I've discovered that there is a definite occupational hazard to mothering a 23 pound 10 month-old. My back has been hurting very, very badly since Thursday. I leaned over the crib to pick up Kaden after his nap, and on the way up something "snapped". It's been hurting ever since.
Luckily, I have a wonderful hubby who has been helping take care of Kaden and giving me back massages. I normally pride myself on a very clean home, but our house is nothing short of scary right now. It's kind of hard to put away laundry, do dishes, etc., when you can barely stand up and sit down without assistance. So, if anyone happens to drop by, just be warned that it's a "enter at your own risk" situation!
Kaden is getting better and better each day at standing on his own. He can even get from a sitting position to a standing position without the use of a prop. He stands for about a minute, gets excited at his accomplishment, starts clapping, and then falls on his rear! It's very cute. I finally got a picture of him free-standing, but I haven't gotten it upload yet. I'll try to do that soon. He's also starting to get a few more steps in before "lunging" toward us when he practices walking. It won't be long now!
Kaden's other new "tricks" include sharing and name identification. Yesterday, he unzipped my purse and handed me all of the contents, one by one. He makes this cute little face as he extends his hand out to "share" something with you. After he has given you everything, he wants it back so he can start all over again. Sometimes it takes us 10 minutes or more to get him out of his crib in the morning because he "shares" his teddy bear, pillow, blankie, & blanket with us several times over before deciding he's ready to be picked up.
Also, he can pick out Mommy, Daddy, & Kaden in a picture now. When looking at a family photo, you can ask him, "Where's Kaden?" and he will point to himself in the picture. Sometimes, he will also then point to himself! We have such a smart little boy, don't we?
