Alexander aged 14 months

I'm trying to think of all the things that Alex can now do, as looking back at this blog is just as useful to me when people ask, "How old was he when he learnt to ..?"
Alex is walking with real confidence now, and he has finally got used to his 'new shoes'! Seeing as the bloody things cost me £20, I'm glad he got used to them! He has got quite wide feet (4H) and they had to be ordered. He took his first 3 steps a few days before his first birthday, but didn't really start to walk properly until he was 13 months old. Now there's no stopping him! He has really good balance and can walk with his hands held up in the air, or holding onto things, and he can turn round etc without landing on his backside anymore! Being at home with him walking has made things easier, because he has so much more independence now, and everything is safely up high so he is in no danger. Being out is a bit more frustrating and I now can only go where I know I'll be able to take him out for a run around. He's good when I take him out though, as long as I time it right!
He started saying Mummmmmmm and Daddeeeeeeee ages ago but then stopped and hasn't really started again. Although he doesn't say any other recognisable words, his babbling has hit a frenzy point! He is such a chatterbox! It is funny to hear him practise his intonation. He definitely thinks he's communicating perfectly well! The childminder told me he really told one of the other children off for taking one of his toys. He got the tone completely right although "Doi doi doi doi doi!" didn't mean a lot to anyone else!
He definitely understands a lot of what's being said to him, and it has fascinated me seeing him picking up on the tone of my voice. He looks so happy for himself when he gives me something and I say, "Thank you." That game can last for hours! He also smiles when I give him praise. Whenever I ask him a question, he expects something to happen eg Do you want a snack? He knows he's going to get something! He loves playing 'peepo' and is very funny when he decides to hide and leap up saying, "Aghghhg". He gets so excited and repeats the game over and over until he forgets to do the actual hiding and just yells, "Aghahghg!"
He's eating really well, and that's definitely something I've done right! The freezer is packed full of things I've cooked for him and I hardly ever have to use baby food from the shops. He'll eat virtually everything I give him, so hopefully he'll stay like that! He has got 4 teeth at the top and 4 at the bottom and 3 of his molars have just come through. He was a bit grizzly with those but nothing too bad. We are going to see the dentist tomorrow! As for sleeping, I haven't been as successful at that as I have with his eating though he does sleep through the night (as long as he's in bed with me!). It's funny how co-sleeping seems to be the most contentious issue around! I find that people who are disapproving are those who have babies who have never had a problem sleeping, or those people who have no idea what it's like to look after a baby on my own while being successful at a full-time job.
Alex has such a wonderful personality. He's such a happy little boy, and he is fascinated by everything around him. I love it when he picks a book from his bookshelf, or the basket in the living room, walks over to me with it, and then climbs up on my lap demanding it to be read. He'll also sit on his bedroom floor with a pile of books which he'll independently look at for at least 15 minutes. He laughs and laughs and only ever cries when he's overtired, or has hurt himself. He is just adorable!!