Forward Progress

Matthew isn't doing much a typical 12 month old does.  He doesn't pull himself to standing (much less walk), he doesn't eat table food (much less feed himself), and he doesn't babble (much less use words). 

But Matthew is making good forward progress in his development, on his own timetable.  He's sitting unsupported and stable for 5-10 minutes at a time.  He's starting to pull his legs under him to get to hands (or elbows) and knees. While on his belly, he's able to push himself to move backwards. Yesterday he even moved forward a bit by pulling up on his knees and flinging himself forward.  He can hold his bottle from start to finish.  He manipulates things with his hands.  He laughs and smiles and makes joyous noises.

Matthew was motivated by the laundry basket

And he's doing (sometimes annoying) things like typical kids. He likes to stick his tongue out or blow out when we are feeding him baby food.  He reaches over his head to play with the changing table basket when we are changing his diaper.  He loves to play with the television remote which almost always leads to him either dropping it behind the bed or changing the channel.  He bites on the bottle and pulls it out so it makes a popping noise.  I remember being annoyed by these things with Alyssa and Jackson, so it makes me happy to be annoyed by them now with Matthew. 

We rejoice in the forward progress!