14 Months Old

It's been a busy two months since Raleigh's birthday.  Leanne has been working very late nights and most weekends, leaving Erik on weekend and evening duty.  Things finally settled down a little and Raleigh is walking and talking already!

Raleigh loved walking even before his first birthday, with a little help from mom and dad.  He would stand up, then hold his hands up behind him, waiting for mom or dad to give him a sturdy pair of fingers for support.  Then he was off!  Now, he only wants one finger and only when the going is really tough.  When he thinks things are manageable, Raleigh waves off any assistance at all with a shake of his head.  In fact he often demands to be put down when we're carrying him, squirming and saying "walk walk."  His walking ability has grown to match his ambition.  When he first started, it was a couple steps and then a quick seat.  Then it was a handful of steps.  Now he pounds around the house so fast it's hard to keep up without running into furniture.

Another major difference has been a huge expansion of Raleigh's vocabulary.  He's learned a few animal noises, and he never hesitates to point out hats, balls, birds, airplanes (we assume Uncle Trevor taught him that one) and mom and dad.  At first he was usually right about who mama and dada were.  Then we both became dada (along with almost anyone else he took a shine to).  Then after a lot of work to convince Raleigh that Leanne was mama, we both became mama.  Now we seem to have everything straightened out again and Raleigh is happy to let everyone know about it.

As of his birthday, Raleigh had seven teeth, 4 on top and 3 on bottom, all in the middle.  Last week the bottom set of four was completed with a newly sprouted lateral incisor.  Freshly symmetrical, Raleigh has broadened his palate considerably.  Though he remains suspicious of poultry in baby food, we have found some that he likes, and he has taken to beef with gusto... as long as dad doesn't burn it too badly.  Peas have not been a favorite, but dad discovered that mashing them with a spoon makes them much more enjoyable.  He may have thought they were toys, since they were round and didn't seem to have flavor when he put them in his mouth.  In fact he would call them "ball".  I'm sure he was wondering what they were doing mixed in with his food.  Fortunately his pincer grip is well developed and he was able to separate them from the good stuff with surgical skill and throw them on the floor, where balls belong.

Raleigh has continued to develop his love of books.  "Book" was one of his very first handful of words, which made us very excited, and now he will bring books to mom and dad and crawl in our laps so we can read to him... especially if it lets him stay up just a little later.

We've learned that Raleigh loves playing in the water.  We always knew that he enjoyed his bath, but we took him to the water feature in the park at the end of the street and he ran around, sticking his hand in the little jets of the fountain and squealing with delight.  Now, he's started "Water Works" at daycare, where he gets to play in sprinklers and a little splash pool.  His teachers report that he loves it and that he and his friend Fionn are always the first to jump in, while the other kids have been a bit slower to warm to the experience.  Raleigh will start swimming lessons in July!