A few more notes on 13....

I know, enough about Banner... but, this is going to be "published" some day, and I want to make sure I say everything I want to say and not forget a thing! So, with that, I have a few more things to add to his 13 month post. All of this could really be added to any of the monthly updates before now, but it occurred to me, as Banner and I watched the rain together from the back screen door, that I haven't ever really written about a few things. I could wait until his 14 month post, but I don't want to. I want to tell about these things NOW because I can't believe I've never written about them.

-Banner has exceptional hearing. He hears every small noise. My sisters-in-law have often noted this, too. He is curious about every sound he hears and will let you know that he heard something by quickly reacting to any number of noises. He could be rooms away and hear the refrigerator open and come dashing into the kitchen, for example. This is perhaps why we have to be really quiet in my house during nap and bedtime.

-Which brings me to my next point, Banner is a very, very light sleeper. My cousin (whose son is only two weeks older than Banner) once told me that they change her son's diaper before they go to bed each night - while he sleeps. Um, what? The thought of this made me anxious as I pictured it it my mind. Forget touching Banner while he's sleeping or trying to maneuver his pajamas off of him to expose his goods to the cold air! Hell, turning the (quiet) knob of Banner's door to his bedroom would cause him to wake up! It amazes me that some kids could sleep through that. I wish Banner was a more sound sleeper. Even at nap time, if you walk by his bedroom door at the wrong time, he'll wake up. If you shut the backdoor too quickly or loudly, the suction of air that causes Banner's door to rattle even the tiniest bit will wake him up. In fact, on the days that Sam has to leave before Banner is awake, within moments after Sam shuts the door, Banner is suddenly awake. Like I said before, not only is he a light sleeper, he hears EVERYTHING! (Oh, and this is despite the fact that we did everything we could early on to make noise when he slept! He was great early on. Things change.)

-He pays great attention to detail. Banner notices the tiniest of things. Like at his 12 month photo shoot, he was standing on a log cabin porch, and he bent down to touch the nails in the wood. He tried very hard to pick it up, and then when he realized it doesn't move, he moved on to trying to pick up the tiny rocks in between the wooden slats. (We were doing our damnedest to get his attention and get him to look at the camera, too!) I will sweep and vacuum this whole house, and no matter how good I do it, Banner is sure to find the one morsel of thread, rock, grass, rice, lint, crumb, etc that I missed or didn't see. Today, he found the ittiest bit of paper (or cotton?) under the couch. He used his annoyingly-good pincer grasp to get it between his thumb and forefinger to hand it to me. (Usually he will hand whatever he finds to me and as I reach for it, he will put it in his mouth, so I have to be ready to grab it before he psychs me out!) If I'm not watching 100% of the time, he will easily find the most seemingly microscopic ANYTHING and put it in his mouth. . .

-and because of his sensitivity to certain textures, he will inevitably spit it out, especially after exploring it for a few minutes with his tongue. I can't blame him on this incredible sensitive mouth. He gets it from me. Sam has always thought I was weird when it came to being able to feel a strawberry seed or a blueberry seed sitting on my tongue. I will manipulate it out of my mouth, just like Banner can. In fact, I hate vanilla bean ice cream because I can feel the itty-bitty beans, and it bugs the crap outta me! So, my boy gets that from me. I will see him trying to maneuver whatever he doesn't like out of his mouth and wait for him to spit it out. Although I don't know how many things he's actually swallowed, I'm usually pretty calm when he does put something inedible in his mouth because inevitably he will not like the texture and spit it out. He's done this with grass, thread, and even a bug this morning! Lovely.

-Banner is a fast learner, is extremely curious, is highly alert, and has his mommy's memory. He's always been alert - since day one! He always wants to know what we are doing. He can't stay still on the changing table - never has since he could roll. Cooking while Banner is in the kitchen is a nightmare, because he wants to see everything. Opening the fridge has become some kind of Olympic sport - figuring out how fast you can get in and out of there without him interfering. He's a keen observer and will imitate what we do. (I'm sure this is true for most toddlers!) He notices when something's different (like Mommy wearing a band-aid or wearing glasses). He is determined and won't give up easily - although he gets frustrated when he can't do something he wants to do (like reach a ball under the couch). Yesterday, Sam and I watched him try to figure out how to get behind the big arm chair near the fireplace when the first attempt failed. And, like I said before, he is very detail-oriented. He has mastered turning toys on and off by himself, taking the back of the remote control off, and opening the child-proof locks on drawers and cabinets (yeah, those were a big help, huh?!).

-Banner's got a pretty laid-back personality, and he's usually pretty happy-go-lucky. I definitely see some limit-testing and boundary-breaking heading our way, but I know that's normal for this age. I hear that one is the "new two" so I'm preparing (not ready, though) for the tantrums and mood swings that are sure to greet us soon.  He seems pretty social, which is a good sign given the other items on this list so far! (I always worry about Autism/Asperger's just because I have seen way too many cases at work. When I wrote about the sensitivities above, I don't mean that he's upset or bothered by textures or noises - just keenly observant of them.)  He likes his play group friends and interacts with them (as much as a 13-month-old can) appropriately. He watches other children, seems interested in them, and sometimes tries to "talk" to them. I can't wait for him to develop true friendships with other little kids. He's such a silly, funny, neat little boy. I certainly want to be friends with him! :)

Okay, that's enough. Just had to get that out. Sorry for the double blog post at the 13-month mark! I promise I won't do anything like this again - at least not til next month! :)