Teeth!

Nathan got teeth! He was sitting on the blanket, playing with the purple lid for the cookie jar toy. He put it in his mouth, like he always does, and I heard a little clinking sound that I hadn't heard before. I stuck my finger in his mouth, and there was a new little ridge of teeth just barely pushing up through the gums! Two teeth!

Of course, we were not surprised. The teeth were visible for a while, just under the gums, and he has been drooling gallons!

Which just highlights how much he is growing and maturing. He shakes his head no, bobs his head and arms to "dance" when he hears music, claps his hands, puts his arms up to show "How big?" and loves Peek-a-boo. I saw him try to put one of the rings back on the spindle the other day. He has been taking them off ever since he got the toy, but it was the first time I saw him try to put one on. He goes everywhere he wants to, not by crawling in the normal way, but by rolling over and over or by laying on his back, pulling his legs up, and pushing himself backwards up towards his head. An unusual method of moving, but he gets to where he wants to go.

And he definitely says, "Hi," "Mama," "Dada," and "Nana." Yesterday we were playing a game he likes. He had been sitting on the mat, but was tired of being there. He flung himself backwards - we keep pillows behind him because he does this often. I went and pulled him back up to a sitting position, and he grinned at me and fell backwards again very deliberately. He giggled and raised his arms toward me. I pulled him up again, and as I did, my phone rang. I stepped away to answer it. He flung himself back again, and said, "Nana!" as I moved away. When I turned back toward him, he had his arms raised again and was watching me, waiting for me to pull him up again.

Like most babies his age, he is learning to manipulate the grown-ups in his world very effectively.

Ben was telling me that Nathan has not been sleeping through the night recently. They plan to change the rules this weekend, and let him cry. I know how hard that is to do, because Ben did the same thing at about this age.