surprise! he's cute!

The Cuteness is so fun these days.

He scrunches up his nose like a little piggy and "snorts" when he really wants to get a smile out of ye olde parents.  Building on that skill, I have been teaching him to make the sound of the letter "j".  He now says (on occasion) "ju" while making a very prominent "o" shape with his lips (that also makes him look like a little piggy).  Seeing how he has "da" down pat, I'm predicting that "judah" will be his first word.  He's pretty much brilliant.

He is also quite good at shaking his head "no".  He struggles to resist doing it at all times, for he finds it very fun.  But when I sternly tell him "noooo" to something, he'll often look at that thing and shake his head firmly, then walk (with the assistance of various objects) away.

Right now he is lying on a pillow on the floor.  It is soft and he can flop down on it safely.  He is discovering that it is FUN to cuddle (yay for me! the incessant cuddler!) and takes many opportunities to collapse into my arms.  It is not fun, however, to have arms around you holding you back.

It is also fun to go SPLAT on the floor while crawling.  Nothing can predict this turn of events.  He'll be crawling along happily one moment, and then the next throw his knees and arms out from under him and giggle at his sheer brilliance.

Making as many noises as possible with his little lungs and mouth is also quite entertaining.  He clicks, he smacks, he kisses, he squawks, he jibbers, he jabbers, he oodle-doodles, he dada's, he "haaaaaloooows", but he WILL. NOT. mama.  *tear.  I'm sure it will come, yes?

Speaking of things to come, he has not yet taken his first steps.  He can walk along quite happily while holding just one of my hands, but that confidence shatters as soon as I let go.  He's still in the "crawling is faster! crawling is faster! crawling is FAST.ER." phase, and thus learning a new skill seems absolutely  unnecessary.  Joey thinks it will happen this month (which is quickly shrinking away), and I've got dibs for next month.  Just watch - he'll probably be one of those determined ones that doesn't feel the need to try until he's 18 months old.  Whatevs.

My little piggy is still being swaddled when he goes to sleep.  This began when he learned to stand in his crib, and I've been a bit hesitant to release him from his bounds.  He gets out of them on his own anyways, and I kind of think he doesn't mind the security a good swaddle provides.  It's winter (and drafty!), so the extra warmth isn't minded.

He is currently ripping apart and consuming a receipt from Sobeys.  I really meant to keep that.  I'd better stop him before it disappears and I find it... ahem... later, if you know what I mean.