Thursday, June 08, 2006

Talk the talk and walk the walk...or not

Sam is now 13 months old. He does not walk; he does not talk. I am trying to be calm about this and not obsess over milestones and so forth. I have always tried to avoid fixating on his achievements in comparison with other babies and to ignore various books and emails sent to me detailing everything he “should” be doing. There is little cause for concern with the walking because if I could crawl as fast as this kid I would see very little reason to find another way as well. I have to admit though, I wish we were getting a few words out of him. He babbles all the time, but there is little indication that when he says “mama” that he is actually referring to me. I feel like I’ve been reading his mind for a little too long now and I am ready to be able to stop guessing what he wants. Those first words would also alleviate some of the fear I have relating to some autism in our family (yes, I know there is no proof that it is genetic, but how could that not enter my mind?). I’m ready for him to talk to me, to say “mama” and mean it, and to show me he can do these things.

We’re doing ok though. He is certainly developing other ways of communicating what he wants a little more directly, often accompanied with hysterical screaming and flapping of arms if my response is not immediate. And physically, despite the fact that he does not walk, he is doing some stuff that I find pretty impressive.

Here, he is about to feed me a piece of his cheese. Much to my “surprise” though, he will put it almost into my mouth and then pull it away to eat himself, both of us hysterically laughing as I tell him what a stinker he is. You can see his mischievous anticipation of his little joke, which is not nearly as funny when played on him.



Here is the face he now makes to let us know he wants to eat. I don’t know, he’s just so subtle. How could I possibly tell what he means?



I have just brought out the YoBaby, so we get the open-mouthed, lean forward in the seat action. He was extremely unhappy that I chose to take the picture rather than promptly feed him. I suppose that is understandable.



Please note the lovely proper grasp of the spoon...before noting that he is actually eating with his other hand. And this is just a moment before both the spoon and the bowl end up on the floor.



Sam at work. He likes to lift objects onto things: shelves, chairs, the ottoman, the couch, and in this case, the dishwasher. One of his favorite times of day is when I put away the dishes. He challenges himself by trying to place two objects at once so that he can’t use his hands to get up, or to lift very large objects onto very high areas. This backfires when he doesn’t quite make it and the much bigger fire engine falls back in his face.


This: I just liked it.

9 Comments:

Blogger Momma G said...

He'll reach the milestone when he's ready...my older son took his time...and you know what? Five years from now you'll have no idea who was the early talker of the class, or who walked at six months....

11:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your son is adorable. Love the pics!

Maybe it's a Sam-thing. My Sam (almost six) didn't talk until he was two and didn't walk until almost 17 months.

I was somewhat concerned, but because he could communicate his needs and he clearly understood what we were saying, I wasn't consumed with worries. He was an excellent crawler and got where he needed to go.

He's a whip-smart kiddo, taught himself to read at age four. Still waters run deep.

9:18 AM  
Blogger Jamie said...

Just found your blog, it's very cute!
The pictures of Sam are so sweet (those curls, OMG!), I love the mouth open and ready to eat, I laughed out loud :)

12:24 PM  
Blogger Mall Worker said...

Those pictures seriously cracked me up! I love that miscievous look!

Try not to worry about the milestones. I know its hard, but he will get there when he's ready!

1:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jack didn't talk much at all until right before the holidays, he was about 18 months when he started using words with meaning. I was really worried because he would only grunt or point for things. Now he is talking up a storm. Sam looks like he is communicating with you quite well! Try not to worry, it will come! He is soooo cute by the way!

3:46 PM  
Blogger Mama D said...

Love those photos. I worry about the autism thing too because it's also in our family. If it makes you feel better A still has no teeth. None. Not that I care. I don't. Really.

3:58 PM  
Blogger Diana Mancuso said...

Heavens to Betsy, he's so cute!

Regarding the milestones, I use to worry too. Maddie's development was a little "behind" schedule for several major milestones. You do all this reading and you hear about everybody else's child and their development, you begin to question your own baby's progress. But one day she started rolling over and a few weeks later she started crawling and walking all on the same day. (The day after Mother's Day, to be precise.) And this was all at the 9-10 month stage. Go figure!

Thanks for stopping by my blog, by the way.

5:24 PM  
Blogger Chrissy said...

Did you do 'baby signs' with him? It seems that kids who can 'sign' very early may speak a bit later, but they absolutely communicate effectively! And, I think they process language in a multi-level way (my phrase, don't quote me, 'cause it's just a thought, not a certified fact! :-)

So, he is Brilliant!! And wwaayy cute!

6:13 PM  
Blogger kate said...

well, he looks amazing. healthy and vibrant and his brain is processing so many things. . .he may be one of those kids who just one day opens his mouth and talks! he may say less on the way and instead "save it up." my son is a BIIIIG talker. really never shuts up. he literally practices words. we have a friend whose son is 3mos older and he never talked much and all of a sudden is just coming out w/ stuff like he's done it all along. you just never know what's going on in those cute little heads!

5:39 PM  

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