My 13th Month Old Zeke

August marked the beginning of my little boy's toddler years. According to Baby Center, caring for a toddler is one of the greatest parenting challenges of all --- one minute they're willfully assertive, the next clingy and whining. It takes patience and perseverance to help our little ones make the transition from a dependent baby to an independent child.

At this time, my Zeke has reached quite a few milestones. He can now stand alone and walk a few steps, favors solid food over his milk but still loves my breastmilk, and shows different emotions like anger, fear, love and care.

My Zeke is a like a tornado! He thinks it's fun to push, throw and knock everything down. I know he's not being deliberately destructive and just views the world as one big science experiment but it can really be exhausting! But eventually, when he calms down and wants to sleep, he'll let me cuddle and kiss him goodnight.

Zeke loves to play with his toys but recently, we've found out that he loves to play chase, hide-and-seek, and copy cat time. I am especially careful with the things I say as he can mimic them (not too audible) like how I say "There" and "Daddy". He knows where things are hidden and of course, knows who to call when it's playtime (that's Dad) and when it's feeding time (that's Dede ---yep, he's not into Mama yet).
Here's a list of games I've read from the Baby Center:

• Hide-and-seek: Chasing you and hiding from you may be some of your 13-month-old's favorite activities. Hiding behind a chair, a book or even a tea towel, giggling as you pretend you can't find him, could be the best game on earth. Or you might be the one who hides.


• Fetch: Throwing stuff out of his crib or highchair and watching you retrieve and return it is great fun for a 13-month-old – if you agree to join in. He may also enjoy handing you toys, books and other objects, expecting you to hand them back. This kind of give, take and give again is actually a social game, a way of interacting with you and learning how to interact with others.


• "Watch me, Mom": Your child may love an audience and repeat any "performance" that elicits a positive response, especially applause. Take care to reinforce behaviors you want to encourage, not negative ones like throwing food.


• Mirror me: Get your toddler to sit across from you. (This is a great game for the highchair.) Do something simple but eye-catching, like waving, clapping your hands, reaching up high, flapping your arms or covering your face. Applaud and cheer if he does the same thing, but don't worry if he just laughs.

I've also realized that Zeke doesn't like it when we leave him for too long. Maybe it's a full blown separation anxiety or simply a cry for attention, I'm not so sure but as I am a working mom, it's a bit difficult dealing with this issue. My heart breaks whenever we have to leave him with my mother-in-law to go to work; it's a good thing he gets easily distracted by Playhouse Disney and toys or I wouldn't know how to leave. Gradually, he still would break into a big smile whenever I come home from work. :)

HAPPY 13TH MONTH, ZEKE!