13 Months

This month has meant big, big leaps and bounds in Griffin's development.  I've been keeping a list this month to jot down new words, new things he recognizes and does, etc., and I cannot believe how much he has changed this month alone!  So, without further ado...Here is the list:

Griffin's "Skills" by 13 Months
A.  Words

1. mama
2. dada
3. dog
4. duck
5. cat
6. meow
7. hi
8. night-night (nie-nie)
9. bye-bye

B.  Signs

1. hi
2. bye
3. light (also "light on" and "light off")
4. fan
5. more
6. please
7. good morning
8. eat
9. Jesus
10. bath
11. peeew! 
12. bubbles
13. dog (points to right forearm....I have NO CLUE where he got that, and it isn't the sign for dog in ASL, but...oh well!  Hahah)

C.  Can Recognize/Point to/Locate (not including the things he can sign/say)

1. toes
2. mouth (his and mine/other people's)
3. nose (mine/other people's)
4. weeble wobble
5. monkey
6. cow
7. horse
8. pig
9. zebra
10. elephant
11. cup
12. nuk
13. spoon
14. frog blanket

D.  Songs He Recognizes & Does Hand Motions

1. The Itsy, Bitsy Spider
2. Pat-a-Cake
3. Jesus Loves Me
4. Deep & Wide
5. This Little Light of Mine
6. Skidamarinky-Dinky-Dink
7. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

E.  Recognizes & Will Do These Things When Asked

1. splash
2. jump
3. kiss (with a "mmmm" sound included haha)
4. blow
5. clap
6. smile
7. no touch
8. no bite
9. high five
10. How big is Griffin?  SO BIG!

F.  Makes These Sounds

1. elephant
2. cat
3. car
4. dog
5. baby (crying)

G.  What He's Starting Doing

1. Walks 50% of the time
2. Can walk across living room & down hallway, but rarely makes it all the way
3. Predominately feeds himself finger foods (cut up normal adult food), and is VERY determined to feed himself all spoonfed things too....It's a huge battle because he really doesn't have the skills to be able to do the spoon by himself quite yet, but he refuses to eat from my spoon unless he is trying with his own spoon.
4. Very interactive and responsive to questions and requests, unless absorbed in play
5. Will "read" and/or play on his own for long stretches of time if he's without major distractions (usually 30-40 min. at a time, but sometimes even an hour or more!)
6. Is getting his upper right eye tooth and 1 yr. molar, but I suspect more are coming in that I can't see (It's hard to get a good look on a squirming 1 year old)
7. Has basically started refusing to take an afternoon nap but cannot stay awake without getting fussy more than 2 hours after he wakes up in the AM.  He will usually sleep 1 1/2 to 2 hours for that morning nap, but then he'll refuse that 2nd nap altogether...which means he's awake from about 11:30/12:30 until bedtime!  This makes meals, disciplinary issues, etc. much more difficult for everyone involved because he gets more and more fussy from about 3pm-6/7pm.  
8. Boundary testing has begun with him, and it is a daily battle of wills between him and I.  I can really see how it would be easier for the parent to just give up and let them have their way, but I've just got to stay focused on the reality that it isn't best for Griffin in the long-run.  So, even when I'm tired, worn-down, and really simply don't care if he bangs on the computer, I try to stay consistent, focused on the goal, and determined to do what's best for him.
9. He picks up things faster than ever now, and I'm daily amazed at his ability to see something once and mimic it himself...or want me to repeat it...or want to make a game out of it.  I used to see moms doing the same thing over and over and over again with their kids and thought, "I would go insane if I had to do that!"  But now, I realize that it is so fun, as a parent, to see your child learn and grow and want to play with you.  This is such an incredibly trying age and such an incredibly FUN age.  The latter definitely trumps the former, no question.