Lately with Patrick

Lately Patrick seems to be picking up firsts right and left. I'll make a list:

getting down stairs. We'll call this crawling even though it's not really crawling...it's more like he carefully stretches one foot down to the next stair, looking over his shoulder, and places it on the stair below. He does the same thing to get off of couches and chairs and laps only in these scenarios he grasps the fabric of whatever (or whoever) he was sitting on and clenches his little fists sooooo hard; nervous of the distance he could fall, and slowly lowers himself until his toes touch the ground. So funny.

high fives. They're a little hit and miss right now but he's pretty good at them when he's focused.

cheesy grins.

mimicking conversation. He'll make sounds in the same way that we say certain words. It's adorable.

youtube videos. We've been avoiding letting Patrick watch tv and movies and we've avoided letting him explore our smart devices. However, on one of our many long distance holiday drives this year, I let him watch some classical music performances. When he heard the orchestra tuning and the audience clapping he clapped to. It melted my heart into a tiny puddle in one moment.

standing un-assisted. Lately, Patrick will stand with the help of an object and then let go. I think he is aware that this is a big "step" and seems proud of himself.

Patch also eats table foods, including meats. He loves meal time and is very vocal when he doesn't have a bite in his mouth.

I feel that he is just days away from walking. I want to watch him every second so that I don't miss his first steps. It is a joy to watch him changing so quickly.

I also feel the need to document his many nick names that he has at the moment:
Patch, Patch Man, The Boy, Pat, Mr. Man, Mr. P

I sure do love this kid.