Sweet sixteen

We have been really working on this whole "walking" thing with Kyle, and we seem to have achieved some success. However, by "we," I mean my parents. All it took was a trip to Kyle's Pepere and Memere's for him to end the stalemate. Up until the weekend he spent there while Jennifer and I were in Maine, Kyle would refuse to walk on his feet, outside of a few instances including his first steps. He did not see the point of it, since he could get around just as quickly walking on his knees. Every time we would try to get him on his feet, he'd bend his knees and dangle his legs in the air until we'd give in and place him down on the floor. Even a nurse at the doctor's office thought the behavior was odd. The doctor himself said Kyle's just doing what comforts him, and he'll start walking once he felt like it. In the meantime, we have seen plenty of kids his age and younger walking, running, and pole-vaulting.

Then, suddenly, Kyle changed his mind. Feet are good. When Jennifer and I arrived at my parents' place to pick up the little guy, my Dad walked out, holding Kyle's hand as our son walked alongside him to to greet us. We couldn't believe it. In the two weeks since, he still walks on his knees a lot, but now all you need to do is grab his hand, and he'll get up on his feet. We practice each time we go out, having him walk up and down part of our block. We shot this video during one such stroll last weekend:



The next milestone: Kyle's first time stepping in doggie doo. Being a city kid, it's only a matter of time.

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, Kyle officially turned 16 months old on Tuesday. Kyle is now eligible to get a learner's permit for his toy train. Hopefully he'll pass his driver's test, though I must admit his parallel-parking skills need some fine-tuning. Once he masters that, I'm sure he'll be out all night with that thing, cruising for 14-month-old girls (he likes the younger ladies). I'm sure they'll dig the squeaky noises his wheels make.

As for us, we're coming to terms with the fact that Kyle is not really a baby anymore. He's looking more and more like a little person, and he's showing a lot of personality. So far, he doesn't seem like a jerk, which is a relief. Kyle still enjoys a good joke, and it's not too difficult to get a good laugh from him. You don't even have to throw socks at his head anymore. Here's another video to prove my point:



All in all, I'd say things are going well. I'll have a photo album in next month's post, including a picture of Kyle in his Halloween costume. I won't tell you what it is, but I'll give a hint: it involves blood and a bow tie.

Happy Halloween, everyone!