Twelve Months

Just this week, Andrew started playing with his stuffed animals.  He hugs them, babbles to them, and carries them around with him.  This morning, his Christmas Koala was the first thing he grabbed when he woke up.  I came into his room to find him sitting and hugging it.

But the biggest change of the last month or so is walking.  I could not have imagined how big of a development walking is.  It changes everything.  Sometimes, it feels like he grew up when he started walking.  He is so much more autonomous.  He has so much more power over his own destiny, now.  He could move himself before, by crawling, but it was always in short spurts.  Now, he can cover a great deal of ground quickly!

It also has social implications.  Today, we took him to the zoo, and when we put him down to walk on his own, he would wander off into other middle of other family groups.  He can initiate relationships with strangers in a way he's never done before.  It's hard to remember, sometimes, that he's still a baby in all the other ways.  He still can't do anything for himself, and he still can't communicate what he wants or is thinking.  He doesn't understand us much of the time, but he is learning, and growing!