13 Month Update

Dear Lana,

Yesterday you turned thirteen months old. It’s fitting that I’m late writing this update, since I’ve spent the entire month struggling to keep up. Struggling to keep up with work, chores, my blog, and you, my crawling/cruising/climbing toddler. You spent the entire month racing around the house emptying out cabinets and drawers, leaving Lana bombs in every single room of the house. You have baskets of toys everywhere, but somehow you got the most enjoyment from opening my bathroom cabinet and emptying a box of tampons out on the floor, or playing with a box of disposable pooper scoopers we keep stashed away in the kitchen. Take that, Fisher-Price.

You also learned to put your height (95th percentile!) to good use snatching things off countertops and tables. As a result, we continue to migrate our items of value to higher and higher perches throughout the house. I’m afraid by next month we will have to hang them from the ceiling, since you have also proven to be a skilled climber. One day I left you playing in the living room to start making dinner. After about 30 seconds I noticed an unnatural silence and returned to find you scampering up the steps to our bonus room. You had never before even attempted to climb a step, and there you were sitting on the landing smiling down at me, your silly, negligent mother.

I never imagined you would climb stairs before walking, but it turns out that walking was not far behind. You took your first unassisted steps today, just hours before I flew out to North Carolina for a business meeting. In the back of my mind I had begun to fear that I might miss that milestone during the 24 hours that I was away. Thank you so much for having mercy on me and taking those steps before I left. It was every bit as exciting as I had hoped, watching you find your balance and make five steps before realizing that you weren’t holding on to anything and abruptly sitting down. Your Granny T and Granddaddy also happened to be visiting when you took those first steps, so you received a thunderous round of applause for your efforts. You were so pleased that you sat up on your knees and clapped right along with us. It was quite the scene – all of us clapping together like we’d just won the lottery. I keep buying tickets, so hopefully that will be next.

On the rare occasions when you slowed down this month, you did the most endearing things like offering up unsolicited hugs and “kisses”. I use the word “kiss” loosely, since your technique is less like a traditional smooch and more like an open-mouthed head butt. Rico is the primary beneficiary of your new cuddliness, receiving an average of 15 pats, four hugs, and at least one kiss a day. I, on the other hand, am lucky to get a few hugs a week. I guess it makes since, seeing as how the dog wakes up early every morning and changes your diaper, prepares your meals, and catches you as you attempt to hurl yourself off the couch throughout the day. Hmm… come to think of it, that’s me. But the dog certainly deserves hugs for all the hard work he does scratching and licking himself each day.

And even though your mommy hugs seem few and far between, they are well worth the wait. I was getting you ready for bed one evening when you crawled behind me and pulled up against my back. I could see you sidestepping around me with a sneaky grin like you were preparing to surprise me. When you saw that you had been detected, you began to gently run your fingers through my hair and then you leaned in to give me the sweetest hug I could ever imagine. That single hug made up for an entire month spent repacking boxes of tampons and poop bags. Please keep those hugs coming, my amazing Lana Kat.

Love,
Mom