Leo is zooming around faster than ever! Jeff and I are pooped.
New-ish developments this weekend include Leo's first car trip (2.5 hours each way to Charlotte) to see his Aunt and Uncle's new house and some other relatives. He slept in the car both ways--Friday night we left at his bed time and had him in his jammies already and Saturday we left at his usual afternoon nap time. The only bad thing is that he woke up when we got to Charlotte at 9:30pm and had no desire to go back to sleep. So, none of the three of us slept very well. But, he enjoyed meeting everyone and everyone enjoyed him.
We also had to lower the crib to its lowest setting last night since he can now stand up and even at the lowest setting he can peek over the railing. The only way I can get him in and out now is if he is standing up, so putting him to bed by default has become a papa activity. At least for now.
Leo also got his first pair of "shoes" yesterday. Ms. Ete requested he have something for his feet besides socks at daycare. I prefer him to be barefoot since it's supposed to be better developmentally. But, the pediatrician said there was no problem with these soft shoes, so we got him a cute blue pair with green stars.
It also seems that Leo has learned that 'no' means stop. He doesn't quite have it figured out that it means stop and don't do it again. But, as he reaches for the wastebasket in the bedroom and I say no, he stops. Then he looks at me and smiles. Then he reaches for the basket again. Cute bug.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
9 months
Dear Leo,
Today, you are 9 months old, and the last 30 days have been exceptionally busy on almost all fronts. Your mobility has increased greatly, to the point where watching you requires us to sound like Alastor Moody (whom you haven't heard of yet, but will when you're older). Constant vigilance! As your mobility has increased, it also has yet to stop. When you're not crawling, you're bouncing or squirming. It seems that you can't stop wanting to test your newly-developed skills.
There now seem to be a few nearly sure-fire ways to get you to giggle, sometimes uncontrollably. We've pretended to eat you on and off before, but it seems to provoke more giggles now than ever. Early in the month, I started with the old campfire game of the "Grand Old Duke of York," swinging (or pushing) you up on the "ups" and down on the "downs." Unless you're exceptionally cranky (from skipping a nap, say), this always elicits a smile, and usually laughs. The other night, your mama was cleaning out your nose syringe, and squirting it in the bathtub made you laugh like I haven't seen in a long time.
The beginning of the month saw you graduate to a new car seat, courtesy of Aunt Cynthia. You seem to like it, even if it's a little hot in there at times. Your parents are both very comfortable that between the car and the car seat, you are as safe as you can be when at points in-between.
A few extra nicknames have started to enter the fold, some just because they're cute and some because of behavior. The two most prominent have been "Adorababy" and "squirmy-wormy." Lullabear has entered the roster of toys, and today you got your first truck. You don't quite seem to have the idea of the dump tray down, but it will come in time.
In the last week or so, you have even begun steps (the pun is intended, but you won't get it until you're much older) toward the next phase of mobility, as you have managed to succeed at pulling yourself into a standing position. We expect you to be walking along the furniture any day now, and Miss Ete, Miss Monica, and Miss Melissa think you might be the youngest baby ever to graduate to the next room. We hope not, because we really like them both, and you'll miss Elliana during the stretch where you two are in separate rooms. Keep not using that sippy cup for a while longer. :)
We've been exceptionally fortunate on the health front, as you've hardly been sick (one cold, one minor ear infection, and the Great Broccoli Incident of 2006). Maybe this contributes to your perpetual good spirits -- everybody comments on what a happy baby you are (see previous post on how kids say the darndest things), and many people threaten to take you home with them because you're so adorable. We even think you're adorable at oh-dark-hundred in the morning when you decide you're done sleeping for the night and it's time for breakfast, thank-you-very-much.
You might have been slow coming out of the gate with solid foods, but you've made up for it quite well. Miss Ete even said you were eating "like a little piggy," since you hardly seem to have met a solid food you don't like. The only current no-nos are either green beans or potatoes, and either pasta or ground beef. Maybe it's just anything that's mostly chunky, although that doesn't explain the green bean/potato thing. We're trying you out on your first fish tomorrow, so we'll see what you think of that.
If next month continues like this one, there will be ever-so-much-more to talk about then.
Love,
Papa
Today, you are 9 months old, and the last 30 days have been exceptionally busy on almost all fronts. Your mobility has increased greatly, to the point where watching you requires us to sound like Alastor Moody (whom you haven't heard of yet, but will when you're older). Constant vigilance! As your mobility has increased, it also has yet to stop. When you're not crawling, you're bouncing or squirming. It seems that you can't stop wanting to test your newly-developed skills.
There now seem to be a few nearly sure-fire ways to get you to giggle, sometimes uncontrollably. We've pretended to eat you on and off before, but it seems to provoke more giggles now than ever. Early in the month, I started with the old campfire game of the "Grand Old Duke of York," swinging (or pushing) you up on the "ups" and down on the "downs." Unless you're exceptionally cranky (from skipping a nap, say), this always elicits a smile, and usually laughs. The other night, your mama was cleaning out your nose syringe, and squirting it in the bathtub made you laugh like I haven't seen in a long time.
The beginning of the month saw you graduate to a new car seat, courtesy of Aunt Cynthia. You seem to like it, even if it's a little hot in there at times. Your parents are both very comfortable that between the car and the car seat, you are as safe as you can be when at points in-between.
A few extra nicknames have started to enter the fold, some just because they're cute and some because of behavior. The two most prominent have been "Adorababy" and "squirmy-wormy." Lullabear has entered the roster of toys, and today you got your first truck. You don't quite seem to have the idea of the dump tray down, but it will come in time.
In the last week or so, you have even begun steps (the pun is intended, but you won't get it until you're much older) toward the next phase of mobility, as you have managed to succeed at pulling yourself into a standing position. We expect you to be walking along the furniture any day now, and Miss Ete, Miss Monica, and Miss Melissa think you might be the youngest baby ever to graduate to the next room. We hope not, because we really like them both, and you'll miss Elliana during the stretch where you two are in separate rooms. Keep not using that sippy cup for a while longer. :)We've been exceptionally fortunate on the health front, as you've hardly been sick (one cold, one minor ear infection, and the Great Broccoli Incident of 2006). Maybe this contributes to your perpetual good spirits -- everybody comments on what a happy baby you are (see previous post on how kids say the darndest things), and many people threaten to take you home with them because you're so adorable. We even think you're adorable at oh-dark-hundred in the morning when you decide you're done sleeping for the night and it's time for breakfast, thank-you-very-much.
You might have been slow coming out of the gate with solid foods, but you've made up for it quite well. Miss Ete even said you were eating "like a little piggy," since you hardly seem to have met a solid food you don't like. The only current no-nos are either green beans or potatoes, and either pasta or ground beef. Maybe it's just anything that's mostly chunky, although that doesn't explain the green bean/potato thing. We're trying you out on your first fish tomorrow, so we'll see what you think of that.
If next month continues like this one, there will be ever-so-much-more to talk about then.
Love,
Papa
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
I'm told....
Kirstin and my mother claim that Leo pulled himself up to standing while my stepfather and I were working on the backsplash. I didn't see it (I was busy holding a piece of sheet aluminum taut), so I don't believe it.... yet.
His teachers at daycare are saying they're going to have to move him out of the room soon if he keeps advancing the way he is. We just think that it seems like that because he's had so many new accomplishments in such a short amount of time.
My parents are supposed to bring the relevant materials for picture retrieval tomorrow, so I should be able to do another project post then.
His teachers at daycare are saying they're going to have to move him out of the room soon if he keeps advancing the way he is. We just think that it seems like that because he's had so many new accomplishments in such a short amount of time.
My parents are supposed to bring the relevant materials for picture retrieval tomorrow, so I should be able to do another project post then.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Project post: Kitchen Before
I hadn't realized until I just went looking that we really only have the one old picture of the kitchen, which was taken by the people we bought the house from. So, none of the "stuff" visible is ours, but the surfaces (which are all changing) and the appliances (which aren't) are all visible. No good view of the lights, which have already been switched (at least, mostly... we may put in a new ceiling fan afterward).
As of this writing, we've redone the floor and most of the lighting. Painting is in progress (the trim has been redone, but not yet the walls), and the room will be a lighter shade of yellow when we finish. If electronic pics exist from the manufacturers of the paint and floor colors, I can't quickly find them. My parents have a few intermediate-stage pictures, which I'll try to retrieve tonight or tomorrow.
update on floor pictures: it seems that the pattern we selected has been discontinued, as the manufacturer no longer lists it on their own web site.
Leo pics have been updated with Flickr, so you can now go look at all the Leo-y goodness that you wish. Still no good ones of those teeth, though. (And yes, it was both of the bottom front ones at once.)
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Dentition
A couple of days after a first "babababababa" sound, we have achieved teeth! (Well, "too", I guess -- there's only one so far, we think, and it isn't done coming up, yet.)
No good pictures of that chopper yet, since we can't get the lips and the tongue out of the way enough to really see it. We can feel the top, though.
My parents are in town helping with a cosmetic-only redo of the kitchen which has already experienced its first bit of "project creep" -- needing to put new plywood under where the old floor had been before installing the new floor. I'll try to get some intermediate pictures up some time this week, before we get everything done.
overheard
While out shopping today (waiting for floor primer to dry prior to putting down the new tiles), a little boy observing Leo -- maybe 6-ish, though I'm still a pretty lousy judge of such things:
"That is a very smiling baby."
We knew. :)
"That is a very smiling baby."
We knew. :)
Thursday, July 06, 2006
3 C's
C #1: Clapping
We've had the cutest thing happen in the last couple of days. Leo is starting to imitate us when we clap because he's done something really cool or cute. He doesn't have the noise-making part down, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless.
C #2: Climbing
Perhaps less exciting, or more annoying over the long run, or something like that: he's starting to get pretty good at the beginnings of pulling himself up on most things available -- the coffee table, the laundry basket, my leg, or just about anything else that's got a flat-ish surface located somewhere slightly above his shoulders when he is sitting up. This, combined with C #3, is making a thorough child-proofing a rather more urgent task. Speaking of which....
C #3: Crawling
It's remarkable how quickly he's gone from being very tenative about crawling more than maybe 2 steps to reasonable proficiency (including the ability to change direction without missing much of a beat). It was really rather surprising to watch him maneuver around my leg while I was laying down.
He's also starting to move onto the "room schedule" at day care, paving the way for the transition to the next room once he's met the rest of the physical milestones (walking, for example -- which, on some days, we don't think is all that far off). It's got us working our brains a little bit, trying to figure out how to adjust the routines we had in place at home.
Just because, here's a cute post-bath picture from over the weekend.
Leo's book of the week: Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle
Papa's current book: Zorro, by Isabel Allende (English Translation)
Mama's current book: The Hard Way, by Lee Child
We've had the cutest thing happen in the last couple of days. Leo is starting to imitate us when we clap because he's done something really cool or cute. He doesn't have the noise-making part down, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless.
C #2: Climbing
Perhaps less exciting, or more annoying over the long run, or something like that: he's starting to get pretty good at the beginnings of pulling himself up on most things available -- the coffee table, the laundry basket, my leg, or just about anything else that's got a flat-ish surface located somewhere slightly above his shoulders when he is sitting up. This, combined with C #3, is making a thorough child-proofing a rather more urgent task. Speaking of which....
C #3: Crawling
It's remarkable how quickly he's gone from being very tenative about crawling more than maybe 2 steps to reasonable proficiency (including the ability to change direction without missing much of a beat). It was really rather surprising to watch him maneuver around my leg while I was laying down.
He's also starting to move onto the "room schedule" at day care, paving the way for the transition to the next room once he's met the rest of the physical milestones (walking, for example -- which, on some days, we don't think is all that far off). It's got us working our brains a little bit, trying to figure out how to adjust the routines we had in place at home.
Just because, here's a cute post-bath picture from over the weekend.
Leo's book of the week: Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle
Papa's current book: Zorro, by Isabel Allende (English Translation)
Mama's current book: The Hard Way, by Lee Child
Monday, July 03, 2006
Big weekend
Several big developments this weekend in Leo-land. On at least two occasions he has crawled 6+ steps in a straight line. His current preferred method of locomotion is to get on all fours and then sit up, which moves him ~1 foot in any given direction (usually away from the thing he is trying to reach, unfortunately). He can do this repeatedly to get across the room. I'm _so_ not ready to pack up all of the breakables yet. His main target however is the magazine basket. Magazines! To crinkle! And tear! Wheeee!!!!
He also started saying indiscriminately "Mamamamamamama." It's truly adorable; the shape his little mouth makes while so precisely forming the M's is so sweet. He's also a pro at raspberries now--very wet ones indeed. In addition he has had his first solid, not pureed food (not counting the little veggie puffs). He had some carrots and orzo. He didn't seem to mind it, although a fair bit of the orzo was drooled out.
Last night Jeff and I went on a date (to see Lake House--pretty good, and to dinner--ok Chinese food). Our friend babysat for him, and he was in fine not-having-napped-much-all-day form. Poor thing (our friend, not Leo--he was given several opportunities to nap as much as he wanted. It's not our fault if 30-minute micronaps are all he would consent to.). But, Leo went to sleep pretty easily and had to be wakened at 7:30a this morning--which is pretty much unheard of. Good thing I set my alarm every day even though we almost never need it or I would have been late for work!
He also started saying indiscriminately "Mamamamamamama." It's truly adorable; the shape his little mouth makes while so precisely forming the M's is so sweet. He's also a pro at raspberries now--very wet ones indeed. In addition he has had his first solid, not pureed food (not counting the little veggie puffs). He had some carrots and orzo. He didn't seem to mind it, although a fair bit of the orzo was drooled out.
Last night Jeff and I went on a date (to see Lake House--pretty good, and to dinner--ok Chinese food). Our friend babysat for him, and he was in fine not-having-napped-much-all-day form. Poor thing (our friend, not Leo--he was given several opportunities to nap as much as he wanted. It's not our fault if 30-minute micronaps are all he would consent to.). But, Leo went to sleep pretty easily and had to be wakened at 7:30a this morning--which is pretty much unheard of. Good thing I set my alarm every day even though we almost never need it or I would have been late for work!
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