"My baby is bigger than you baby!" and other such silly things.

Yesterday while waiting in line at the Post Office with my little man bundled up in the stroller the lady in line behind me felt compelled to have a conversation with concerning H. She asked several of the usual questions, eventually asking how old he was. When hearing he was ten months old she remarked that her friend's baby was eleven months and was much larger.

These statements make me laugh. The H man is big enough, he's tall enough and he's quite advanced in some areas. Sure, he doesn't feel the need to clap and still doesn't see the point in saying "dada" when "mama" and his old friend the "raspberry" are perfectly dandy ways of communicating. This does not mean he is lacking or failing or any of these things. What do people really expect me to say in response to this? First, he's inherited nothing from me genetically, so nothing he does that is genetic I can take responsibility for (good or bad). And second, I have worked with enough babies that they do what they do when the are ready. I can sing to him and clap hands (with him, for him or showing him) day after day and until he's ready he is not going to take the bate. I just don't understand the need to make statements like that. Especially that he's "small" for his age, because for any of you who have lugged babies around... big isn't better.

But still, the H man is as adorable as ever. He is continuing to explore his world and discover new things. He has figured out that the heating vents on the floor are great for putting your face over, that his nanny's legs are great walkers as long as she doesn't try to walk backwards or to quickly and that just because she is putting her hat on doesn't mean he gets to go outside with her (when I am going home).

My favorite moment of the day (so far) was when he crawled over to the table, used a chair to pull himself to a standing position and reached up to grab his sippy cup off of the table. We had just finished lunch so it was still near the edge and he apparently thought he would just get himself a drink. It was a very nonchalant move, not major effort, just a nice reach up followed by a casual sip. He takes this nonchalance with him as he crawls towards cords and other breakable or dangerous items and is generally quit surprised when I tell him no. I really do adore this kid's personality.