Linnaeus 14.2

I've noticed lately that Sprout's separation anxiety is getting a bit worse. He makes quite a ruckus when I leave him at daycare now & it's harder to distract him with toys when I go out that door. He does calm down after a few minutes, but it is a bit heart-wrenching to hear him bawling as I go.

Sadly the yeast rash is back. This is Sprout's fifth time with a raw bum from thrush. I'm beginning to wonder if the cloth diapers are a contributing factor in the yeast. Every time he's had it we've sanitized them, but then two or three months later he gets it again. Anyone got any suggestions for me?

Sprout's still more interested in climbing up than walking. He's figured out how to climb onto the sofa this week. He also went down the slide at the park by himself. He climbs up the steps, then crawls over to the edge of the little slide, turns around & goes down backwards on his tummy. I thought he might be walking a bit with help by Hallowe'en, but now I wonder if he's going to do it by Christmas! He cruises & will sometimes walk when you hold his hands, but just doesn't seem interested yet. I know, I know, he'll do it when he's ready, at his own pace, etc. I still can't help wishing he were walking when I hear about all the other babies we know who started walking long before he did. I also cringe at all the dirt & germs he's getting all over his hands when he crawls around everywhere. When he's walking, at least I wouldn't have to worry about that as much.

Lately Linnaeus has been mimicking us & strangers a lot, as well as following simple commands. He'll give things to you if you ask for them, for example. He interacts with objects in the 'correct' way more & more now too. For example, he'll pick up my phone & put it to his ear, or he'll grab his teddy & give it a big hug. That one just makes his papa melt.

As for food, his skills with a spoon are improving. He can now feed himself yogurt & get about 90% of it in  his mouth, only 10% on himself. I want to branch out & see if he can do as well with oatmeal & maybe give him more practice with a fork. Last week he was playing with a fork while I was eating lunch. I turned around for a second & when I looked back, he'd speared a piece of cheese from my poutine!

Linnaeus has now got 13 teeth, with the appearance of his left eyetooth. It's barely through the gums, just a tiny sharp white point poking through. According to the websites I've read, this is a bit earlier than average. It's been a teething frenzy this past month, with four molars & the eyetooth. All the teeth, combined with his mop of hair, make him really look like a little boy now.

I'll sign off with a photo of him & this week's favourite toy. It's the first thing he goes for in the morning when he gets off our bed & crawls into the living room.