It's February....already

Geez, how this year is just flying by- it's February already and halfway through the month at that. I meant to do a little post on Gavin's 11 month b-day but I was too busy catching up with the prior week. That's the story of my life. I overheard a professor today say "if we've trained you well, you will never be caught up". In that case, I am very well trained and I'm only in my second semester. Give me my degree already.

Where do I start updating? Gavin is at a very fun stage right now. I think I've said that before but he just gets better everyday. He is actually learning...not that he wasn't before but now we can see almost immediate results. He can officially wave bye-bye and blows kisses on cue. He blows kisses with the back of his hand but they are kisses nonetheless. His problem solving skills are improving everyday. He has learned how to put the shaped cubes through the holes in his little cookie jar toy. He doesn't know to take the circle straight to the circle hole but he keeps trying the holes until he finds it...so cute to watch! He continues to find new "problems" to solve everyday such as how to pull the storage baskets and climb into them, stand on tippy toes to reach the top of tables/counters/bookshelves to reach for stuff he's not supposed to have...you know all those "problems" toddlers have.

Today (Valentine's Day) he stood on his own without any assistance. My mom swears he's done it before but every other time I'd seen him he would lean his butt against something like the couch or a box. This time he did it in the middle of our living room. He went from a squat, straight up and stood there watching us as we clapped for him and then he started clapping too. He's very good about celebrating his own achievements! :) He did it again a couple of times before we put him to bed and the next time he stood up with a ball in hand and threw it from the standing position.

Although this is a good sign that he'll be walking soon I don't think it will happen by his first birthday. It's amazing how much of a daredevil he is when he climbs up everything yet he gets this scared face anytime he realizes he's standing without support.

Regarding his menu, he is definitely getting pickier. He will not pick up anything that feels slimy/wet (pasta, tomatoes, fruit). He does like rice and beans. Sometimes we have to model the eating before he will try something. For example, I gave him hummus and crackers and at first he wouldn't eat them but when he saw me eat them then he wanted some. We're still having issues with the sippy cup and I haven't been as good about giving it to him all the time. When he asks for milk, I just end up giving him the bottle b/c he just gets frustrated when the milk doesn't come out of the sippy cup. I need to be better about giving it to him before he gets thirsty and is desperate.

Here are a couple of videos from last week. Gavin loves his tricycle. The videos show him on his tricycle being pushed by my mom. He rides it on his own but he likes to go "fast" so he prefers to be pushed.

Here is Gavin and his buddy riding....