Shay Dockery: @ 14 months...

-I can shake my head "no." Mommy made such a big deal when I first started doing it and clapped her hands and smiled, so I thought it was a funny thing to do. But when I tried to roll off of the changing table (yet again!) and she said, "no" and shook her head, I laughed and smiled! She didn't seem too happy. After a bit of practice though, I can shake my head "no" when I'm full, and Mommy doesn't feed me anymore food
-If there were a medal for messiest eater, I would win it! I have been known to have cheese in my ears, avocado in my eyebrows, and banana on my eyelashes. I'm still working on textures and prefer to feed myself. If Mommy puts something in my mouth, I immediately spit it out, survey it, and pop it back in my mouth. I also like to feel around in my mouth while I'm eating. Needless to say, I end up with food everywhere. My baths are now dictated by how much food I have in my hair at the end of the day and not what day of the week it is
-I like to have a piece of food in each hand while I'm eating
-I get mad at Mommy when she doesn't share her avocado, banana, or yogurt with me!
-My mouth is finally catching up to my brain and I've learned to say all sorts of new sounds, like M, D, L, T, K, and G! Daddy opened the car door one day to surprise me, and out came, "Dada!" Sometimes I can repeat words too, like "Hi baby" and "Gee Gee" (for Wrigley). Mostly, I still like to babble with B's, but D's are becoming my second favorite sound. I also enjoy flipping my tongue in and out of my mouth
-I put my arms out to be picked up and am learning to give a high five!
-I can crawl on my hands and knees now, although I still prefer to combat crawl. It all started when I began pulling my legs under myself to help me get up higher in order to pull myself on to things. Then I realized that I could stay like that for a bit, and then move like that!
-I'm a very cautious little guy. I've made a lot of progress with getting down from a standing position on my own. At first, I belly-flopped onto pillows, but now I can get down if the drop isn't too far. If I'm leaning against the arm of the sofa or a cabinet or something else too high, I still need someone to help me get down. Also, when I'm cruising around the furniture, I balance very carefully while sticking my hand out to see if I can reach the ottoman before I make the transfer!
-I tend to throw caution to the wind, however, when it comes to climbing! I just want to keep going higher. Once I figured out how to climb on to the fireplace, then I wanted to climb on to the table next to it. Same with the dog's toy box. Once I figured out how to get on top of that thing, I decided I wanted to get up on the TV cabinet!
-One day while I was practicing cruising along my dresser drawers, I noticed there were things inside of the drawers. Mommy called it my first official "raid" because I emptied everything out of two drawers! I also had my second official raid, but that time it was the recycling bin. And laundry bins are fun to empty too. And tupperware cabinets. And pulling all of my books one at a time off of the shelves and watching as I drop them is pretty entertaining
-My crib was lowered all of the way. I can pull up on the crib railing and even do it in my sleep sometimes. Mommy was not happy when she noticed teeth marks in the wood! But that is how she discovered I had a second tooth! There were teeth marks on the TOP of the railing!
-My second tooth is not one of the upper center teeth, but the one right next to it. It may even be a canine tooth, since it is very pointy. Also, my third tooth is coming in and it's the match on the other side. So really, I don't have top teeth, I have fangs!
-I have a "cruising route" as Mommy likes to call it. It goes like this: climb onto doggy toy box, cruise along TV cabinet, use Bumbo seat to transfer to toy shelves, cruise along toy shelves, slight decrease in height to transfer to fireplace, cruise along fireplace (or climb on to fireplace and crawl across), transfer to ottoman #1 and then to sofa #1, transfer to ottoman #2 and then sofa #2, complain that I can't get down when reaching end of sofa #2!
-My favorite way to examine a toy is to flip it back and forth in my hand while bending only my wrist
-I'm working on drinking from a straw! I can't quite get the hang of tilting my head back to drink from a sippy cup, and I just like to chew on the spout anyhow. So a straw it is! I have been able to drink four ounces from the straw cup a few times, but that's not without a fight! And a few tears! I am kicking and screaming my way into being a toddler! Mommy is persistent though and I usually give up. The only good thing about using a straw is that I know how to blow bubbles in my milk now!
-I rarely sit and play with toys anymore. I prefer to explore and cruise around the house. If I am still, then I am standing or leaning against something to play with toys (usually on the tray side of the top of the ottomans). The only time I am stationary on the floor is when I'm reading books, and even those I like to read while standing! I do not, however, have any desire to stand on my own. Mommy is trying to help me. She counts to three and then lets go! I can stay there for an instant, but it's fun to throw myself forward into her arms. I prefer the security of holding onto something when standing (adult hands are best, but I'll settle for a piece of furniture). I'm not even a huge fan of the push toy Mommy found me at a thrift store. Refer to statement above about not wanting to grow up yet
-My favorite book needed to be taped back together because I "read" it so much
-My hair is getting long! Daddy didn't want to cut it, but now thinks it may be getting too long. Mommy wanted to get it cut a while ago. I'm still undecided
-I'm wearing size 3 diapers!
-Sometimes at night when I wake up, I can find my pacifier, get it back into my mouth, and then fall back asleep
-I can use my feet to push a toy closer to my hands while sitting in my carseat
-I know the word "baba," recognize the bottles, and smile when I see them!
-Music in commercials always makes me stop whatever I'm doing and turn to look at the TV
-Synagis shot #5 (and the last!): 17 pounds, 3.5 ounces. I recognized the scale and the routine when we went this time, and knew the shots were coming next! I put everything I had into a full blown fit, but it didn't stop the nurse from holding me down and sticking me in each leg with a needle. I made sure to tell Mommy how I felt about the situation by whimpering "mamamama" for the first time while looking at her through teary eyes! She gave me a taste of her Frosty later that day to help me feel better. Yum!
-My feet were measured for my first pair of shoes. I don't really like them, but it's getting warm outside and I need something to protect my feet. It was fun to walk around barefoot in the wet grass that one time though!
-I've finally been able to have a few playdates with friends now that cold and flu season is winding down. Of course, I ended up with a little cold, but I handled it pretty well - except for all of the nose suctioning!