Milestones. . .

Jeremy is approaching his first birthday, and I thought he would never be interested in standing up at all. Even when we would stand him up, he would usually smile and then lift up his legs or sit himself down. I tried helping him "walk" a little bit, but he would take a few funny steps with his legs way out in front of him, and then he would lift up his legs so we would let him get down. He loves to crawl and move himself around, and he likes to go at his own pace. He tends to all of a sudden move to another milestone, and this time was no different. Suddenly, a couple of days ago, he pulled himself up to a stand while holding onto Justin's pants. It was so sudden, we almost didn't realize he'd done it. Now he loves to pull himself up as much as he can, and it has definitely expanded his exploring repertoire. I am also finding myself having to move things higher and out of his reach! He loves it when we cheer for his efforts, and he even gets brave enough sometimes to let go of the couch a little bit and move his arms up and down. It is fun to see him growing so much, but of course, each milestone we reach is a little bittersweet.

Jeremy also got his first tooth last week, and though he's been a fairly pleasant person while working on four teeth (I don't think I'd be so smiley myself), he hasn't slept very well. Now the tooth is growing almost to the point where it shows when he smiles, and I am savoring those gummy smiles, knowing they won't last much longer.