He's still growing!

Robin has now learned to climb over obstacles. We were doing some work in our bathroom and we placed a large chest in front of the door to keep Robin out (the bathroom doorway was too narrow for our baby gates.) It worked for a while, but he was hoisting himself onto it, and then after a while, he managed to get all the way over. And then he repeated the process many times, and is already an old pro. Here I was, trying to keep him out of the way, and instead I taught him how to climb!  Well, on the plus side, he did really well watching us work and wandering about our room before he figured that out, so that gives me hope that if we buy a new house (which we are actively thinking of doing) and have to do any work on it, Robin will be somewhat patient with us while we work.  As long as he gets to watch the use of fascinating power tools.

He's getting pretty good at the use of spoons and forks (mmm... ice cream!) He still primarily feeds himself with his fingers, but he can spear solid chunks of food on a fork now, and immediately puts it in his mouth. In fact, if he doesn't want to eat some vegetables, I can get him a fork and he'll go to town on them now. I wonder how long that trick will work for?

I dressed him up like Tom Sawyer the other day.  Isn't he a cutie??!!!

He must've just had a growth spurt, which is now over, because his voracious appetite has receded. I haven't measured him, but he has reached a magical height for me--he's now tall enough that if I hold his hand while we're walking, I don't have to bend over anymore!

I can't remember whether I've talked about this before or not, but when Robin drops food (purposefully) on the floor during meals, we take his tray away and spin him around to face away from the table for a minute as a way to try to discipline him. Well, it seems to be working. I don't think I've had to spin him around since last weekend! I suppose that means it's time to expand the discipline to include utensils and cups that are deliberately dropped. Anyway, I'd been worried for a while, since I wasn't sure this was having any effect, but his behavior in that regard has definitely improved!

The other day, he called "Mama" for a boost into my blue chair, and once up in it, he sat there with a book in his lap and babbling for a while. Dean thought it looked like he was reading the book out loud! That's what we do, after all!

He says "hi" now, and finally resumed saying "night night." He also might be trying to say "teeth." His comprehension is really growing too. He knows the parts of the face, he quacks like a duck when he sees one (real, toy, in a book), and he can put some of the shapes in his puzzle together. Last weekend he was pointing to the stop sign on the side of his school bus toy, and when Dean told him "it's an octagon," he ran over to his shape puzzle and grabbed the octagon piece.

He has discovered the off/on switch on his toys. Now I can never turn them off for silence!

I think I understand part of why the first year of life goes so fast. They just grow so much, and learn SO MANY new things in that time, that all the accomplishments help mark the passage of time. Things have slowed down a little, and I definitely take fewer pictures (he's still the primary subject of my photos though!)

I thought it was funny that he was eating his "Feed Me" shirt.

We went to the zoo this week with my friend, Sela, from Fort Collins, who aptly called it our "biannual get-together," since we don't see each other much. It was a really nice day, much warmer than we expected.  We had a fun time, and it was good to get Robin together with some other kids for a bit.

I can do anything!

Robin has begun communicating a bit more recently. He's started saying "uh oh" and signing "water." He also says "Mama" a LOT. When he starts shrieking for something that he can't reach, I've been encouraging him to say "Mama help," though of course I always respond when he just says "Mama" (since he hasn't managed "help" yet.)

The only problem with all the "Mamas" is that he's stopped saying "Dada" (mostly.) In fact, when Dean asks him "can you say 'Dada'?" he usually responds with an enthusiastic "Mama!" Sometimes they go back and forth (Dada! Mama! Dada! Mama!) several times. It makes me laugh. Poor Dean.

Robin can now put some of his mega bloks together.  He can also play ball. When I roll a ball to him and ask him to roll/throw it back, he will do so. It flies maybe 8 inches before hitting the ground and rolling the rest of the way toward me. This is something that came up at his 15 month checkup, and it looks like he's slightly ahead of the curve behaviorally/developmentally. And when it comes to being stubborn! He's now 24 pounds and 30 ¾ inches.

This is from about a week ago, when he was carrying a pair of rolled-up socks in his mouth like a dog playing fetch. And a few days later, I put a pair in my mouth, and he took it from me with his, and then I took it back... It was fun!

He is still sometimes cranky, mostly in frustration at not being able to do everything himself. I wonder if he'll always push himself to be an overachiever?

Robin loves zippers, Velcro, buttons, and buckles. If it can attach something together, he will spend a lot of time trying to figure out how it works. Pretty much every time I get him up from a nap now, he's gotten his sleepsack partially unzipped. In fact, last week he didn't really nap one day (that's the last time I let him fall asleep in the car!!!) but I left him in his room for a long time, hoping he would drop off. By the time I gave up and went to get him, he had completely unzipped his sleepsack and removed his diaper (Velcro again.) Yeesh! He also managed to pee on his pants, which were sitting on his ottoman across the room!

I only just discovered that I had this video. I feel like Dean must've shot it since I don't remember doing it, although my voice is close to the camera. Maybe I'm losing my memory. This is from a few days after Christmas, at my parents' house. Robin is pretending to stir something in the pot, and then pretending to eat it!

I took him to the library for the first time last week. It was fun. I'm looking forward to when he's 18 months, because that's the bottom of their age range for story time. He does seem to be getting a little more interested in books! The other day, I was sitting on the floor reading a book to him (he's usually all over the room when I do that) and he came up to me and started crawling over my legs. I was confused at first, until he came to rest in my lap! He wanted to sit in my lap for the story! I was so excited!

Currently, he will clap his hands when he hears the music for "If You're Happy and You Know It."

We're starting to think that Zax, the bear my Aunt Catherine made for Robin before he was born, is becoming a lovey (his favorite, something he's getting an emotional attachment to.) He's started trying to pull Zax out of the crib while playing in his room, which he never used to do. Several times now, he has grabbed for Zax while we get him into his sleepsack before naps or bed (primarily naps.) Whenever he keeps holding onto Zax when I'm ready to rock him and sing to him, I've taken Zax with me and sung to both of them (this has happened 4 or 5 times now.) Also, most of those times, he's fallen asleep in my arms while I sing to him--which is rare, usually I put him in his crib still awake. Coincidence? The jury's still out.

He is now weaned. :(  For the last three days, he has refused to latch at all, and today was the last day I will attempt it. I'm actually surprised he went as long as he did, since we went down from four nursings each day to one in less than a month, but he stuck out with the final nursing (though it got progressively shorter, and he stopped nursing on both sides) for about two months. It's somewhat bittersweet. I miss the time together, but it'll be nice to have a little more time in the day--though I'll have less online time. It'll also be nice to be able to eat peanut butter and eggs again.

Time Marching On

Robin continues to be a boy wonder. There are times when I'm frustrated and it doesn't seem like he's learning anything, but keeping a list of things I want to post helps me to see how much he's really accomplishing.

He totally cracked me up a few days ago. He had some toilet paper tubes he'd intercepted from being tossed in the boring old recycling a few days prior, and while I was sitting at my computer, he came into the room with one of the tubes over his hand. He handed me another one, and when I took it, he pressed his fingers together to make his hand as narrow as possible, and inserted his second hand into the second tube! He just wanted my help getting the second one on! He's starting to play in more imaginative ways, which is so cool!

Robin is an old pro at walking now. He can even go backwards! He looks like he's warily backing away from something every time he does it, which is funny. He is also trying to walk down steps instead of backing down them--which is a big danger right now. We have to stay very close to him and hold his hands while he tries, because if we don't, he could easily pitch headfirst down the stairs (yikes!)

When I take him for walks through our neighborhood now, he usually walks for at least part of the way. I usually bring the stroller along to help once he gets tired. He can go a pretty impressive distance; though, of course, he stops to look at/play with things along the way. I took him out in his wagon for the first time yesterday, although I made the mistake of going too far for his first time in something new. It started out great, with him riding in the wagon. Then he wanted to walk do he did that for a fair distance, but then he started wanting to go in the street or back the way we had come, and I finally had to put him back in the wagon--which he no longer wanted to do. Eventually I gave up on trying to keep him happy and just went as fast as I could back toward home. Add to everything the fact that it was cold, and I had a very cranky (okay, hysterical!) baby on my hands by the time we got home. Note to self: when doing something new, keep the initial attempt short! Today, though, we went for a short walk, just around the block, without any vehicle to pull/push him in. He made it about ¾ of the way before needing to be carried! (And he might've made it farther if the final stretch hadn't been uphill! Perhaps I'll go left instead of right next time.)

Robin can now get himself onto the seat of his truck by himself, and walk it across the room! He can also get himself into his rocking chair and rock by himself! Gross motor skills! His aunt gave him a Little People farm set for Christmas, and I have seen him place one of the little people into the tractor a few times now: spatial awareness and fine motor skills!

He's been fascinated by zippers for a long time now (No, Robin, you shouldn't unzip people's pants!!!) but today I was totally amazed: when I got him out of his crib to start the day, he had unzipped his sleep sack (wearable blanket) about ¾ of the way! I guess he was ready to get out of bed and get his day started!

Robin's still not really talking, although "Mama" definitely means "Mama" now--he'll say it as he comes looking for me! And one thing that is very nice is he's finally started doing the signs for "more" and "all done." After he finishes eating the food I give him, I tell him I think he's all done, but I'll give him more if he tells me he wants it. If he doesn't do anything, then I'll repeat "all done" and clean him up. Occasionally he'll sign "more" and I'll give him a bit more food, and occasionally he'll sign "all done," so I know he's ready. I'm SO glad he's figured those out! ("More" still technically means "food" to him, but at least we're making progress.)

The result of pasta for dinner and a cookie with black frosting for dessert.

Robin likes to have control when he eats (I know it's best to avoid power struggles, but sometimes meals turn into them these days) so a few weeks ago I handed over the reigns of his cup.

I used to use an open-top cup and just offer it to him between every few bites, but now I just fill up the sippy cup at the beginning of the day, leave it on his tray, and put it back in the fridge between meals. It took him a while to really get the hang of it (he used to put it in his mouth but wouldn't lift it up to get the fluid to the spout) but now he's doing very well, and I think he's drinking more, too. He was practicing drinking from and open-top cup by himself yesterday too--in the bathtub. And by that, I mean he was filling up a cup with bathwater, putting it to his mouth, and drinking some of the water as he poured the rest on his face. Oh my....

I flipped his carseat around to face forward last week. "They" say it's safer to keep him rear-facing until he reaches the maximum rear-facing weight of his seat, but he was running out of leg room and I thought he'd enjoy facing forward, being able to see what was going on, and not having the sun in his eyes whenever I drive north. He seemed a bit overwhelmed the first time or two, but now he seems to like it.

Holidays

Here are some holiday photos for your enjoyment.

We had a very busy Christmas day. First thing in the morning, we had Dean's parents, grandmother, and siblings over for our gift exchange. It was faster than was ideal, but we got through everything with plenty of time.

Dean's Uncle Don and Aunt Mary arrived in Denver Christmas morning, and they came to our place straight from the airport. Dean's Uncle Rohn came over too. Shortly after their arrival, my parents, grandmother, and Aunt Barbara arrived too, and we finished getting the food ready.

Then came dinner, by which time Robin was exhausted, ate a little, started making a fuss, and took his nap. He was the primary reason we wanted to host--so we could have him on his home turf. While he slept we finished eating, cleaned up, had some dessert, and enjoyed each others' company.

Shortly after Robin woke up, Don and Mary needed to leave to visit some other family, and the rest of Dean's family left after a bit.

Then we exchanged gifts with my family and had some more food.

After my family left, we did presents one more time--the stuff to each other, and the things that came in the mail.

It was a big day, and Robin got overwhelmed at times, but he definately enjoyed himself, and he's enjoying playing with all his new toys.

My Uncle John flew out the day after Christmas, so we spent several of the next days visiting with all of my extended family.

Robin is going through a difficult period right now--for all of us. I don't quite know what's up, but it's probably a combination of teething, frustration at lack of communication skills, the desire to do things himself and in his own way, learning that there are limits, other growing pains, and probably other elements to which I am totally clueless. We both often end up in tears, and I'm learning quite a bit about patience and perseverence. We're hoping that Banshee Baby will soon recede, but until he does, we're getting by.

Robin seems to be in no hurry to talk. He stopped saying night-night right around when he started walking, and hasn't replaced it with any new words. Currently he's just doing Mama and Dada, and still babbling a lot.

He has become quite a master at walking. Shortly before Christmas he mastered getting to his feet without aid, and he no longer needs to have his arms up to balance. He's quite fast now, too.

His appetite these days is gargantuan. I'm amazed such a little person can eat so much and not be getting pudgy--but he's not. If this is a precursor to how much he'll eat when he's a teenager, we'll be having to take out a second mortgage in about 12 years. Mealtimes are getting interesting. He's showing preferences for some foods over other, where he used to pretty much eat anything I put in front of him. I've learned (after a few screamfests) to keep his main dish out of sight until he's finished his fruits and/or veggies (which he still eats, but he's getting selective.) He's also preferring to feed himself more and more, so most of his foods are now put into his plastic bowls and suctioned to the tray. This is nice because it allows me more freedom to eat my own food, but it doesn't work with soups, oatmeal, yogurt, or anything else that must be eaten with a spoon if we want more of it to go in him than on him. We're frequently having to tell him not to drop food on the floor, too. His chewing capacity is still limited with only 7 teeth, so he still can't have tough foods, many raw veggies, etc.

Robin's comprehension is growing quite a bit. The other day, he came into the kitchen and had only one sock on. I asked him where his sock was, and he left the room. I followed (and kept asking "where's your sock?",) and he led me to his room, where he opened his hamper and sure enough, his other sock was inside. The he pulled it out and held it out to me. So he knew that socks go in the hamper, he understood what I asked him, and he remembered where he'd put it!

He's also starting to understand the toilet. I'll set him on it whenever I catch him in time, and lately if I ask him if he's going, he'll walk to the bathroom and reach for the door handle. Granted, we're usually too late, but I'm very glad he's made the association to begin with. We're on our way!

We went to Zoo Lights the day before it closed. Robin did really well, and seemed to enjoy all the lit-up animals.

That's most of our news. We're just waiting for the neighborhood to thaw. I need the sidewalks clear so I can take him for walks in his new wagon from Grandma Sue and Poppa, and I need the park to thaw so I can let him run around and climb and play.

Have a great 2010 everybody

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

Well okay, it's been looking like Christmas for a while.  Usually I don't do two posts in a day, but I wanted to get all this stuff up before Christmas is actually here.

Robin saw Santa at the beginning of December.  He didn't actually cry when we sat him on Santa's lap, but he kept reaching and lunging for us, so we decided to sit in Santa's sleigh and hold him ourselves.

Robin also sent a letter to Santa through Macy's department store.  They donate money to some charity (can't remember which) for every letter that goes through them.

I finally finished Robin's Christmas stocking this month.  I only started about a week before he was born--didn't take a while or anything!  I promptly went out and purchased another stocking kit, so I can start on the stocking for Robin's younger sibling.  I figure if all I have to do once baby #2 eventually arrives is personalize it and put all the pieces together, I have a fighting chance of finishing it by their first Christmas.

Mom, what gives?  There's nothing in here!

We went to Longmont's holiday parade with my parents.  Everybody bundled up and we watched all the lighted floats and marching bands go by.  I kept saying that the kids in the marching bands couldn't possibly be old enough to be in high school--boy how time changes perspectives!

Robin is learning about the best gift of all:  PACKING PEANUTS!!!!!

He even tried to eat one.  They're the biodegradable ones, so they dissolve in water (or saliva.)  Yech!

Our friends Ward and Jessica had their annual Gingerbread Party this past weekend.  We left Robin with Dean's parents (it was nice to get away for a while) and had a blast.  We made our most ambitious creation yet:  the U.S.S. Enterprise. 

It is attacking the Romulan mining ship, which is destroying the planet Vulcan (the red ball.) 

It was definately good that we left Robin at home, because instead of creating this masterpiece, we would've spent the afternoon chasing him around and keeping him from eating all the candy.

We're all getting ready for the big day!