Boy, you wouldn't believe this kid some days. He has the best appetite, and he'll eat nearly anything (he likes pickles and broccoli, for instance). He has really good fine motor skills. In fact, he even picked up a pencil and scribbled on a paper today. He is slooowwlly learning to walk -- a more generous person might give him credit for having done so, because he has taken a couple shuffling steps on a couple occasions.
He is still absolutely crazy for books. He could sit and be read to all day, I think. When you finish one of his favorite books, he'll hand it back to you to read again. He will even sit and turn the pages of a book himself for maybe five minutes. His big favorites right now are the Little Blue Truck books and I Love My Mommy Because (which I got for Z at the zoo gift shop years ago -- it has pictures of animals in it). He pays careful attention to that one, smiling slightly throughout, and then on the last page, which has a picture of a human mommy and a little boy, he grunts, throws himself forward at the book, and points at the picture. I'll say, "Is that like Mommy and Lochlan?" He smiles.
Like his sister, he's a huge climber. Mom took him to the park today and he was climbing all the things.
We were also discussing the ways he is unlike his sister. First of all, she never slept well. He's a great sleeper. He still often gets three naps in a day.
He will sit and focus on a single activity for a long time, whereas she never did. You had to run after her all the time. If you put him in the sandbox with a shovel, you can pretty much sit down and relax, because he's going to spend the next 20-30 minutes digging (and periodically putting disgusting things in his mouth).
We also never really noticed that Z doesn't nod for yes or shake her head for no until this year, when it was a question on the autism forms. I searched my memory and was like... I don't think she does! I called Mom, and Mom couldn't remember her doing it either. We never noticed because she could (and did) say yes or no so early and so clearly, so it never seemed like something was missing. But it's adorable to watch Lochlan nod his head in agreement. Today one of the cats took a (harmless) swipe at him, and I said "Mean cat!" He pouted his little lip out and nodded his head.
He is saying more words and making more signs. I think Grandma sees more of these than I do, but she said he can clearly say "truck" "duck" and "clock" and make the sign for airplane, as well as all done, milk, dog, and some others.
Plus, I really don't try to make my kids conform to gender roles, and I think Z is a pretty well balanced kid. I indulged the fairy and princess stuff when she wanted to and pushed the science and karate and just tried to let her be her. I was never like "you're such a girly-girl!" or anything. So forgive me if I say that Lochlan is a real guy's guy. He likes trucks, buses, airplanes, helicopters, and dogs. A lot. Fire trucks are his favorite, but even a pickup will do in a pinch. It cracks us up how excited he'll get over a truck. Zadie liked to watch the garbage trucks, too, but he's really enthusiastic about it.
And that's my boy at 13 months! He's peacefully asleep now after our bedtime dance of nursing, the I Love My Mommy book, a song ("This Land is Your Land" tonight) and a snuggle with PetePea.
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