John may have been sick this week but he's been as active and happy as ever. He's learning to play with us more. He plays "Where's the Baby", his version of peekaboo, where he buries his face in my shoulder to hide from Joe. He waves bye-bye now (sometimes). His favorite thing to do is still, of course, to walk. He'll pivot around and reach for us to signal that he wants up; if he can reach them, he'll actually grab two of my fingers and then raise his arms up. We established a new rule that he can only walk with one of us if he holds on; it had gotten to where he would pick something up in each hand and expect us to hold him around the middle. He got frustrated at first but he seems to be getting used to it now. (Actually the other day he realized he could carry things in his mouth and still hold on with both hands, which is cute although we're not encouraging it!) His balance is getting a lot better, to the point where he can let go with one hand, bend over and pick things up. He has two speeds: regular and ludicrous. At this point I'm wondering whether he'll skip both crawling and walking and go straight to running.
How can I not crack a smile? John marches around hanging onto Daddy's fingers, catches a glimpse of me, breaks into a grin and runs to me.
Second favorite thing to do is pound on stuff. So our days look like this: John walks (holding somebody's fingers) from room to room until he sees something interesting, stands next to it, and pounds on it. Even better is when he has something with which to pound on it. Blocks or toys on the toy box, remotes on the TV stand, or just his hands. He also likes doors, the small cabinet doors on the desk and the TV stand. Open, close, open, close. Pound, pound, pound. He's a lot more vocal too.
Yesterday was his first Thanksgiving. John was very handsome in his little turtleneck and vest, and Grandma had a special turkey bib for him just for the occasion. He had turkey, sweet potatoes, squash, and cranberry sauce; then he spent the afternoon in a tryptophan-induced coma. Joe sat by him for two hours while he napped. I ate pie and chatted with people.
Today Joe gave John his first horsey ride, that age-old tradition that has given bad backs to generations of fathers. John thought it was hilarious and giggled the whole time.
God has blessed me in so many ways. It's good to have a day set aside specifically to thank Him for it!