13 Months

I missed the post. Holden turned 13 months on the 9th, last Friday. It seemed like it was a busy day, however, I'm not really sure what all we did. I think, now that he's walking, every day feels like a busy day. He's so quick now and into even more by the day. It amazes me at what he can understand. Yesterday I asked him if he wanted to play with his instruments and he walked right over to them and pulled them out--amazing! On Friday, we went out to Chili's and, for the first time, Holden ate his entire meal all by himself--chicken, hamburger, french fries, mashed potatoes, and puffs (healthy meal, I know), but he fed himself at a restaurant and although he was a complete mess after it was all said and done, you could tell that he felt like a big boy. Every time we go out, whether it be to a restaurant or store, Holden will spot someone, and will stare and wave at them until they acknowledge him. It is the sweetest thing to watch. It reminds me of his innocence and I want to squeeze him.

He's gotten to be a big climber lately, so we have to keep an extra close eye on him. He loves climbing up to the computer desk and banging on the keys. And he can actually get down safely, all by himself. Using the words "all by himself" is new. This month, especially, he's really trying to exert his independence and wanting to do things without our help. In doing so, we've noticed that he's incredibly patient. Even if it takes him an hour to eat a meal, it doesn't bother him in the slightest. He just sits in his highchair with a smile on his face and patiently scoops away. Yesterday he ate rice grain by grain.

He's so loving. He got a rocking horse from Nana and Papa John for Christmas and he is just precious with it. Whenever he sees it, all he wants to do is give it love. He'll lay his head on the horse and then look up at us and smile. I think he thinks it's real. The other day we were at LL Bean and Holden spotted some life size stuffed labs. We could hardly drag him away. He kept laughing and hugging it. I think Tim and I both felt a little guilty for not having a real dog of our own.

Each month that passes, we see more and more of Holden's personality shining through. We have a sweet, gentle soul and couldn't be more thankful.