Stand Up for Yourself, Baby Z

I mentioned that Baby Z has started to pull up and stand. I thought perhaps our house wasn't the best for a baby practicing his pull up skills, but that was before I watched Baby Z pull up on just about everything imaginable in the house, including a collapsable stepstool that... collapsed... oops.

Needless to say, my time in the last week has been much more devoted to keeping an eye on Baby Z lest he pull himself up on, the toilet, say. Oh, I forgot to mention that he's not very good at the getting back down part. Combine that with the time change and we've had a few mornings of sudden screaming in the 6am hour. The first time, I went in and found the little dude holding onto the side of his crib for dear life, tears streaming down his face. He looked terrified. Poor guy. I felt bad for him on day 1. Now I'm just wondering how long he'll cry before he just lets go. Boom. On the bottom. No big deal, right? Sigh, I'm sure this new development in his life is life-altering and challenging. So I'll give him a break. Or I'll try.



Not only can Baby Z physically stand up for himself, he is also getting more adept at asserting his wishes. Baby Z has suddenly grasped the gesture of shaking his head (as in "no"). It's pretty funny when he hits it right and he really means no. However, it's actually funnier that we realized he shakes his head any time something is stated in the form of a question. The lilting up syllable on the end is enough. You want more bottle? Shake-shake- No. You want another book? Shake-shake-No. You want absolute freedom to do whatever you want? Shake-shake- No.

Ha!! I outwitted a 1-year-old.* Hee hee.



*Baby Z will turn 1 year in 11 days. But it's easier to say 1-year-old than 11 1/2-month-old.