Maddox is seconds away from walking. Every time I let go of his hand he stands there for a couple seconds on his own before realizing I'm not holding his hand anymore. Then he plops to the floor on his bum. It's like my mom said- he won't walk until he trusts himself even though he CAN walk. It's exciting though watching him learn. Maddy goes all around the house walking along furniture and pushing his toy. He has recently discovered how to throw things particularly food. He also loves closing or more specifically slamming doors shut. From day one Maddox has loved looking out our patio door. Unfortunately for both of us, there are blinds in the way. So of course, Maddox has smashed, ripped off, bitten off, and bent the blinds piece by piece. A couple days ago I decided to try and teach my 11 month old the consequences of destroying blinds. It just seemed like he knew what he was doing because he definitely understands what "no" means and each time I would say "no" he would just look at me and smile and keep playing with the blinds. Then when I would get up to remove him from the blinds, he would almost get excited and start hitting at the blinds faster and harder. So I thought I would teach him that it's not a game anymore. After putting him in "tiempo" or "time-out" several times which consisted of me keeping him in a sitting position facing a corner, nothing seemed to change. Maybe I was doing it wrong but more than likely, he's too young. Plus, I felt like a mean mom. After all, the blinds are right at eye and hand level for him and very accessible. And he definitely didn't seem to understand why I was making him sit in a corner. He of course didn't like it and cried but he looked pretty confused. I can admit that my first attempt at discipline was a complete failure. My approach so far and still is to remove from his access anything he's not supposed to play with or destroy and the rest is fair game. It's just easier that way. I hate feeling like I have spent my whole day saying "no" which is how I felt after the whole "tiempo" debacle. Anyway, Maddox is still enjoying books and his cartoons-Dora. He is getting a bigger appetite and loves fruit cocktail and spaghetti-O's. He has a ton of teeth now and is still biting everything. Maddy has been paying a lot more attention to Cuni (to Cuni's dismay) and has been getting a little better at being soft with him. Maddox loves swimming and his baths. He also loves playing the piano with Mommy. He is very vocal but doesn't seem to be close to talking. He screams and grunts and babbles baby talk but nothing coherent. Maddox has also learned to dance. It's the cutest thing. Whenever he hears a song he likes he starts bouncing and swaying from side to side. I love it! Well that's all that's really new. Hopefully in my next post I will be announcing that Maddy is walking.
