Who is this kid that looks like my baby?
Spencer has decided to do another developmental hyperjump. In the last two days, he is suddenly different.
I had been getting a little concerned because he didn't babble much from 7-8 months. Then one week before his 9 month appointment we started babbling like crazy, but other than Ba-ba-ba-ba he had some weird baby babble noises. Ck-ck-ck-ck. Fuh-fuh-fffuh-fffuh. Gig-gig-gig. None of this mama or dada crap, no-sir-ee.
His 9 mo appointment was uneventful. 90% length, 60% weight, top of the chart head, similar to Jack. Looking at old photos of Jack, they look the same size but otherwise very different to me.
But recent advancements:
-Pincer grasp. He now feeds himself 95% of the time. He hates spoon-feeding, tries to grab the spoon, and he's pretty good at finger foods and it is a heck of a lot easier for me, so GREAT. Handfuls of risotto with spinach and chicken, all stuffed in. Meatloaf, down the hatch. I haven't really served him anything that he won't eat as long as he is physically able, given that he has no teeth. Which also includes random tiny pieces of bark mulch and redwood needles that Finn drags in on his fur. I don't remember Jack trying to eat so much random crap, but maybe my memory is bad.
-Tooth! First tooth poked through the bottom gum today.
-Jabbering. Wa wa gig gig. Baba gig ta. And so forth. As of today, screeching and fussing when he wants something has been superseded by a forceful EH EH EH EH!
-Gestures. He can clap! He seems to try to imitate various signs and gestures, like all-done, more, etc. But he is bad at it. He will copy some movements like pointing or drumming. He will do the little pointing ET-touch thing with me and thinks it's funny.
-Mobility. Still just army-crawling, but now he often INSISTS in a violently-struggle way to be straight! And vertical! So I put my legs on a footstool and put him between my knees as a mama-exersaucer. Or I will stand him up next to a support like the play kitchen and let go, and just be ready to catch him. Basically, he insists on all the benefits of pulling up without the actual pulling part. But there are more signs of proper crawl-imminence, based on the rocking and Constant Climbing of the Mama. Oh my goodness, the climbing. He crawls over to me and all over me if I'm on the floor, or over to the couch and whines if I'm on the couch. Then I pick him up and it's like wrestling a monkey. So I get tired and put him down. He fusses until I pick him up again, or put him to standing.
-Social. Jack and Spencer have started playing more. Mostly Spencer looks at Jack and laughs, and Jack does his random things and occasionally comes over and physically interacts with Spencer somehow, like grabbing his head or pulling his legs. Or they wrestle on the bed, which has become a new evening tradition. Of course, when playing with toys, Spencer crawls right up into Jack's lap and annoys the crap out of him. I don't blame Jack for pushing him or rolling him over, when Spencer does that to me it bugs the crap out of me too. But it does require a lot of supervision.
And Spencer suddenly (as in the last two days) has...a personality? I can't describe it, but he is suddenly...more there. Something about the way he interacts, laughs at things, makes sounds, intently watches things, throws things off the high chair. He is becoming less baby and more kid. He teases. He disagrees with me. He doesn't want to cuddle and nurse hardly at all, he wants to be UP! Playing! Seeing where Jack is! Gig gig gig gig bababa ffff!
I had been getting a little concerned because he didn't babble much from 7-8 months. Then one week before his 9 month appointment we started babbling like crazy, but other than Ba-ba-ba-ba he had some weird baby babble noises. Ck-ck-ck-ck. Fuh-fuh-fffuh-fffuh. Gig-gig-gig. None of this mama or dada crap, no-sir-ee.
His 9 mo appointment was uneventful. 90% length, 60% weight, top of the chart head, similar to Jack. Looking at old photos of Jack, they look the same size but otherwise very different to me.
But recent advancements:
-Pincer grasp. He now feeds himself 95% of the time. He hates spoon-feeding, tries to grab the spoon, and he's pretty good at finger foods and it is a heck of a lot easier for me, so GREAT. Handfuls of risotto with spinach and chicken, all stuffed in. Meatloaf, down the hatch. I haven't really served him anything that he won't eat as long as he is physically able, given that he has no teeth. Which also includes random tiny pieces of bark mulch and redwood needles that Finn drags in on his fur. I don't remember Jack trying to eat so much random crap, but maybe my memory is bad.
-Tooth! First tooth poked through the bottom gum today.
-Jabbering. Wa wa gig gig. Baba gig ta. And so forth. As of today, screeching and fussing when he wants something has been superseded by a forceful EH EH EH EH!
-Gestures. He can clap! He seems to try to imitate various signs and gestures, like all-done, more, etc. But he is bad at it. He will copy some movements like pointing or drumming. He will do the little pointing ET-touch thing with me and thinks it's funny.
-Mobility. Still just army-crawling, but now he often INSISTS in a violently-struggle way to be straight! And vertical! So I put my legs on a footstool and put him between my knees as a mama-exersaucer. Or I will stand him up next to a support like the play kitchen and let go, and just be ready to catch him. Basically, he insists on all the benefits of pulling up without the actual pulling part. But there are more signs of proper crawl-imminence, based on the rocking and Constant Climbing of the Mama. Oh my goodness, the climbing. He crawls over to me and all over me if I'm on the floor, or over to the couch and whines if I'm on the couch. Then I pick him up and it's like wrestling a monkey. So I get tired and put him down. He fusses until I pick him up again, or put him to standing.
-Social. Jack and Spencer have started playing more. Mostly Spencer looks at Jack and laughs, and Jack does his random things and occasionally comes over and physically interacts with Spencer somehow, like grabbing his head or pulling his legs. Or they wrestle on the bed, which has become a new evening tradition. Of course, when playing with toys, Spencer crawls right up into Jack's lap and annoys the crap out of him. I don't blame Jack for pushing him or rolling him over, when Spencer does that to me it bugs the crap out of me too. But it does require a lot of supervision.
And Spencer suddenly (as in the last two days) has...a personality? I can't describe it, but he is suddenly...more there. Something about the way he interacts, laughs at things, makes sounds, intently watches things, throws things off the high chair. He is becoming less baby and more kid. He teases. He disagrees with me. He doesn't want to cuddle and nurse hardly at all, he wants to be UP! Playing! Seeing where Jack is! Gig gig gig gig bababa ffff!