Monkey See, Monkey Do

Since G's turned one and even more so since he's been walking, I've declared this my absolute favorite developmental stage.

Is this age hard? Absolutely. I just called a friend LAST WEEK to complain about how exhausted I am from trying to keep up with Graham and all the walking. But overall, it's completely worth it. 

I find myself in shock and awe all the time. He's transformed from a baby to a toddler at the blink of an eye and he amazes me with all that he's able to do.

My favorite part about right now is the way he tries to mimic what he's seen Brian and I do. A couple of weeks ago Graham found a water bottle cap on the floor and of course my first thought is: choking hazard. I need to get off this couch and intercept the cap before it makes it into his mouth. but to my surprise, Toddler Graham had different plans in mind. He found a water bottle (with a cap on it) and tried to place the cap he found on top and twist. It's so funny to watch the little wheels in his head spin and go to work. He was determined that this is where it belonged. and of course is too independent to even think of letting us show him why it wasn't working out like he'd hoped. 

Graham also loves to play fetch with Caesar using his ball thrower (just like daddy does). He loves Caesar and gets giddy when he gets to be the one who throws the ball. Caesar's not quite thrilled about it yet, but one day Graham will make a great buddy. 

My favorite imitation happened a couple months ago (probably April) and ended with an oh-so-sad outcome. 

I've been blowing bubbles for G since he was a tiny baby and as soon as he was "on the move" he was trying to reach for the liquid bubbles and explore all the messiness. On this particular day, I decided to give in and let him experience the stickiness first hand. To my surprise, he didn't want to stick his hands in the bubbles like I had imagined. He wanted to put the wand in the bubbles and make magic happen just like mommy does all the time. He's probably been dying to try this for awhile. I was just always assuming the worst and stopped his fun before it could ever get started. 

I was so proud of little G for knowing what to do with the wand, and then I had to giggle when he put the wrong side up to his mouth. How cute that he thinks you're supposed to eat the bubbles after dipping. I tried to show him the "right" way, but as usual, Mr. independent would rather do it on his own.

Some days I'm not ready for Graham to grow up and try everything by himself, but at least I know he's going to try and accomplish "it" just like mommy and daddy. So I pray that Brian and I will always model the qualities we hope for in Graham.