Milestones

Andrew's developmental milestones are coming fast and furious.

I remember very distinctly when Elizabeth first played a game with us. We were driving back from a friend's wedding in RI, and had stopped for a feeding and change and gas. I was in the backseat with her playing peekaboo with her blanket, covering her head and pulling the blanket down, when she suddenly grabbed at the blanket herself, covering her face and then revealing herself. She was just over 10 months old.

On Sunday, the day before the 9 month mark, I had Andrew on my lap and was playing "how big is Andrew? Sooooooo big!", raising his arms and shaking them above his head. I said just the words, and he raised my hands up in the air and laughed. I thought maybe I imagined it, and was helping him out and he wasn't really raising my hands, so I let his go and asked, how big is Andrew? And he visually searched at his sides for each of my hands, grabbed them, and lifted them above his head. Later that day he did the same with Rich. This week he's built to raising his hands on his own, without holding someone's hands, but he's still a little hesitant and will sometimes resort to his old standbye, enthusiastic but polite clapping.

We're kinda working on the sign language, too. After eating we do our version of done, which was developed by Elizabeth. We shake our hands horizontally in front of ourselves (it always cracked Rich up how Elizabeth would shake just her hands, curling up her arms like a T. rex). Prior to this week, he's found our hand movements hilarious, and giggles each time we chant done and shake our hands. It's just been this week that he's started sort of doing it himself. Though after signing done the other day he proceeded to eat half a cup of blueberries! I've also noticed while eating he will clench and unclench his fist, which is the sign for milk. He's not using it as a sign, but I expect to see it any day.

Sadly, he's also perfectly hit another milestone - the 9 month sleep regression. I'll be honest, with Elizabeth, I wasn't a huge believer in this sleep regression milestone mark. I'd commiserate when my friends talked about their babies hitting it, but Elizabeth was always such a good sleeper - there were times she'd be up, but we could almost always tie it to teeth breaking through or something and the next night she'd do her usual 12 hours, so I didn't put much credence in the theory. This week he's been up at last three times in the night. Every.Single.Night. Not fun, my little man, not fun at all. And according to the theory, it just is what it is, and he'll be out of it soon. I hope. After all, he is still pushing those top two teeth, his crawling improves every day, I've just written how he's processing thoughts and learning how to respond, and he's still figuring out standing, too, and what might come next after standing. (Ack!) So no real surprise.

However, this is all occurring at the same time that we've got to transition him into a different bed. He's been in the co-sleeper, a small little bed, like a bassinet, but that attaches directly to the side of our bed. We love it, and used it with Elizabeth until she was nealry 11 months old, with her toes and top of head nearly touching the ends of the co-sleeper. We moved her into a crib because she just flat out outgrew the co-sleeper. Otherwise we loved it and would have kept her in there longer. We have the co-sleeper on Rich's side, and he loved waking and watching her sleeping next to him. But, Elizabeth was also a baby who didn't move around much. She barely even flipped over during the night, and at 10 months was still months away from crawling. But, an active boy who is already crawling, pulling himself up, and generally moving all around? Guess what, the co-sleeper is no longer an option!


Because one of these nights he is going to topple headfirst out of the co-sleeper onto the floor, and won't that be an interrupted night of sleep, then!

Last night Rich handled Andrew's first waking, at 10 pm. Typically, this first waking is him screaming his head off, and when you go into him he quickly settles down with a pacifier and falls asleep. Usually we don't have to even pick him up, just pat him a bit and he nods quickly back off, almost as if he'd had a bad dream. All bets were off last night, as Rich went into the bedroom and found Andrew on all fours, yelling his head off, in the middle of our bed!

Less Wordy Wednesday

Getting ready

Milk on the porch

She was more excited than this. The school does ask kids wear uniforms (public schools can't require, but can suggest). She insisted on her "church shoes."

Exploring the classroom. Her teacher is in the background.

If sleep is for the weak...

...then Andrew is one strong baby. To recap, last night we were all beat after the first day of school and the morning craziness. We have never, and I mean ever, all been fed, dressed, cleaned, teethbrushed, and out the door by 8:30 am before. And even then, I forgot Elizabeth might need something to drink in the morning so pushed a cup of milk on her as we walked out the door and onto the front porch for pics. (pics soon!) Oh, right, and Andrew was only partially fed, clutching a half eaten pancake in his fist in the stroller as we walked to school.

So, after all that, you'd think last night we'd all be pretty tired, right? Well, mommy and daddy were definitely tired. Andrew was up at 1:30 for a quick feed and rocking, but down again quickly, back in the co-sleeper. Then at 2:30, screams and cries from Elizabeth's room. I stumbled into her room, but stopped at the door - I could hear her crying but she wasn't in bed! Rounding the bed I found her trying to stuff herself under. When I hauled her out, still wailing, I tried to calm her and asked why she was trying to get under the bed. "It seemed like the right thing to do!" she sobbed. I stayed with her 15 minutes or so as she sobbed and whimpered. I tried to slip away once she seemed asleep, but she clutched at me in her sleep, still upset. Finally made it back to bed, only to be awakened by Andrew, up again at 4:30 am. He nursed again, but instead of falling asleep, we tussled and fought for a good while, me thinking he'd give up and fall asleep, him ready to party. Finally I gave up, and we went downstairs a little before 6. Ouch. Elizabeth and Rich were out the door by 8:30, with just a few struggles, and Andrew finally went down - for 30 minutes. According to Gee, our nanny, he didn't nap the rest of the day. We think it's the top teeth, but whatever it is, we hope this is a phase that'll be over soon. Because Rich and I are weak, and we are tired.

Day 2 went well. Except, I thought I'd pick Elizabeth up from school, but since Andrew wasn't napping, Gee and Andrew went to pickup. And when Elizabeth spotted Gee, she burst into tears. As Gee said, it was pretty embarrassing.

We didn't get much of a school report today. Yesterday, Elizabeth had relayed a lot of the day, and was especially taken with the school lunch process. Mommy, there was a man, and he gave me a hotdog, and beans, and watermelon! This morning I told Elizabeth she would eat lunch at school today and it would be something different, which she rejected with a flat no. No, the man will give me a hotdog and beans and watermelon, that's what he has. Yes, I said, the man would have something new, supposedly tacos. She later said it was tacos, but she only ate one. Who knows what really happened.

Given how unreliable a narrator she is, a few months ago I started asking her at cuddle time what her favorite thing had been that day, trying to get her to remember events and tell them back to me. Tonight she said going to school was her favorite thing. Also tonight I asked her what her middle name was and she said, well, I'm not a building. I tried to press her on what type of building Sadie was, but she wouldn't say. So still stumped on that one.

Then:
E: Why did you get married with Daddy?
M: We loved each other and so we got married.
E: Well, I love Andrew. When I grow up I'm going to get married with Andrew. (Married with is her construct.)
M: Hmmm, you know, brothers and sisters don't marry each other. When you grow up, you'll meet someone you love and then you'll get married.
E: Why do I have to grow up? I'm just a kid. I want to just be a kid.

Things I Want to Know

Why, when Elizabeth asks her middle name, does the conversation go like this:

E: What is my middle name?
M: Sadie
E: Sadie? But I'm not a building!

Twice now we've had this exchange. I'm stumped.

--
Yep, today was the first day of school, thanks for asking. Long post with pics coming one day when I am not quite so tired (Andrew: specializing in 3-4 am wakeups for all your sleepless needs!). In a word, it went, well, great. She loved it. Here's hoping day 2 goes as well!

mobility

Andrew has achieved mobility. He's been working on it for a while now, and it's finally clicked in. For a week or two, at least. Let's see, the last time I wrote about it, geez, was over a month ago! (my mom and brother are schooling us in blog postings lately. We got to get with it!).

By the last weekend in July, he had figured out a froggy kind of crawl. Two hands forward, hop with the legs. Not too efficient, but it worked. Now it's all crawl. Funny enough, he doesn't move around all that much, maybe 10 feet here or there, but he could if he wanted. What he really wants to do is STAND. And GRAB. Stand next to Elizabeth's little play table and grab little toys or coins or dried playdough and put them in his mouth. We're entering a whole new ballgame, and while we're not ready for it, Elizabeth is REALLY not ready for it. Her stuff will never be same.

Last night he stood without holding onto anything for 2 or 3 seconds, before plopping down. He doesn't want to walk or cruise, he just likes standing.

And, in case I ever do go back through this blog and make a baby book, the top two teeth have finally started showing through - they've been right there for so long, and now we can finally see them.

So, over the course of the past few weeks, he's been figuring out how to crawl, learning to pull up to the stand and the harder manuever of letting go back to sitting, and cutting teeth. And still been mostly as charming and happy as usual, with just a few nights interrupted sleep.

Elizabeth was content to be in one place for a long, long time. She was just barely standing on her own at the year mark, so Andrew is at least two, if not three, months ahead of her physical development. We never had to block the stairs with her, we'll see what his explorations bring.

And that reminds me, must get some photos of his latest trick that comes along with the movement. He's quite proud of himself.

flying by

Yesterday was the last day of E's summer preschool co-op. Ten weeks, M-F, 10:30-1:30 pm. How is it possible it's over already?

I was there the first day as a helper. For the craft project, the teacher had printed the kid's names on paper, and spread out those foam stick-on letters. The kids were to find the letters that matched and stick on the paper to spell their names. So there I am, watching all the little kids around me - Ruby, Rex, Lucy, Felix - short little names, all busily completing the task at hand. Elizabeth was also busily working beside me, but it took me a while to realize she was not sticking on letters. In these sets of letters, the 'O' has a little circle on the inside, or the 'A' a small triangle on the inside, which usually needs to be pulled out. My dear sweet funny Elizabeth was working quite happily finding all the small multi-colored detritus from the foam letters, and sticking a different color on each fingernail.

"Look, Mommy, aren't I beautiful?" she asked, holding up her newly 'manicured' hands and admiring her handiwork.

Indeed. I manged to get her to half-heartedly stick on the E to start her name, but she was far more interested in personal beautification. We may be in trouble. So, ten weeks later, I don't think she could or would complete that same craft today. We'll see what pre-k brings.