I'm 13 months old!

Daddy & Mummy think I'm such a clever boy and since its such a shame that my dear uncles and aunties can't see me as often as they should, they have decided to provide monthly updates on my progress for everyone's benefit! Yay!

Motorskills
- Ethan can now climb 2 flights of stairs unassisted by mummy and daddy by alternating his feet! (But he does cheat a little and hang on to the side railings) hehe.
- Ethan has began to stand on tiptoes when he wants to peer at what we are eating at the dining table as well as at the computer.

Hand & Finger skills
- Ethan is able to build a tower of 2 big blocks but really likes to smash towers more often than build them.
- Ethan can feed himself easily using his fingers and raisins are his favourite snack now!
- Ethan can feed himself using a spoon!

Language
- Ethan often repeats words that he has heard in adult conversation. But those are usually one off and he does not repeat it again.
- Ethan has increased his recognition of objects and is able to the object/picture when its named for him.
New objects this month include --> Train, Tractor, Spade, Kite, Watering Can, Sprinkler, Snowflake, Snowman, Christmas tree, moon, fire hydrant, grapes, watermelon, apple and strawberry.
- Ethan is able to say the following words clearly now: car & shoe.
- Ethan can make more animal sounds now (Sheep - Baa; Chicken - Cluck; Bee - Buzz)
- Ethan enjoys being read to and can sit and pay attention to anyone reading to him for the duration of 5-10 books in one shot.
- Ethan is able to understand verbs like eat, lie down/sleep, come here, kick the ball to whoever as instructed and no.

Cognitive
- Ethan has begun to sort shapes using the shape sorter. He can now recognise and put the following shapes through the various slots (star, crescent & circle)
- Ethan can remember all the actions to the following songs: 6 little ducks, 5 little ducks (yes, they are different songs!), baa baa black sheep, twinkle twinkle little stars, the wheels on the bus.
- Ethan can provide critical assessment. If I ask him if he likes a new song I play for him or a new food he eats, he will clap to indicate his satisfaction (2 claps is the best, 1 clap is good) or shake his head to say "no! its bad".

Social
- Ethan is more sociable now and imitates behaviour of others, especially adults (eg: he will imitate us coughing or sneezing)
- Ethan has began make believe play and will bring his beloved giraffe to the fruits basket on his toy train to eat and make eating sounds. He will also feed his giraffe water from the spout of the train engine.

Emotional
- Ethan is a little more defiant these days. (eg: when I ask him not to go into the kitchen and he knows it, he will still poke a toe on the kitchen floor and give me a "see? What are you going to do about it?" look)
- Ethan get angry more often when he does not get his way but smiles so gleefully when we understand him and he gets what he wants.
- Ethan will try to comfort us when we feel sad (eg: when we injure ourselves)

And the most amazing thing? Most of these milestones are meant for a 2 year old!