The Life and Times of

THOMAS GODFREY MAGILL

Part One: The First Year

Chapter Eleven: Cuter Every Day

(click thumbnail to see larger picture) High Fiving the Pop 08/30/2009 Making Faces 09/12/2009 Making Faces 09/12/2009 Making Faces 09/12/2009 Grandma's Comfy 09/12/2009 Grandma's Comfy 09/12/2009 Big Blue Chair 09/12/2009 Big Blue Chair 09/12/2009 Big Blue Chair 09/12/2009 Playing 09/14/2009 Pooping? 09/14/2009 In Stroller 09/15/2009 In Stroller 09/15/2009 In Stroller 09/15/2009 In Stroller 09/15/2009 Hi! 09/19/2009 Grandma Tickles 09/20/2009 Grandma Tickles 09/20/2009 Grandma Tickles 09/20/2009 Trying to Crawl 09/20/2009 Nekkid Time! 09/21/2009 Nekkid Time! 09/21/2009 Jeans Jacket 09/21/2009 Jeans Jacket 09/21/2009 Jeans Jacket 09/21/2009 Excited Baby 09/21/2009 Calm Baby 09/21/2009 Sleeping in Mommy's Arms 09/22/2009 Sleeping in Mommy's Arms 09/22/2009 Sleeping in Mommy's Arms 09/22/2009 Sleeping in Mommy's Arms 09/22/2009 Bouncy Contraption 10/02/2009 Bouncy Contraption 10/02/2009 I Drool on Mommy 10/02/2009 I Want That! 10/02/2009 In Crib 10/03/2009 Temper Tantrum, Phase 1 10/03/2009 Temper Tantrum, Phase 2 10/03/2009 Temper Tantrum, Phase 3 10/03/2009

September saw Tommy, a master at sitting up already, trying really hard to crawl and speak. He spent a lot of time on all fours, rocking back and forth but not knowing how to make any forward progress. He'd also babble, making plenty of dadadas and bababas, but he couldn't really put words to things. The closest he came was with bubbles, which his grandma would blow, and with the dog, Elle. He almost said both words--"bubbles" and "Elle"--on more than one occasion. When Amelia found a temporary evening job, it became more important for Amelia and me to let Tommy play on his own (with supervision of course) for long stretches of time. He started using a variety of play devices--an exersaucer, a bouncy chair, and a baby walker--and his favorite was the hanging baby bouncer. He could spend thirty non-stop minutes bouncing in that thing, often laughing the whole time. He was also able to spend more time playing with his toys before he would get anxious and upset. And upset was something he started to get more often. It was clearly getting more deliberate. He started getting annoyed if he didn't get his way, and Amelia and I even started experimenting with rudimentary discipline (basically just saying a firm "NO" whenever he'd grab at something he wasn't supposed to have). He also started showing signs of frustration, especially when he was unable to crawl from place to place. You'd think this would be one of those developments you don't look forward to, but I was thrilled to see his emotions developing. Besides, Tommy's temper tantrums were minor compared to those of other babies I've seen. Mostly, though, September was just a bunch of waiting for Tommy's next development. Crawling and talking seemed to be bigger challenges for him than other things had been, but he kept at it. We were patient, though, because we knew it wouldn't be long before he mastered those too.