My 13 month old

Yes, I took a bit of a break. I had to study for/ take the bar exam and stuff like that. And since I can't stand going back in time, we'll start with today - an absolutely gorgeous day! :) Max and I spent it at the park ... well, 2 hours of it anyway. That is a long time at this age since you have to watch their every move to make sure they aren't choking on a woodchip or worse, dog poop. But Max was loving life.

First we shared an apple as a pre-park snack. Yummmmm.
Once we got there I got started shooting away because it has been a while since I've been able to get any good pictures of my boy. It's hard when they are constantly moving. And even harder when you're not a good photographer. So, these were the very best I could do. He is SO GROWN UP. Don't you think???

Running away from Mom to check out these people and their dogs.

We are huge BYU fans around here so I had Max in his gear for the first day of the Mountain West tournament. Seriously, he looks so old!!! (And so cute!!)
He loves pushing the stroller.

This is what happens when he wants something he can't have (the camera).

So I give him the phone instead. ;) No one wants pictures of a crying baby toddler.

Although he still likes woodchips he wasn't quite as obsessed with eating them as he used to be, which meant we could actually play on and around the playset.
Max had fun on the playground - climbing up the stairs, crossing the bridge, and sliding down the slide. Oh and trying to climb back up as well, and putting handful after handful of woodchips on the bottom of the slide after he saw another little girl doing it. He is quite the imitator.

Always exploring!
What else has Max been up to lately? Hmm, just more of the usual of being Max-the-destroyer, I think. Recently he's been more than obsessed with my kitchen pots and pans and loves taking them out of the cupboards and banging lids, etc. He used do this with my bowls but now it's ALL the pans as well. Pretty sure we need to figure out how to Max-proof that cupboard before he breaks something ... for the most part we are fairly baby proof around here.

He is talking up a storm, but without any real words yet. He comes up with something new every day or so and says it over and over "buta buta buta buta" or "dohdel dohdel dohdel." Still waiting for him to call us Mama and Dada! I tell him "Max, say mama" and he says back "dada!"

He is understanding us pretty well, though. I tell him "go get monkey," "go get dino," or to get a ball or a book, and he does it. I tell him to stop doing something and sometimes he does it. He is always impressing us in little ways with his cleverness ... or not so much his cleverness, but just his memory and his ability to communicate in ways he couldn't before.

Max is a friendly kid. He goes right up to people he doesn't know and is eager to make friends. He had an awesome time with my mom (who came out for a couple days so I could study more) and then my Dad (who came out while I took the test). He went all over the place and I'm so glad he had a great time and I didn't have to worry about him at all during those days.

And a few other things which aren't really new but I want to mention since I haven't posted anything in a while:

- Does some signing (more, all done, sometimes milk and drink)

(** Does anyone else have any ideas of other signs that were helpful to teach your kid? I have a couple signing videos but I can't decide what would be both useful and possible to teach.)

- Gives kisses! ... if he feels like it. So cute.

- Stopped breastfeeding at 12 months and has been great about switching to whole milk .... he loves his milk (but only at bedtime and before naps)

- Is usually a decent eater but is tough to figure out. He likes broccoli though!

- Helps me empty the dishwasher by handing me all the silverware. I love this because it's the first really helpful, cooperative type of thing he's done with me.

- I love how he points to things when we read books and waits for me to tell him what it is.

Anyway, that's my Max. I agree with a few of my friends who have said that 9-12 months is one the the best stages because they are so fun and pretty easy. Since hitting 12 months he has gotten more opinionated and whiny, which gives me glimpses of what is to come! Yikes. I need to figure out a disciplining strategy pretty quick or this kid is going to be walking all over everyone. But, as always, life with this boy really just gets better and better.