13 Months

The weather is warming up again, the sun is out, the snow is melting, its lovely. Once Layden finishes his nap I think we will head out and enjoy some of this nice weather. These last few days I have been busy baking bread, working on painting the bathroom, and, of course, housework. The truly depressing thing about house work is that it is never done. You wash the dishes and unless you never eat again, there will soon be more. You sweep the floors and then they are dirty again, laundry never ends. So any one who thinks that being a staying at home mom isn't a full time job, think again. In fact it is more that full time, 12-20 hours a day (depending on child's age) 7 days a week, no benefits, no paid vacation, no vacations period. Don't misinterpret my complaints, there is no job I would rather have, on the whole it is a pretty good deal. I don't have to dress up, heck, if we had curtains I wouldn't even have to get dressed, except that our house tends to be a bit chilly. I don't have a commute. I am able to go for a walk on a sunny day, bake bread (big plus, store bought just can't compare), watch a movie. All that isn't the main benefit, I get to spend the day with Layden. I get to watch him learn to walk. I am there when the toaster starts smoking because he shoved a piece of paper in it and it has caught on fire. I am there when he runs about the house chasing the cat and giggling like a mad man. I am there for him to crawl onto my lap with on of his books, lean against me and smile (then he hits me with the book to make sure I get the point).

In this last month I have watched him become an accomplished walker, he rarely falls now, and I am so impressed when he pops back up still smiling. I have watched him figure stuff out, like how light switches work and that drawers open and stuff can be hidden in them. I have watched him learn how much fun a ball can be, he loves to play fetch (that sounds horrible), mommy or daddy throws the ball and he goes after it and brings it back. He knows who his daddy is and greats him with "dada da daddy dadada da da daddy", he walks over to his daddy and hugs his legs, he climbs onto his lap with a book, he still tries to gouge out the occasional eye and can be a bit violent but hopefully he will grow out of that, soon.

One Year

Well we have made it one year. You have grown so much it is hard to believe. When I first held you I could not have imagined that you would grow into such a wonderful little boy. Though sometimes this last year has been hard it has also been filled with joy. So many times when I have been frustrated or down you have smiled and whatever was bothering me was no longer so important.
You have had so many firsts in your first year. First time rolling over, first time crawling, first smile, first word, first tooth, first steps, and each was more exciting that the last. When you started crawling we thought you were so talented, so precocious. Then you pulled yourself up to standing and you were so amazing, so strong, so smart. Then you started climbing up the furniture and while we were still impressed we were maybe a bit less excited. You are such a strong little boy, but I guess that isn't really a surprise. A few months of using my bladder as a punching bag, followed by squats and chin-ups would make anyone strong.
You are a very curious, investigative child. Everything is worth investigating, especially if it is a grown up toy. All of Dad's tools are wonderful, but the best thing of all is the screwdriver. Nothing makes your eyes light up like an 8" #2 flat head screwdriver, except perhaps any other screwdriver you manage to lay hands on. What is on the counter top? You don't know, but you are going to find out, drawer handles make great ladders. What's in the roll top desk? As soon as you can get it unrolled you will find out.
You are quite the animal lover, though animals don't always love you. Gentle is still a lesson you need to learn. The cat is trying to teach you but you just roll with the punches. You show up with the occasional scratch but it doesn't seem to faze you. You think Lucy is wonderful and you would love to just pet her and dig your face into her fur but you respect that that is not what she wants.
Even though you put everything from the floor into your mouth (the less edible the better) and you insist that the world is your oyster and won't believe it really isn't OK for you to climb on the table, even though it has been near impossible for me to get anything done for a year now, I would not change a thing. I don't regret a minute of it. You are the greatest gift your father and I have ever received. And now you are starting to talk. You will say Peek-a-boo, uh-oh, sometimes doggy, and maybe even daddy. You have other methods of communication, some more subtle than others. You make the sign that we are trying to teach you means milk for just about any food you want, you have found that trying to pull off my shirt is very effective at communicating "Milk, now!"
One of our friends from college recently found out she was pregnant after 5 months of trying. I remember learning I was pregnant with you, I was excited, a little scared, but excited. I though I knew what this would mean, Blah blah blah, awesome responsibility, blah blah blah, your life is totally different, blah blah blah everything will change, well I didn't know. I thought I could imagine how my life would change, but I couldn't. But I also couldn't imagine how much I would love you, how much joy you were going to bring to my life.

Eleven Months

I missed your ten month milestone because we have lost our free internet but so much has happened since you became nine months old that I just can't skip this one. You have spoken your first word. "Pak-boo" or sometimes "Pak-a-boo". You did this for Grammy. Mommy tried and tried and then Grammy comes and her first day her you bust out your speaking skills. You are also very close to being a bipedal organism. You did one shuffling step for mommy and daddy, you did two steps for Grammy. You seem to recognize your Grammy, Grandpa and Juncle and seem happy to see them.
You had a very fun time at the bookstore with the owner's little doggy. That doggy licked your face and ears and you thought it was the funniest thing in the world. Then the doggy played tug of war with you and that was even better. You giggle and laughed and smiled and wanted to do it again and again. You would like to play tug of war with Lucy. You bring her a toy and wave it around so she will grab it but she just doesn't seem to get it. You keep trying though. Occasionally she comes and takes it from you and that is pretty darn cool, so exciting you just have to clap.
You have very impressive muscles at this point. You can do squats with and without weights, you have a six pack and very well defined arms. You could win a baby body builder competition. Your strength comes in especially handy when you are fighting a diaper or clothing change as if your life depended on it. You just don't like getting clothes put on or having them taken off. You would be happiest if we left you in the same clothes until you got so big we had to cut them off of you.

Grammy brought you some new toys which you think are pretty great. You even put small toys inside larger ones and try to put the different shapes back in the cube rather than merely looking for opportunities to create chaos. You are starting to like your baths a bit more as well and will now take them on your own. Sadly you won't be able to take any for a bit because we have been forced to replace the bathroom floor do to a toilet leak. Very gross.
You give me very good hugs now and we have some wonderful conversations. Everyday we learn more about the amazing person you are and everyday I want to know more. You are ever so terribly wonderful. So smart and sweet and terrifying.

Nine Months

This month you have begun to realize that books have value beyond their flavor and consistency. You are beginning to enjoy have books read to you. A particular favorite is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. I can read it over and over and it never seems to get dull. Sometimes you will quietly sit and listen. Other times you feel the need to participate, talking, pointing, turning pages. You also enjoy "Where is My Cat?" by Eric Carle but are not as impressed by Dr. Seuss' ABC's, I think it may be a bit long-winded for you.

This month we got you a kitty and you love her. You love her so much you want to eat her. You have actually managed to bite her tail once and she was not terribly impressed. Amazingly she still puts up with you to an impressive degree, she hasn't scratched you once though she has had provocation. She endures your less than gentle caresses and for this you love her. She is so soft and makes such interesting noises and moves all on her own. You just want to bury your face in her fur.

I have recently realized that you have one heck of a lot more hair than you used too. You may even be needing a hair cut soon. It is still soft, especially when it is freshly clean, and I still love rubbing my cheek on your head. You also give off an amazing amount of heat, which has gained you the nickname "The Hand Warmer". You could be a comic book super hero rescueing innocents from cold hands. You also enjoy my hair, which has gotten quite long again. When you are nursing or tired you will sometimes gently play with it in a way that is very endearing. Other times you give a good hard yank and like to chew on it, not so endearing. I think you like your fuzzy blue blankey so well because it remainds you of mommy's hair or the kitty's fur. You bury your face in it and giggle delightedly. You chew on it and slobber on and enjoy it so much that I am glad I could make you so happy.
You have developed a slightly disturbing habit, when I tell you no in an angry voice you just look at me and smile real big. "Mommy, that voice you are using is just so funny. That word 'no' is just so silly. Don't you know I'm the baby?". You occasionally get carried away playing and bite me, just like a puppy, I say "No, Layden" You look up, smile big, and bite me again. Right now the no voice may just be a new and funny sounding voice but soon you will find it less funny when it is accompanied by a swat on the bottom.
You are really enjoying the work that daddy has been doing with power tools. You will just sit near him and watch as he saws a board in half and drills holes in it. The when he gets up you want to try too. That sawing didn't look to hard you seem to be thinking as you reach for the saw. And when ever daddy turns on the drill you have to make a bit of noise, just to make sure that drill knows it isn't the only noisy one around here. You have started to reach for daddy on occasion when mommy is holding. This makes both of us quite happy, I am so glad you love your daddy because I think he is pretty great too. You also will reach for Lynda on occasion which thrills her. You like Lynda, and Lynda thinks you are pretty great too.
Lynda, you and me (and Troy and his friend Robert) all went to the Nez Perce County fair in Lewiston last night. You enjoyed all the pretty lights and you like the smaller animals. You weren't so sure about the cows, they were just a little bit big. We sat down at the stage and listened to a show by The Standards. You seemed to enjoy it in a serious sort of way. You stood on our laps watching them intently. You even joined in on the last couple of songs, singing along, helping them make lots of noise. So very very cute. You were so well behaved, even at 10:30 when you were hungry and tired. I don't know why I have been blessed with such a cute, intelligent, incredible, lovable little boy but I am thankful every day that I have been. For every minute of frustration and exhaustion you have brought me, you have brought me hours of love, happiness and even entertainment.

Eight Months

Well Little One, today you turned 8 months old. The last couple months have been busy ones. You have become as active, inquiring, mobile and intelligent as I hoped/feared you would be. You now have free run of most of the house and take full advantage of this freedom. I have learned that the bathroom door must be kept closed because you seem to enjoy the flavor of toilet paper. When you get some in your hands and see me coming to take it away it heads straight to your mouth. Toilet paper is much more difficult to extract from your mouth than I would have expected. You like to save the little bits of paper or wood or whatever that you find on the floor in your cheek like a wad of chew. Then later you will shift it out and start gnawing on it again, at which point I extract the last bit of paper though I was sure I had gotten it all earlier.

You are moving faster and faster everyday. Your current method of choice is a slightly gimpy crawl that relies more on one leg than the other but as far as I can tell which leg it is seems to vary from day today. But oh how you would love to be able to walk. To be able to take your booty with you as you flee the scene, or be able to follow me around clinging to my pants leg (sidenote: while clinging to my leg like that is incredibly cute and endearing it also prevents me from getting anything done and will likely lead to me falling on my arse one day soon). Though have not evolved sufficiently yet for an upright gait (insufficient balance) you are most definitely a tool user. Highchairs, toy chairs, playpens and laundry baskets have all been used to travel in an upright fashion. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on viewpoint (mine vs. yours) you haven't figured out turning. So when you hit an obstacle, most often a wall, you are done. At this point you proceed to try to pull your walker down on your head as a sign of your disappointment. You are also beginning to seriously work on climbing. So far you have only managed one stair, or the end of the couch, or your toy chairs.

You still aren't much of a cuddler, you are too busy investigating, climbing (falling, crying), and tasting for such mundane activities as cuddling. But every once and awhile when you are all worn out and winding down to go to sleep you will sit quietly on our lap sucking you fingers and we can hold you and kiss the top of your warm little head to our hearts content. One morning you woke up (far too early) crawled over to me and laid down with your head on my shoulder. My heart nearly burst and I forgave you every early morning all over again.

You seem to really enjoy spending time outside. So many noises, sight, smells, and tastes (if I don't keep a close eye on you). You will happily sit in your little chair outside while I work in the yard or hang clothes on the line. Looking around, playing with a toy or talking to the strap holding you in, perhaps trying to cajole it into letting you go. Animals are very exciting for you and you would love to play with the neighbors' cat, Stuart. Stuart is smarter than that though and rarely lets you get to close. I am trying to teach you to be gentle (to humans as well as animals) but the concept hasn't really sunk in yet. You like going on walks with mommy and Linda. You like Linda. One day she was carrying you and you talked quietly to her, sucked on her shirt, copped a feel ( you won't always be able to get away with that, just a warning) and laid your head on her shoulder. I was so jealous. You will tolerate most people holding you but if mommy gets close enough you will make a jump for it.

You are vocal and quiet by turns. You will spend hours not saying much and then you will yell and yell and yell. Oh, you do like the sound of your own voice. I think that when it gets to quiet you decide that, it is a dirty job but someone has to do it, so you yell. This has happened a number of times at the library, your "library voice" draws the eyes of everyone in the library. Luckily you are just so darn cute that no one cares. You love noisy machines. When daddy switches on the shop-vac you like to compete and see which of you can be louder. You love the chop saw, on or off. In fact you really like daddy's tools in general. When you are playing in the basement you inevitabley end up heading for the work shop, most likely the least safe room in the house. Once you are a bit older I predict that you will love to "help" mommy and daddy work. Hopefully we will remember to appreciate that you want to be with us and treasure the time eventhough your help with most likely involve misplacing small yet integral pieces or pulling up vegetables so the "pretty" weeds have room to grow.