Griffin: 14 months

Yes, we're all alive. Yes, it's been over 2 months since I've blogged. Oops. I'll jump back in now!

Since my last post, Griffin has turned a year old. He is a joy and a turkey all at the same time! He is so sweet and loving (especially to me.) When I've been gone or he's been asleep, he'll give me the biggest, longest hug and just say, "Momma, momma, momma" over and over like he hasn't seen me in months. I love it! We're in a bit of a momma's boy phase, which is ok most of the time but problematic at others. I hate when I feel like he hurts other people by rejecting them in favor of me, but hopefully everyone knows that he doesn't dislike them, he's just a bit attached to me right now!

Griffin is full of personality. He is very opinionated about things. When it comes to food, he is definitely my child. He loves fruit, dairy, most meats, and starches. If I disguise vegetables, he will eat them. If I don't, well, let's just say it ain't gonna happen. If the food is Italian, he will eat it until I just cut him off for fear of him making himself sick. Same with smoothies, ice cream, and milkshakes. When he loves something, he just wants to keep eating until he literally can't hold anymore!

Griffin is also developing quite the independent streak. He gets so mad at Cambree if she tries to "help" him walk or anything of that nature. He will let her feed him, but that's because food is more important to him than independence at this point. He wants to walk up and down our stairs by himself instead of me carrying him.

Physically, Griffin is a powerhouse. He loves to test his own strength by trying to push and carry things. He tried to push my friend Jeni's car the other day when it was parked in our driveway, and he was pretty irritated that it didn't move. He will pick up things that are at least half of his body weight and carry them around, which just blows me away. And his grip is so strong! If he is holding onto something and you want him to let go, you pretty much have to pry his fingers off or pull as hard as you can to get it away from him (or him off of something!) He is also pretty neutral when it comes to hand preference. He will switch from right hand to left hand constantly, so I'm just not sure where he will end up. (This is different from Cambree, who from very early on showed a definite preference for her right hand.)

Griffin is very skilled at talking. Unfortunately, his dominant language is not English, so I'm at a loss to what he's saying most of the time. It's so funny to listen to his intonation, because he definitely speaks in complete sentences and with feeling... Just in his own words! He does say some words: more, momma, daddy, ball, book. bird, bye, hi, and milk. When I figure out what the rest of his words are, I'll let you know!

Let's see, what else? He started putting his face underwater in the bathtub tonight, even blowing bubbles while he did so. Then he would look at me and grin, just so proud! He loves to clap, and if he or anyone else does anything that he thinks is good or fun in any way, he will clap. He has started running a little bit, which is super cute. He wants to climb on everything and loves to play in the toilet, so this momma is constantly on the lookout! He has also decided that he likes shoes. He will take shoes left lying around and play with them and try to put them on. And this afternoon he found a pair of his shoes in the foyer and cried until I put them on him. Like I said, he's very opinionated! I love this little boy so much!