The Brothers Bennett: Happy 14 Months

This age is unbelievably fun. We feel like we've said that for ALL his ages and stages, but really, this one is the best so far! He's so communicative, loving, playful and agile. Here are his latest faves....

1) Signing. In the last month he has started signing back to us. Since we're not avid signers to him, we're pretty pleased that he's learned the paltry few signs that we've used! We figure one can get far in life by knowing the real basics of human communication: "food" and "more." ;-)

2) Clapping. He claps when he's really pleased with himself, which is pretty much all the time. He'll open the cupboards -- then cackle and clap. He'll smack the windows -- and laugh and clap. He'll find a piece of food on the floor -- and yes, clap some more. For a week, he'd pull off in the middle of nursing to grin at me and clap his cute little hands.

3) Words! Oh, wait, they just sound like words. His recent verbalizations: "beebee," "baybay," "bzzzzzz," "bith," "yabble" and many other combinations of B, Y, E, and TH. He greets us every morning with "Aye! Aye!"

4) Chunky foods. Thank goodness he'll eat pretty much everything we make for him. We don't have nearly as much time as we'd like to plan out his meals, but we do a pretty good job introducing him to new foods on a weekly basis. He's not quite on whole pieces of meat, but he loves chunky concoctions of turkey, chicken, beef, lamb, or ham, usually mixed with cooked whole grain cereal. We also give tons o' dairy -- chunks of cheddar cheese, whole milk yogurt, cottage cheese. He'll drink milk from a cup if it's mixed with a little bit of juice. He also loves broccoli and cauliflower and sweet potato and asparagus! At 14 months, he's like a shark with all the teeth coming in. I used to write them down in his baby book, but couldn't keep up. He has about 11 now, with his top and bottom molars coming in before some of his side teeth. Brushing his teeth has become QUITE difficult. He barely lets us look at his teeth, much less rub a bristly stick on them!

5) Drinking. Sometime in the last 6 weeks, he became a fantastic drinker. How did that happen? I used to wonder if he'd EVER drink more than a few mouthfuls from a cup and now he's a pro. On the way up to the cabin this weekend, he must have downed an entire 10 oz cup of water in about an hour... His diaper weighed like 2 pounds afterwards!

6) Playing Chef. He still loves rummaging through all the cupboards, taking out ALL the tupperware, pots, pans, cups, and gadgets within reach, and then play-cooking. He bangs the spoons in the mixing bowl as if he's stirring up a tasty treat. All the while, he blabbers and sings.

7) Anything with buckles, straps, and buttons. He is fascinated with buckles! He'll stand at his stroller or by his car seat for half an hour playing with the straps and trying to figure out how the buckles work. We're worried that he WILL figure them out... but luckily it takes an absurd amount of adult strength to undo his car seat. He's also mesmerized, still, by the remote, the phone, the PDA, and the buttons on the TV (not the tv itself, whew). Over the weekend he took to dragging C's Blackberry (face-down) along the floor and banging it against the wall heater.

8) Being a generous guy. Last month he started handing us things. It's adorable, heart-meltingly adorable. He has a stuffed lamb (called, naturally, Lambie) that he has started sleeping with and dragging around the house with him. This past weekend, when he was so sad and dejected about being put down for his nap in a strange place, he handed Lambie to Christian, through his tears and yawns. It was like a last-ditch effort to avoid sleep. "If I give you my Lambie, maybe you'll pick me up and hold me." And of course it worked. How could we resist?? The next two mornings, he woke up smiling, saying "Aye!" and holding Lambie out to us.

It's hilarious when he tries to give you something that he actually doesn't want to give. He'll be playing with his great love, the Blackberry, and then he'll try to give it to us with a huge inviting smile. When we try to take it, though, he gets all confused... wonders why we're taking away his toy and clutches it tight to his chest. Then he'll forget, smile, and try to give it to us again! These early struggles with conflicting emotions are amazing.