quirky little fellow

Hendrix has some funny little quirks. 

This is his lounging position of choice right now.  He is super fascinated with his toes, and loves to pull them all the way up to his face.  He manages to hold his feet like this even while he is breastfeeding.  Are babies made of rubber?

He is really into patting surfaces right now. 

When he pats the ground in front of him it means "I wish I could go places"

When he pats his own legs it means "I am so happy!"

When he pats my arm or back while I am holding him it means "You are the best mommy in the whole world, and I love you!"

When he pats his high chair tray or the table it means "Yummy, yummy, I want some more!"

When he pats his blankie it means "I am tired, so tired."

Daddy thinks he is just working on his rhythm so he can be a drummer. ;) 

His eating habits are changing a little bit as he is getting older.  While sweet potatoes are still one of his favorite foods; he would much prefer to eat them in the form of homemade fries than pureed in a bowl with a spoon.   

I am not sure if it is about the texture or if it is about being like his mommy and daddy.  His favorite foods right now are toast, pancakes, muffins, cheese cubes, yogurt melts, bananas, and squash.  He is getting more coordinated with self-feeding, but he still makes a huge mess when he eats.

He loves bathtime.  We have recently had some dilemmas with the timing of his baths however.  He usually is messiest after eating and that is when we want to throw him in the tub; but that is also when he usually has his bowel movements...  After cleaning poop out of the tub twice now, I am ready to let him just walk around with dried food on his face!

He is talking all the time, but we have noticed that he seems to cycle through his sounds.  Right now his favorite one is "ga" and he will just babble that on and on.  Other favorites have been "ma", "da", "ba", and he even says something that sounds a bit like "yeah".  I don't know how you can determine if he really knows what he is saying enough to be his first word, over just having fun making noises.  If I was to be honest though, I think Gabe may have already been his first word.  He loves that kid!

He loves to sit on the floor in the kitchen and play with this little square basket of toys.  He like to dump them out, eat the basket, and scoot all over the room.  

He loves being outside.  If he could live outside entirely I think he would be thrilled.  He also hates wearing shoes.  He always rips at least one off, and then chews on it.  yum.

He seems to know the things that he can't or shouldn't have and wants them insistently.  Keys.  Wallets.  Phones.  I have actually found that the most entertaining toy while shopping and he is sitting in the cart is my grocery list.  I try to bring an extra piece of paper for him though, so I can still read my notes!  We are still trying to teach him that grass and mulch are not for eating.  Maybe by the end of the summer.....

He is starting to get tired of this sitting thing, and when you set him down on the floor he arches his back because he wants you to help him stand and walk around instead.  He is really strong, and does a great job of taking steps with his little feet without much prodding.  His control is really good, he just isn't real interested in being on all fours to crawl.  He has gotten on them a few times, from a sitting position, but then he falls to his tummy and rolls to his back.  

And lastly, he is really good natured about new experiences and alterations in his routine.  Recently we have taken him on bike rides, to the circus, to see Sesame Street Live, and bowling.  He loves taking in all the new sights and sounds around him.  He is so much fun to be around!