dance dance baby-lution

I've been so bad about updating in the past couple weeks. Gavin's been doing all sorts of fun new things, so I'll try to write about them now.

Christmas day we discovered that he loves to play chase. We'll be across the room and get his attention, then put our hands up like claws and say "Grrrrrr!" or "I'm gonna get you!" and crawl over to him, and he shrieks and laughs and tries to get away. The trying to get away is the funniest thing. He can't walk yet (surprisingly) but he scrabbles at the wall or whatever he happens to be standing near, like he wants to climb up it. If he's sitting down sometimes he'll fall forward and try to crawl away.

He also tries to get away from us if he's doing something he knows he's not supposed to (or at least something he knows we always stop him from doing, like climbing the stairs). He'll see us coming and giggle and laugh and crawl faster, or climb faster if he's on the stairs.

Also, when he does something that causes a loud noise or if something falls onto the floor, he looks up at us with a shocked, scared look on his face. His bottom lip goes out, and sometimes he even cries a little bit. Although I highly doubt that he really feels/thinks it, it sometimes seems for all the world that he's scared he'll get in trouble or that we'll yell at him. This behavior is one of those pathetically cute things where you can't help but laugh a little.

A couple weeks ago we were standing in the lobby of Applebees waiting for a table. Jason was holding Gavin and I was playing peek-a-boo with him, covering my face with my hand. I paused after uncovering my face and when I didn't immediately cover my face again, Gavin took my hand and pushed it up toward my face. He kept on doing it, and after a few times, he was pulling my hand away too. He did that with Jason's hand, too. We started laughing when we realized what he was doing. It was the most awesome feeling, and one of the first things he's done that feels like real communication. Not that everything else he does isn't communication, but this was different. More grownup, I guess.

One of the funnest things he's doing is dancing. He has been bouncing while he is sitting or standing. Last week we started bouncing ourselves anytime there was music. We'd look at Gavin and say, "Dance!" and then bounce ourselves. Now he does it, too. He "dances" all on his own, anytime he hears music. It's so funny. So cute. He'll hear music and look up at us with a goofy grin on his face and start bouncing. Sometimes he'll do it tentatively, like he's not sure it's music he hears, especially if it is slow music. He definitely prefers fast, boppy music; one of his favorites to dance to is the Only Fools and Horses theme song, which we've been watching from the library. He also dances if he hears music while nursing. Sometimes he doesn't even pop off to do it, he just bounces while he lays there eating.

And that's about it. He still isn't walking, though he cruises around holding onto furniture and whatever else happens to be there. Sometimes he lets go and balances for a second or two, but it seems like he doesn't even notice that he's done something special. I think he's just so content at being able to get where he wants to go and get what he wants by crawling that he isn't paying attention to the fact that there might be a different way to go. He'll accidentally do it one of these days, and then watch out world!

Eating solids is still limping along. Some days he scarfs up whatever we offer him (as long as it isn't a vegetable. He doesn't seem to care for them... maybe he caught that from my first trimester aversion?). One night before bed he ate about 6.5 oz of oatmeal and peaches and apricots. He kept on opening his mouth for more. It got me excited that maybe he was finally going to start eating larger quantities, but no. It was a fluke.

Today I cooked up some more oatmeal for him, and then I decided to try some apples, so I peeled and sliced a couple up and cooked them. I fed him some after they cooled, and he gobbled them up. So he'll eat oatmeal and apples and prunes and apricots and peaches. And cheese, and bread, and pasta. The list is growing. In another few months I'll probably be lamenting how much he's eating and how he has replaced entire meals with solids. Just you wait and see if I don't!

Posted by allison at January 14, 2005 06:47 PM