Subpar Mommy, Amazing Baby

I'm not going to offer any (semi) helpful advice about parenting, making friends, sightseeing, "today-beginning", baking, law school, or anything else in this post.  I haven't gone on too many exciting local adventures lately due to a rampant family illness, a couple trips to visit family, Hurricane Sandy, and teething.  In fact my mommy grade lately has probably been about a C+ (and that's being generous). I'm sorry to say Logan and I have been watching the Muppet Movie at least once a day for the past 2 weeks.  And with the raging storm we've had here, the past 3 days have been particularly lame on my part.  I suppose I could have tried harder to do fun indoor things while we were cooped up, but I took the easy way out and we watched a lot of TV and movies.  I've really got to figure this indoor entertainment thing out before winter gets here!

Anyway, despite my short fallings in the parenting department, Logan has started doing some amazing things lately!  I'm always blown away that his intelligence and personality can compensate for what I'm lacking.  I guess that's the story of being a mother.  You try your best and the kid takes care of the rest. Here's a rundown of my favorite developments as of late:

• New words!  He has started saying up (although it sounds more like "ip") and down, and using them correctly!  This adds to his vocabulary of mom, dad, that, dog, and done.
• Jumping!  Logan has taken a real interest in jumping!  He likes to climb up on his bear chair and jump off.  And he does it over and over again until he can do it without falling.  And every time we go to the park he finds a little step or curb to practice jumping off.  
• Come Here, Mom!  He has started taking your hand and leading your where he wants you to go.  It's so cute when he comes tugging on you, grabs your hand, and takes you somewhere.  
• Kisses and hugs!  He's been doing this for a few weeks now, but it just melts my heart every time when I say, "Can momma have a kiss?" and he leans to kiss me.  He will even kiss the phone when talking to Grandma.
• New teeth!  I was astonished to find a new tooth in his mouth a couple days ago.  He's got 6 right in the front, but this one was way in the back!  It was grown in pretty good... I couldn't believe I had missed it, but I wasn't expecting one way back there!  He's been struggling to cut the same one on the other side today and yesterday.  So now he'll have the ones in front and 2 molars in the back!
• Dancing!  He's been dancing for a while now, but recently he has started to love it when you chant his name.  He will raise his arms up and start to dance every time!  He's just getting ready for when crowds start chanting his name at football games!
• Movies!  In the last couple weeks, Logan has started to enjoy watching movies.  Well, one movie.  The Muppet Movie.  He just loves it, it's about the only time I can get him to sit still!  He will dig through our collection of movies until he finds it, and will beg and whine until we watch it.  I've had to hide the case so we can do something else during the day other than stare at the TV.
• Retrieving!  This one is great!  If you tell Logan to go get something and bring it to you, he will do it!  During story time,  just tell Logan, "Go put this one back and get another book" and he will do it.  He's amazing.  
• Helping!  I think Logan has always wanted to be helpful, but now he actually kind of is.  Give him a paper towel and he will start wiping whatever is in front of him.  Tell him to put something away and he will do it.  And, if you get mad at him for getting something out he shouldn't (like pulling all his clothes out of a drawer) he will start putting it all back.  He loves to hold the cord when I vacuum.  He's even got a toy broom that he carries all around the house and will sweep with me when I sweep.  
• Hands!  He's learning to do such incredible things with his hands!  If Logan falls in the park and gets dirty, he brushes his hands off.  When he have family prayer, he clasps his hands (for like 2 seconds, but still).  When you ask him how old he is, he raises 1 finger.  He points, he claps, he waves.  He mimics what you do.  At dinner tonight I was doing wheels on the bus, and he started to do it too.  He's such a smarty pants!
• Doors!  Not too thrilled about this new development, but Logan can open every door in our apartment.  We've started locking up the bathroom and our bedroom because he just wants to be in there all day!  He's only locked himself in the bathroom once (at my parent's house), but we don't want a repeat!
• Undressing!  Another development that is amazing and I'm so excited that my boy is so smart, but not too excited about the outcome.  He's learning how to take off his clothes.  Most mornings I find my baby with his PJ's unzipped down to his waist and one arm out.  He's even learning how to take off shirts.  Ugh, I hope he doesn't become a child streaker!
• Talking on the phone!  If you call me on the phone, expect to talk to Logan.  He will whine and whine until I put it on speaker phone and hand it over to him.  And he'll put it to his ear and chat away.   It's pretty adorable.  Luckily, the only people I ever talk to are his grandparents and his father. 

So basically, even though I'm not Super Mom, my little boy is still the smartest, sweetest, most adorable baby on Planet Earth.  I guess a couple weeks of lackluster performance on my part won't ruin his development forever!  He is still going to continue to blow us away with what he can do and how much he is learning and growing.  I am hoping I can step up my game this week and watch him really take off!

I'll leave you with this little gem of Logan "Jumping" off his bear chair: