Flint's One-Year Stats

He's going on 14-months, now, but I guess it's not too late to share an update on Captain Awesome. At 12.5 months, Flint weighed in at 24.1 lbs and was right on track for a 1-year-old boy with height/weight ratios just great.
He was not a fan of shots (duh). I did not anticipate that he would be a fan of shots (4!) but I also did not anticipate that he would cry for a straight 30 minutes following the shots (did I mention there were 4?). Poor buddy.

Flint is becoming quite the ham, with personality blossoming more and more each day. I think language learning is one of my favorite things about child development. I just LOVE it. Every time the boy says a new word or attempts a new sound, it gives me such joy, it's kind of silly. Maybe it has to do with my years teaching special ed, where any minute amount of progress in language is a noteworthy milestone marked by gold stars, standing ovations and fireworks of pride and excitement. He may not be a student of mine, but he still gets the fireworks.
Mr. Flint can name/request the following: Dada, Mama, cack-a (cracker), ball, Lyla (which he says pretty clearly, now, with many difference inflections (and yelling (wonder who he's imitating...))), dat ("that," accompanied by pointing), wa-wa (water or any other liquid), di-puh (diaper). He can also tell us "HI!" "no-no," "whoa-whoa-whoa," "yeah," "huwwo" (with my cell phone up to his ear) and "wow," and is able to answer what puppies and kitties say. In case you don't know, it's "wuh-wuh" (with a gruff Flint voice) and "neow." What he doesn't say, he signs, which is super cool because he can basically communicate all his wants/needs now. Hoorah!
He's trying to name Pap-Pap and Gia, as well, but clams up, naturally, when asked to say someone's name.

Flint is at the "runs everywhere" stage already, too, and is more into the cabinets, drawers, bins, baskets, EVERYTHING!, than Lyla ever was. Or maybe it's that I can spare slightly less attention for immediate redirection. I also hear "it's a boy thing," on this one.

(Doing more "boy" things... *eye roll*)

Mister still wins prizes for being:
A good sleeper. Well, maybe not always "good" but usually "easy." He's never had much trouble just laying down and going to sleep with no hubbub to help him catch his Z's. He does occasionally like to fool around, but he's content to do so. And that's fine by me!

A Super fantastic dancer-boy. The boy's got rhythm! He loves to hit the power button on Lyla's radio and just jam to whatever's on. If he sees Mama, though, he insists on partnering up. So it's kind of tricky to catch him doing his thing without getting roped in. Thus, few videos exist of his danciness.

An eating machine. He's pickier than Lyla ever was, but the kid can pack. It. Away. Seriously. He never stops eating. As Aunt Shannon pointed out to me, my children seem very food-driven. I'm going to have to figure out how to get to the root of this one and help them curb it! Eek! Favorites are yogurt (which he signs for by flailing his pointer finger around emphatically), crackers (which includes anything crunchy that's not necessarily a cracker) and most any fruits. On veggies, the kid is still eating purees because he simply will not chew regular cooked veggies. I'd complain, but purees aren't all that terrible and, as the Doc said, he won't be going to college still eating baby food. So... I guess he'll figure it out at his own pace. And hopefully by that time he'll have also figured out how to eat without humming loudly or otherwise vocalizing... noisily.

A blankie-cuddling champion. I had a special blankie as a kid (*cough* and as an adult *cough*), so it makes me happy that Flint has taken a liking to a certain comfort item as well. Luckily for him (and me) the blankie he prefers has a few copies and versions at our home. We actually have four of the same blankie with only a slightly different pattern. It seems like he only cares about the feel of it anyway. He has, however, caught on to the existence of more than one, and sometimes opts for double the snuggle.

My favorite little boy ever. And he is, in fact, turning quickly into a little boy. Oh, what a weed he is...