Cole @ 13 Months

Cole, we have one word for you as you check off another month in your short but rich and entertaining life:Seriously, on your birthday you would tentatively think about possibly taking one step.  A week later you were on the move.  Now, every day brings more confidence and courage in your little mind as you are walking less like a zombie from the "Thriller" video and more like a bow-legged toddler.  You even try to" run" when you see me coming up behind you by laughing and flinging your arms around really fast hoping it will make your legs go faster as well.You have perfected the "stand without holding on to anything" move just this last week.  You can walk and squat and stand and pick up things, all without the help of something to steady you.  However, you have also figured out how to wrap your arms around Mom's knees and bury your head while you whine to be picked up.  Too bad for you that I was raised to be independent so I want you to be the same.  This means that you only get picked up some of the time while the rest of the time we find something else for you to do besides being held.

You and your dad still have that special connection.  You totally chill out while sitting on his lap by scooting your bum down and adopting the most relaxed pose I've ever seen!  You definitely know your spot as you ride around on his lap.You are also good at playing catch with your dad.  Since he can't move his hands or get down on the floor with you, you have figured out how to hand him the toy you are playing catch with and now that you are a little taller, you can reach his outstretched hands easily.  So playing catch with Dad goes like this: 1) grab something to play with, 2) walk, walk, walk over to his wheelchair, 3) hand the toy to Dad, 4) walk back to your spot and wait for him to throw it to you, 5) do it all over again.

Our favorite family toy is the big blue ball that Nikki, Kylie and Dallin gave to you for your birthday.  You love to roll it around and chase it, walk with it and it's easy to play catch with Dad with it.  You think it's awesome when Mom bounces it up and down but I have a feeling that it won't be too long before I will not like balls being dribbled in the house so enjoy it while you can, buddy.We have started Family Home Evening on Monday nights where we use the Nursery manual published by the LDS Church to teach a tiny little lesson, sing a little song and say a little prayer together as a family.  I think that our last Family Home Evening was about 7 minutes long - total.  We have also started teaching you to fold your arms when we say a prayer even though you have no clue what we are doing and just look around the whole time.  The prayers have to be short if we want you to stick with us through the whole thing.  We know that you are so little but we have decided to start teaching you these things now so that it will become part of your habits when you get older, just like when we practice putting your toys away.

You are Mom's shadow when I do the laundry, clean out the dishwasher and other chores around the house.  You like to "help" by putting clothes in the washer or dryer.  I love my front loaders and they make it easy for you to be a part of the process even at this age.  But you have also already figured out where the "pause" button is and so I have come back to the laundry thinking it was finished only to find it stopped mid-cycle.  That means just one more door to keep closed along with the bathrooms since you also like to play in the toilet these days (gross!).The taller you get the more you can reach everything.  Because Dad needs to have things accessible to him, it means that they are also accessible to you.  Instead of putting permanent childlocks on the cupboards, we have to use bungee cords and things that we can remove because Dad can't open a child locked cupboard either.  We have lots of chairs in front of drawers and we have definitely moved dangerous items from any place low but until you get old enough to learn what you can't get into then we'll just have to make do (when is that????  Years from now????)  In the meantime, furniture is in odd places at the Hall house.Since you are in the "pull everything out of the drawer or cupboard" stage, I just let you do your thing to ransack the house during the day trying to resist my urge to clean it up as you go.  It's totally not worth it to clean up as you go but most days my organization side takes over and I end up putting everything away only to have you pull it all out again.  You have certain drawers that you know are yours and you just move from one to the next taking out all the tupperware, the colanders, the fruit snacks, the books, the clothes....you get the idea.  Dad calls you "Colander Man" as you walk around with the strainer on your face, peering through the slots as you go.

Always a talker, you like to randomly *gasp* in surprise - even when you are not surprised.  You also can say "hi" and we're pretty sure you say "dad" as well.  You even put those two together and walk into his office saying something that sounds like, "Hi Dad."  But your favorite word right now is "deedle, deedle, deedle."  Watch out - it could become a nickname if you're not careful, Deedle Dude.Coleman, it's been such a fun month to watch the transformation you have made into a little walking man.  I am shocked by how quickly a child becomes an expert once they decide to go for it.  You have perfected arching your back in protest when I try to put you down on the ground but even with that tantrum move, you are still fun and happy and we see your personality and charm just get bigger by the minute.XOXOforever little one,Mom