15 Months (and One Day)

Christopher has become Mr. Independent this month. Anything he can do for himself, he will. If I carry him up the stairs rather than letting him climb up himself, he cries in frustration and anger. He wants to turn off the light. He will put the cap back on his food packet. He tries, unsuccessfully, to put on his socks.

Of course, he still doesn't walk on his own, so I guess he is not all that independent. His crawling certainly gets him where he needs to go, though.

He had a great time over the holidays. Why wouldn't he? He had the full attention of at least one of his grandparents, great-grandparents, or an aunt or uncle almost every day of Christmas Break. When we were at my parents' house, he couldn't get enough of Baba Ralph. Any time he was around, Christopher ignored everyone else. I tried to take him from my dad at one point, and Christopher literally slapped my hands away. I guess I know where I stand.

On Christmas morning, Christopher pulled a pair of maracas out of his stocking. Christmas could have ended right there. He sat and shook those maracas like a madman, grinning like crazy. He only took breaks to stuff his face with gingerbread. When Ben finally cut him off, he sobbed and tried in vain to reach the gingerbread, which was now safely stowed on top of the mantle.

Speaking of stuffing his face, every time he eats something he says, "Mmmmm!" I love it. Especially since he'll happily eat anything I make, unlike his sister, who will only eat cheese burritos, plain pasta, frozen mango, and tomatoes. Christopher seems insatiable some days, reaching out his hand and bleating "Ma! Ma! Ma!" (More, of course.) My mom says he sounds like a baby goat. He really does. He has also started feeding other people whenever he can. I think my mom was force fed at least 10 pretzels during one sitting over Christmas. This morning he fed me my toast.

He adores his new cousin. He doesn't usually realize she's there until she starts crying, and then he gets super excited. When they first met, Josie stopped crying and stared at Christopher when he started squawking at her. I am sure she was wondering just what that thing was. I hope they'll have a great time together when she's a little older - they're only a year apart, after all.

I am looking forward to getting back into our routine now that the holidays are over. It was a good Christmas, but it is always nice to get back to normal. Or nermal, as Clare says. Here's to a great 2015!