. He also is loving cooked carrots (?). Such an odd ball. He also has decided that bibs suck. =( He still loves his water & would drink it by the gallon out of his sippy/straw cup if we let him. Still hates juice.

Sleep: We've finally just within the last week gotten C back on a regular bedtime schedule. Most nights he is in bed no later then 08:30PM when I'm home. He is still STTN the majority of the time & usually will sleep about 11-13 hours overnight. He has cut down to 1 nap a day on most days that I am home. His latest schedule consists of waking up around 9:30AM, napping at 2-4PM & then bed around 8/8:30PM. Most nights he also goes down without a problem. There is the rare upset, but not often. And I've been meaning to mention this, but we've been completely sans pacifier for about a month and a half. It was an absolutely seemless transition. He just started refusing it one day & we finally just stopped offering. He doesn't even seem to miss them.

Activities/Play: The kid loves to walk around, but only if you are holding onto *at least* one of his hands (or should I say one of OUR fingers). He's still pretty cautious about walking & has yet to try again on his own since that first time last week. I always joke that maybe he'll be walking by Christmas, but I'm starting to think I'm not kidding about that. He has much more interest in climbing then he does in walking or even using his push toys. If I have learned anything from my kid it's that he will do things on his own time & on his own terms. It's just hard to remember that he's normal & not behind. So back to climbing, his new favorite thing to climb is the treadmill. Unfortunately, he tries to climb up & then stand up...it's a good thing he can't reach any of the buttons yet!! And although he can get off the couch & bed safely, he still hasn't figured out how to get off the treadmill without help. lol

Likes:

-Bath time
-Swimming
-Water in general (playing or drinking)
-Dogs & animals in general, but mostly dogs
-Anything that spins (including ceiling fans, still)
-Scout (just started cuddling him more recently)
-Playing peek-a-boo (He loves to cover his face & then you say "where's Carter?" & then he'll uncover it & you say "There he is!!" He laughs hysterically EVERY time.)
-Having pillow/stuffed animal fights. (He loves when he's in his crib & you pile stuffed animals & pillows on top of him. He thinks this is the BEST game ever & will "wrestle" them into submission afterward.)
-High-fiving! (he will now give high & low fives upon request)
-Dancing (he loves music & bobs & shakes his hands to EVERYTHING now)
-Talking on the "phone" (You will hold anything up to your head & pretend it's a phone. So cute!)
-Waving & saying "Hi" & "Bye" to people.
Dislikes:

-Long car rides
-Diaper changes
-Wearing shoes (always tries to get them off in the car)
-Being told No (always we say nah-uh-uh or "stop" instead of No)
-Waiting for something he wants
-When someone tries to feed him (he wants to try everything himself)

Pics:

Rare push-toy moment

At the Zoo

Family shot at the Zoo