Talk the talk and walk the walk...or not

Sam is now 13 months old. He does not walk; he does not talk. I am trying to be calm about this and not obsess over milestones and so forth. I have always tried to avoid fixating on his achievements in comparison with other babies and to ignore various books and emails sent to me detailing everything he “should” be doing. There is little cause for concern with the walking because if I could crawl as fast as this kid I would see very little reason to find another way as well. I have to admit though, I wish we were getting a few words out of him. He babbles all the time, but there is little indication that when he says “mama” that he is actually referring to me. I feel like I’ve been reading his mind for a little too long now and I am ready to be able to stop guessing what he wants. Those first words would also alleviate some of the fear I have relating to some autism in our family (yes, I know there is no proof that it is genetic, but how could that not enter my mind?). I’m ready for him to talk to me, to say “mama” and mean it, and to show me he can do these things.

We’re doing ok though. He is certainly developing other ways of communicating what he wants a little more directly, often accompanied with hysterical screaming and flapping of arms if my response is not immediate. And physically, despite the fact that he does not walk, he is doing some stuff that I find pretty impressive.

Here, he is about to feed me a piece of his cheese. Much to my “surprise” though, he will put it almost into my mouth and then pull it away to eat himself, both of us hysterically laughing as I tell him what a stinker he is. You can see his mischievous anticipation of his little joke, which is not nearly as funny when played on him.



Here is the face he now makes to let us know he wants to eat. I don’t know, he’s just so subtle. How could I possibly tell what he means?



I have just brought out the YoBaby, so we get the open-mouthed, lean forward in the seat action. He was extremely unhappy that I chose to take the picture rather than promptly feed him. I suppose that is understandable.



Please note the lovely proper grasp of the spoon...before noting that he is actually eating with his other hand. And this is just a moment before both the spoon and the bowl end up on the floor.



Sam at work. He likes to lift objects onto things: shelves, chairs, the ottoman, the couch, and in this case, the dishwasher. One of his favorite times of day is when I put away the dishes. He challenges himself by trying to place two objects at once so that he can’t use his hands to get up, or to lift very large objects onto very high areas. This backfires when he doesn’t quite make it and the much bigger fire engine falls back in his face.


This: I just liked it.