As Felix grows, the developmental stages are less obvious. Most of the big ones to do with motion (sitting up, walking, etc) are now old hat. Felix is a much happier fellow now he can self-propell. I think the idea of lying down and just having the world happen to him was abhorrent. He wants to happen to the world.
Communication is the trait that improves rapidly now. Unlike before, he can communicate what he wants within limits. He's not talking words that you might recognise but he makes sounds consistently for specific things. Poor Felix has had a spate of flu and colds and has just gotten over a nasty gastric virus that destroyed his apetite and lead him to vomit a lot at night. Vomit and roll around in it crying. I can't begin to imagine how horrible that must be if you don't understand it.
Motion
Having mastered walking, Felix has started to stamp at speed. The comedy 'Toddler Running off at great speed' all of a sudden does take you by surprise. On a Sunday morning, before the shops open at 11, we like to go down to the Oracle shopping centre where he can stomp around in relative safety. My only concern there is that he runs under one of the half-open shop shutters. He's not managed it yet.
Felix likes to stomp his feet, mostly in joy and sometimes very fast on the spot. This has a very pleasing effect on our woodden floorboards. He also likes to twirl around - quite slowly but enough to disorient himself so that he stumbles and falls on his bum. All for chuckles, naturally.
Manual dexterity is improving too - he can now push more stiff buttons such as doorbells but the biggest change is turny-buttons. Turny buttons (such as we have on the bath) are now gripped and twisted but not always the right way. He likes unwinding the clockwork mechanism on a bath-toy turtle - something he's been desperate to do since he was 6 months old.
A few weeks ago, Felix mastered the stairs at his maternal Grandparents. He places his hands two steps up and then puts his knees one step up. He then stands on the step his knees are on and moves his hands. Going downstairs is more of a cavalier tumbling affair. This is indicative of his general desire to climb. If you have him on your lap on the sofa, he'll roll off, stand and then try and climb the back of the sofa (which is quite squishy). If you remain on the sofa, he'll use you as a foot hold, jabbing his fit into less squishy ribs, elbows and so on. Getting off the sofa has now been mastered with the sliding off on his tummy system.
Manual dexterity has improved. He has mostly mastered 'turny buttons' rather than 'pushy buttons'. He can't grip large turny buttons but can turn on the oven and change the program on the washing machine. He can also twist the clockwork mechanism on a plastic tortoise bath toy he's had since birth.
Food
Felix continues to shift towards food that we eat. He'll also drink more water than before. He eats crumpets with butter, bagels with cream cheese, Italian breadsticks, fish fingers (not Fish's fingers, the Birdseye kind) and when Kate buys a vanilla custard tart from the local shop, he'll devour that. As he gets more teeth, we expect he'll enjoy more crunchy foods. To our delight, he's finally got a taste for fruit (sweet apples in particular). The more he eats of food we eat the better as it will cut down on food bills considerably. Baby food is expensive but it does feel like we're slowly phasing it out.
Communication
This is where Felix's development is most interesting for me because it makes such a big difference to our life as a family unit. Felix is clearly frustrated that he's often trying to tell us something important but we don't understand. Before now, he would have an expectant wide-eyed look on his face, or his serious face frown and repeat the same syllables but we would be none the wiser.
Now, Felix has a few options. Firstly, he points toward what he wants and looks at you. You get the serious or expectant face and some more gibberish. If he wants you to play with something or get something, he'll grab your finger and pull you down the living room. He also says a very 'words'. They're not words as we understand them but they are syllables he repeats to mean the same thing. Most of the things he says begin with a D.
- Dat is used as an action word, either thank you (Ta) or "I've put that there/You take it".
- Do' Do' is what he calls Norman, his doggy and best friend.
- Da Da is Mummy. Da Daaaaa is Daddy. Da Da is also shouted at random.
- Daaa Daaaa said in a sing-song voice while shaking a hand in the air is Bye Bye. Humorously, he often says bye bye at inappropriate times.
Typical of children, he understands loads more than he can say. He has known his own name for a while now and will respond to it. Amongst the words he understands (will get Kate to add to this list):
- Put - Say put and point a finger and Felix will drop whatever he's holding. Warning: sometimes he throws.
- Milkies - understands that milk is coming. Normally gets a smile. If you mention Milk before its ready, he'll go nuts so we encode it by spelling it out.
- Where's [item] - Felix will go and find the toy. 'Where's Doggy?' is a good one as Norman, his doggy is something he wants to find.
- This way - although often ignored, he will keep walking with you.
- Banana - met with a grin. He still likes banana.
- Felix kiss [item] - If you want an open-mouthed toddler sloppy kiss, this is the best method. You normally have to be holding him for this to work.
- Arms up - When taking off clothes, both arms thrown into the air in a Y.
- Felix NO. - Normally leads to a toddler tantrum but sometimes he stops anyway.
Personality
We are witnessing the onset of toddlerness with sporadic poor behaviour and willfulness. If he has decided that he wants to do something and you've said No, or tried to lead him off in another direction then he will engage toddler rage. This special power will make him turn bright red, go stiff and throw himself backwards. Another rather worrying/reassuring character trait is his awareness of self. If, when at playgroup, a larger/older child bumps into him or takes something from him, he'll sometimes apply toddler retribution. This is either a slap on the offender or wrenching the object back. Even if it means following the older child around.
He has his cute side too. He still has a silly sense of humour. Kate plays loads of games with him during the day. Most of these involve a repeated action, a pause (for suspense) and then tickling. He also likes it when we dance around the kitchen to music like idiots. He has a devious chuckle.
Felix is also suffering minor separation anxiety. When I leave for the office in the morning, if he notices, he cries. Kate will try and stem the tears by standing at the living room window and waving at me getting into the car and driving off. It makes the event a game. Last week, when I picked up Felix after a day at his maternal Grandparents, once I picked him up, he would not let go. It's very sweet but we hope it doesn't turn into a problem. Walking away from a crying baby is hard enough, prising one from you is going to be impossible.
Routine
The major change for Felix is that he's down to one nap in a day. This is a big change for being able to do stuff because it means that Kate can take him out to a play group in the morning and then go into town or do something else in the afternoon. Having two naps meant that you had to keep rushing home.
06:20: Wakes. If he's slept enough, it will be by chatting or shouting "OI!"
07:00: Breakfast, followed by a nappy change and into 'going out clothes'.
09:00: Milk. 150ml of Aptamil
09:30: Off to a playgroup where he demands respect.
11:30: Lunch.
12:15: Nap
14:00: +/- 1 hour. Wake up and cause havoc.
15:30: Milk. 150ml of Aptamil
18:00: Dinner and the CBeebies bedtime hour.
19:00: Bath.
19:15: Dressed for bed, milk.
19:40ish Either falls also with the bottle in his gob or will push it away and wriggle.