A little catching up on all things Topher

Topher turned 10 months old on Aug 3, and I decided to write a blog about some of the cutey things I get to witness. He is so fun and I love watching him explore and become a little human. It seems he is always teething and has had some sepersation/stranger anxiety. I am trying to remember that it is developmental and appropriate. I just hope to raise a healthy person. Anyway, here are some of the things that make up my little man.

The guerilla crawl- Topher is so funny, my little buddy. Topher is such a good crawler, he loves to roam around the house and explore and find all the treasures that we leave around the house… a broom, tupperwear, water bottles… however, when he realizes that he is alone, he makes a bee line for me. But, when he decides to come back, regular crawling is just not quick enough. So he puts one foot down and does the guerilla hustle! It’s so funny. He is so mobile and physically competent now. Topher can crawl from room to room and follow after me as I put things away. He’s a pretty proficient crawler, but he still prefers to pull up on things and cruise along the couches, the dining room chairs and the dogs.

This month Topher became skilled at squatting down and standing and can reach down to get a toy without plopping down on his bottom, although that is still ‘easier’. He’s adept at getting down from standing back to sitting or crawling and most often he stands and hold on with only one hand so that his other hand is free for play.

Topher has started shaking his head from side to side when he is in a silly mood and sometimes I feel like he is going to throw himself to one side. It makes us laugh which makes him laugh, which makes us laugh, which makes him do it more!

This month Topher started trying to let go of us while standing, experimenting a bit with balancing on his own! He doesn't like to sit still much these days and we have a hard time containing his wiggling in environments where we need to wait patiently on our laps (in public places) – he is eager to jump down and cruise around the room. Sometimes I have to go to my “happy place” because when I think of him crawling in public, I want to rush home and sanitize every bit of him.

It seems like this past month Topher’s cognitive development has absolutely exploded. He has learned so many different things. He has learned how to do his “scruntchy face” (smiles with a scruntchy nose) and is becoming more intentional when asked. Topher knows what it means when we ask him to clap his hands, sign “all done”, and wave. He also responds to his name, “come here” and has started asking to be picked up by holding up his arms and does the same when we say “Up, please”.

Topher has also learned how to initiate peek-a-boo. We’ve often played it with him by covering his face with a washcloth and asking “Where’s Topher?” Topher now covers his face with his shirts on the changing table, a table cloth at a restaurant or random toys. He sometimes gets a little too ambitious and raises the object way over his head, where I can still see his face, but it’s so cute.

Topher has developed a love for water. He is so fun in the bath, although his favorite thing is to stand up in the bath tub. It makes for difficult cleaning- since I constantly have one had holding firmly in his slippery arm, but when he can understand the danger that implies and has more control over his body while in the tub, I will not fight it. He loves playing with letters and squirty animals while bathing. He also loves playing in water that is not in the tub… like dog dishes and water hoses! He loves splashing in both of those things and making BIG messes. And lastly, his love for water has carried over into his sippy cup. He loves drinking water. Whether it’s from my water bottle, a cup at a restaurant, or his sippy cup, he gulps and gulps. I am so happy to let him indulge and that he likes water. As long as this continues, we will keep juice far far away!

That is just a taste... I wish I could document every little thing!