Month 13: Nine, Nine, Nine, Nine...

... said the electronic book all the way home from Wal-Mart. We took a quick trip to buy him some more of his favorite things (books!) and Fernando decided to help Daniel learn his numbers. The book he selected has a page for each number, and a button that, when pressed, emits a lovely, soothing, sweet woman's voice saying that number. Daniel loves her already.

About a month ago, he developed an obsession with books. He'll walk straight past all of his toys and dive into his pile of books, either reading to himself as he turns pages, or fishing for a book to bring to us. He'll trek across the house to bring us books, one by one, or climb in our laps until we've read the whole pile. More than once, Fernando has laid down on the living room floor to rest, closed his eyes, and opened them to find Daniel squatting by his side, placing a book in his outstretched hand.

Speaking of squatting, Daniel has become a master-squatter. Those little thunder thighs are incredibly strong, and he'll hold the squatting position for an impressive amount of time - while reading an entire book, splashing in the tub, to pick up a snack on the floor (I know, I know...) or any other activity.

The squat combined with a few other trademark moves have developed into Daniel's dancing routine - most often performed while listening to Crazy Frog's "I Like To Move It, Move It!" Remix. He does the "bounce squat" usually, sometimes clapping or waving his hands. Our favorite is the "hump squat" where he grabs the side of the couch and, well, let's just say we hope he grows out of that dance move before his first high school dance.

Daniel's eating mostly adult food now, with a milk bottle twice a day. And as he discovers more and more wonderful foods, it's getting harder to get those veggies down with a smile. It's like, "Mom - I know that things like chocolate cake and cookies exist... why would I eat that piece of broccoli?!" But we are sneaky parents, and two days ago we discovered that adding lemon juice to any veggie (baby food or finger food) will trick our sweet baby boy into eating said vegetable. Tonight's veggies - lima beans - were a raving success.

I know this posting is already long, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the other two milestones of this week: door knobs and jealousy. I was photographing my friend's twin babies, and Daniel was in the bedroom with Fernando to keep him out of the way. All of a sudden, the bedroom door opens, and his little head popped out, beaming with pride. As you can imagine, we'll need to get a baby gate or two soon... just "closing the door" is no longer enough of a barrier! The other milestone immediately followed the door opening. I was holding one of the two-month-old twins, and Daniel came closer to see. He looked at me, and at at the baby, and completely broke down crying. It was a different cry than I have heard before, and there was no question that he was upset at the sight of me holding a baby. I held the baby towards him so he could see and he (no kidding) smacked her in the face. Luckily, she has a two-year-old older brother, so she's used to rough play and her mom didn't freak out. But it was the first time I have seen Daniel react like that regarding me and another child. Of course it made me feel loved, but also a little nervous, as I'd prefer if he didn't get in the habit of smacking babies on the face.

Last thing... (promise!)... the photo I posted is from this week, while Daniel was taking a nap in Fernando's arms. We took him to the Science Center downtown, and while he's too young for the majority of it, there were quite a few areas that Daniel seemed to love. We explored the whole museum, then sat on the grass outside sharing a raspberry and vanilla sorbet, then Daniel crashed for a quick nap in Daddy's arms on a nearby bench. It was one of those perfect moments - a warm breeze, the air heavy with sweet spring, and a quiet minute to admire our angelic baby and his perfect little features. It's been a good month already.