14 months: kiss kiss

Our little Nathan turned 14 months yesterday.  He's a pretty happy kid in general, but starting to become more and more demanding.  When he wants something (usually either play in sink or go outside), he'll point to that object and go "uh uh" a few times.  If we don't respond within a few seconds he'll starting screaming or even throw a tantrum by sitting down on the ground and kicking his feet.  He's usually pretty easily distracted though and will forget what he wanted originally if I offer an alternate "play" thing.

Personality is really starting to show.  He's very independent and must to do everything himself.  For example, during meals he has to hold a fork in his own hand even though he doesn't quite know how to use it yet.  (If I'm using chopsticks then he needs to hold a chopstick too) He likes to play with his food and prefers picking up finger food himself than being spoon fed.  He usually makes a mess each meal (yesterday he managed to stuff black berries in his ear) but I've been encouraging him to play with his food as long as he's getting enough to eat. One game that we started playing during meal times is "給媽媽吃".  I'd say "give mommy a bite" and Nathan would pretend to pick up some food, pretend to offer it to me, but end up eating it himself.  I'll pretend to be shocked and he loves the drama and giggles away as he picks up more food.  I guess this is how "sense of humor" gets developed.

Now that he's walking comfortably I feel like I'm always running after him.  I get a little jealous whenever I see other kids happily hold their parents hands and following their lead.  Nathan's the exact opposite.  When I try to hold his hand he immediately struggles to get free.  I've gotten used to the sound of his little feet trotting around the house.

Unfortunately some bad habits are starting to form too.  He's started hitting people in the face a lot lately, despite our countless "no"s.  He definitely knows that hitting is bad.  Sometimes he'll raise a hand and put it down again, but other times he either doesn't care or maybe impulse is too great.  He used to turn the TV on/off but has learned not to do that anymore. Another rather dangerous activity he's discovered is hanging off the oven by stepping on the oven drawer.  It allows him to press the oven control buttons and also see what's on the stove top when I'm cooking.

Nathan is also starting to show a softer side.   He loves hugging his stuffed toys and wrestles with his big teddy bear on the ground.  Usually when I'm too tired to play I just lie on the floor and he seems to enjoy having us at his level.  He'll come by and snuggle a bit, sit on me, or if he's really in a good mood, he'll even give me a kiss!