Walking

We officially have a baby toddler on the move! Anthony decided that this weekend it was time he start walking on his own! And he is really taking off! He has stopped crawling unless he's just getting something nearby and loves to walk all around our apartment. It's incredible seeing him walk, although it does make me slightly nostalgic for the slug Nug of last year...especially when he's getting into the cat food.

Sitting Up

Anthony is now sitting on his own! Although he sometimes he falls over if he moves suddenly, he can sit upright by himself for a while! It makes playing with toys a lot easier since he has both arms free!

Rolling

Anthony has started rolling from back to belly! When I picked him up at daycare today, he was on back and rolled right over! He's been doing it all night, too! We're so excited, but nervous, too. This is the beginning of the end: he's becoming mobile!

Sleeping and Rolling

We are on our way to sleeping through the night! Anthony went to bed around 8:30 last night and didn't wake up to eat until 3:30! Seven straight hours of sleep! Hopefully soon it will be the entire night!
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Anthony rolled over today! I put him on his stomach for some tummy time on his playmat and he rolled right over onto his back! I got so excited that I made him cry (oops) and went to get my phone to get a video of it. I put him back on his stomach but I wasn't ready when he started to roll over again, so I held him back. Then of course when I was ready, he wouldn't do it. Then he started getting tired so he took a two and a half hour nap. We'll try again later and I will try to get a video!

Grabbing

We're now seeing Anthony grasping objects that are put into his hands. He loves to hold on to his rattle which almost immediately goes into his mouth once he's holding it. He is also grabbing things that he's reaching for. On his bouncy seat, he holds onto the wire that holds the toys on it as well as one of the toys that hangs down. He also loves grabbing his feet, although he gets frustrated when he moves his leg and loses the foot he was holding.

Reading

Anthony loves to listen to books! We have been reading two night time books to him since he was a week or so old, and I would read to him during the day, but now he really enjoys it. He looks at the pictures the entire time someone is reading (usually only during the day, he's typically falling asleep when we read at night). If they're simple pictures to understand (think Brown Bear, Brown Bear) he tends to smile at the pictures, too! I should have known he'd love reading since we read to him in the womb and Matt and I both enjoy it!

Aunt Olivia reading to Anthony

"Go Away Big Green Monster"

"Hooray for Fish"

Mirrors

Anthony loves looking at himself in the mirror! He smiles and coos at the "other baby" but my favorite is when he plays shy. I'll hold him and look in the mirror together and he smiles and then his his face against me. So cute!

Reaching and Rubbing

Anthony has started using his hands more purposefully lately. He reaches for mine and Matt's faces when we change him or play with him. He also reaches for the hanging toys on his play mat. He's also begun rubbing his eyes when he gets tired, which is the cutest thing I've seen! And he has been nomming on his hands (as Matt and I call it) on purpose rather than instinctively or because that's where they ended up. He's growing so fast and I love seeing him develop, I just don't want it to go too fast.

Smiling

Anthony has started smiling! For the past couple days he's been smiling purposefully at Matt and I. He also grins for his grandparents and aunts and uncle when we see them.

Recently he's also started smiling at one of his toys. We have a play mat that has a sun/star attached at the top. Whenever we lay him underneath it, he gets a big grin on his face!

I love seeing him happy! He's a few of his smiles that I've captured: