Summer Updates and a Glimpse at 13 Months

Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is moving along swimmingly. I've been quite tired this week thanks to some long hours in the middle of the night trying to get a certain someone to go to sleep. I'll give you two guesses who it is!

I went to the dermatologist yesterday, as promised, and it turns out my hands are just crazy dry. It's technically eczema, but nothing serious. I got a prescription for some heavy duty cream and need to (get to?) wear gloves to bed. Sounds fancy. Terry better step up his nightwear too if he doesn't want to feel under dressed!

Tomorrow Marshall and I are going to visit my friend for the day. I'm embarrassingly excited for some friend time and can't wait to hear about all the fun new things her kids are doing (she has two little girls, one older and one younger than Marshall). Plus it'll be nice to get out of the house! I've been a little too eager to hang up all our art and pictures around the house, so a break will be nice.

Terry and I are trucking along with our running goal! 10 miles to go in only seven days. We're both pretty sore from Saturday's workout, which is either a testament to an awesome workout or, more likely, a wake up call for how out of shape we are. Come on, muscles! Work with us here!

I've been on a reading frenzy! And when I say "frenzy," I mean I read one book (Lamb by Christopher Moore--hilarious and thought-provoking) in the last few weeks and just started another, but I also have a huge stack of summer (likely fall, or winter...) reading. I love having books lined up; they encourage me to keep moving! Any recommendations? On my list:

- The Silkworm (currently reading)

- My Life in Paris by Julia Child

- The Husband's Secret

- The Girl on the Train

Now that we're home from Hawaii (I was irrationally stressed about that trip), I am able to think about and get excited for the rest of summer. There's a lot on the list! A 4th of July party, my dad's 60th birthday, my 30th birthday, a girls' night away with Jenn, a wedding, and Terry's and my four-year wedding anniversary, plus hopefully lots of time with friends. We won't get to see my parents much because we need a break from all the travel and they have their new puppy, but otherwise I'm pumped!

Here's a photo of said puppy, Eiger, sleeping on the couch. Obviously this is how we should all sleep.

Aaaannnnnd...Happy 13 months to this little guy!

Some notes on thirteen months:

- The tantrums have begun. They are mild, fairly rare, and short-lived, but they are here! If we take something away, if we put him down when he wants to be held, if he is just not feeling fantastic...we get to hear ALL about it.

- We are thisclose to a walking toddler! Marshall started standing on his own in Hawaii, and he has taken a few steps since then, but I anticipate another few weeks before he's confidently walking around.

- Some firsts this last month: first plane ride and trip to Hawaii, first time visiting the delta and wearing a life jacket, first time eating In-N-Out.

- Talking (insomuch as intelligible words) is fairly limited, but the words we recognize are: dada, mama (today! finally!), dog, cat, hi, that. If he sees a picture of a lion, he roars, which might be the cutest thing anyone has ever done.

- After months of trying to teach him, Marshall can now sign "more" when he wants to eat more of something. He is still getting used to using it, but it's amazing to see him do it! He's also working on waving goodbye, clapping, and pointing out body parts (he knows head, ears, nose, belly button, feet/foot, toes, and hands). 

- Marshall plays pretty well independently around our new apartment. We finally unpacked everything and made sure the place is safe for him, so we keep the master bedroom door and bathroom door shut and let him roam free elsewhere. I can't resist checking on him every two minutes, but he's usually just exploring, torturing Scout, playing with a toy, reading a book, or trying to find me. 

Or pulling out every item on our bookshelf.

Or just chillin' with the clicker.

- He loves books, especially those with animals. Our current favorites are: Pout Pout Fish, anything with animals or flaps, a finger puppet book (he keeps kissing the puppet), and books with different textures.

- He seems drawn to toys with wheels and still loves holding an object in at least one hand while crawling, even if it means he has to crawl on one elbow and one hand. Determination, folks.

- Often in the afternoons Grumpy Marshall wakes up from the nap instead of Happy Marshall, and the rest of the day can be a little rough: lots of whining, wanting to be held (sweet, but not practical when dinner must be prepared), crying at the drop of a hat. Luckily Grumpy Marshall doesn't come around too often and we usually get our happy, silly kid.

- Marshall still eats like a champ and sleeps terribly at night. Naps are spectacular! Almost guaranteed 90 minute nap in the morning and 60 minutes in the afternoon, no fussing, no fighting. Wish I could say the same at night!

- No idea how much he weighs or how tall, but he is TALL because he can reach everything. And he's wearing 18-24 month clothing, depending on the brand.

- He has a new adorable habit of showing he's tired by crawling over to one of us, sucking his thumb, and cuddling up really close. He usually ends up rolling around and being silly, but the closeness part is painfully sweet.

13 months is challenging so far, but an absolute blast! We love getting to see more and more personality every day, including a silly scrunched up smile and lots of peekaboo.

What fun (or not fun?) events do you have coming up this summer?