Life in the Boonies

When Frank starts, he really zooms.  It was two days ago when he took his first steps and today he walked 4 steps from the coffee table to mom.  We just hold out our hands and say come here Frank… and he smiles and gets excited.  Then he cruise to as far as he can go and then lets go and comes walking over.  A few times you can tell he was so excited his feet was not as fast as his brain (and the rest of his upper body) so he lets go and dives forward and lands with his hands.

Another funny thing happened today.  Frank used to give mommy everything when she holds out her hand.  Not when it is a cookie!  At dinner, mom asked for the cookie and held out her hand.  Frank reached out but then on second thought took it back.  He looks to the side of his chair as if looking for something else to give mom instead of the cookie.  Mom asked several times and got the same response.  Finally she put out both hands in case there was doubt on what she was asking for.  Frank took one hand and put it in the other.  There you go mom.  =)  Then we did it two more times to show daddy and it became funny since we all started laughing.  Now we know, Frank selectively give things to mom when asked.

He is not really letting go and standing without support yet. Once in a while he does it for 2 seconds and then regains the support. He has been letting us hold him with one hand and walking some. Often he sidesteps rather than walk forward. Perhaps that is a side effect of cruising for so long. He looks like a little crab.

But today Frank took his first real steps. Watch!

1. Which hand is it in?
   While at the playground, Frank really wanted to eat stuff off the ground. To prevent him, mom takes the rock and hides it in her hand. Frank tries to pry her hand open. Mom switch to the other hand. A new game is born. Which hand is the rock in? Frank laughs and giggles as he makes his guess. Of course when the first one is wrong, he goes for the other hand and finds it there. Soon the game develops into which hand is x in as mom hides any of Frank’s toy in her hand and presents both for him to guess. Sometimes the toy is too big to hide but mom does it anyways. Interestingly enough, Frank always pick the one without the toy in those cases even though he can clearly see where the toy is. Later daddy plays this game but throws the rock away and Frank is confused in not finding the rock in either hand. Poor child.
2. Where is Frank’s arm?
   Sleeves are laughable. They get pushed up and pulled down exposing and hiding Frank’s arm. He laughs as if he just discovered his arm. He poke at it with the other hand and tug on the sleeve. Then mom pulls it down and he looks at the arm that is now hidden. Tug on it more. Mom pushes it up and he laughs and laughs at the exposed arm. Not sure why this is funny but if it makes Frank happy, we’ll play the game.
3. Whispering Secrets
   During a struggle to get Frank to nap, mom discovers Frank likes whispers in his ears. Frank hasn’t been napping willingly for a week now. Sometimes mom can rock him to sleep in her arms and then set him down in the crib. It doesn’t always work though. When he is not receptive to being calmed that way, he will start to struggle and try to wiggle out of mom’s grasp. Sometimes mom wins the struggle and eventually Frank calms down and falls asleep. This time mom lost, but gracefully. Frank got frustrated at the struggle and started to cry and scream. Mom whispered into his ears and said shhhh and other nonsense sounds. Frank started to giggle all of the sudden. Nap attempt was over but at least Frank is happy. Then we just continued whispering and laughing til Frank got the hiccups.
4. Passing toys
   Can’t remember how this started but Frank likes to pass toys through the staircase railing to mom who is on the other side. Of course she is expected to pass them back. Sometimes Frank comes back down the stairs and around the corner to get the toy. Then back up and passing it through the railing again. Sometimes he would throw it down instead of passing nicely.
5. I hammer in the morning…
   Frank held the wooden hammer correctly and pounded on the pegs on the hammer board.
6. Bouncing
   Everywhere! While standing on the bed and holding the window sill; While leaning on the backyard door; While being held in mommy’s arms; While crawling around; While cruising around the coffee table;
7. Bullet Train
   In studying aerodynamics, Frank has learned that to go faster he must reduce the wind resistance. When needing to get somewhere fast, Frank puts his head down and speed crawls without looking up. We call it bullet train. Sometimes the train needs a periscope to avoid collisions.
8. Moving things around
   Frank likes to move things around and put them back. It all started with the green plastic egg. He saw it under the couch, reached and pulled it out, inspected it, then placed it back to the same location. When eating, once in a while he would put food or his sippy cup on our table, then reach over and pick it up again to eat it or drink from it. When he throws bins and things off the chairs and tables, he picks it back up and place it where it was before. He even tried to put the lid back on the bin like it was before. Several times Frank would just come over to mom with something and gives it to her without being prompted. He grabs her hand, opens it, and puts the thing in her palm. Daddy had not seen this before and when Frank crawled to him, daddy thought he wanted a hug. But instead Frank gave daddy a toy and then turned around and crawled away. Not just in our hands either, Frank will put stuff in containers, drawers, buckets, boxes, etc. Frank is interested in his toothbrush. He holds it and sticks in his mouth while watching mom brush her teeth in the morning. When we were all done, he put the toothbrush back in the drawer on his own. Then he couldn’t take it back out so mom had to distract him with a toy.
9. Getting dressed and undressed
   When getting dressed, Frank knows to give mommy his arm and pushes it through the arm holes one at a time. He can do this while standing and playing. One arm at a time he would switch his hands to hold to to stuff. When lying down, he alternates the toy in hand. He will also lift his legs to stick them through the leg holes. Some days more cooperative then others. Taking pants off he has mastered. Mom just pulls it down and he will step out of them. This is true especially at bath time. He knows about bath time and climbs up the stairs and stands by the tub pounding his hands on the side and throwing his ducky and rings around.
10. Climbing
    Frank is getting very strong. He can now climb on top of the playground slide. He lifts his knees high enough to reach it and then pulls with his arms. Same for the steps on the play structure. Now he can get on and off without help from us. He also climbs on and off storage bins during our closet reorganization. Not to mention his musical table. Now not only does he climb on that, he also learned he can knock it over. He stands holding on to the wall and lifts the thing and turns the whole thing over.

The Birthdays
by Heidi Pitlor

I really enjoyed this book although it was very different from the mystery books I’m used to reading. There was no suspense and no crimes to solve and no details to keep in mind. I learned about this one from my mommy group. It was last month’s book club reading. I’m only 1 month behind.

The story is about a family gathering at Great Salt Island for the father’s 75th birthday. It describes the happenings on that weekend from the perspective of the mother and each of the three children. The title, birthdays, plural is meant for the birthday celebration of the dad but also the future birth of his grandchildren.

All three of his kids are starting their own families, each with their own circumstances. The oldest son recently lost his legs and gets around in a wheelchair. His wife got pregnant via a sperm donor. The second son is successful and wealthy. They went through fertility treatments and are now having twins. The youngest daughter is somewhat a rebel without a cause. She is pregnant but don’t know who the dad is.

You see the characters in their own mind as well as in the minds of their family. Each character is just so well depicted that you really want to know what’s gonna happen to them, especially when the story ends. It was a nice break for me from the mystery books that I get into and can’t put down. This was interesting and I wanted to read it whenever I had time but also lacked the suspense so I was able to do other things.

The motion sensor lights up whenever it senses motion in our living room and kitchen. Frank has somehow become intrigued by this red light that comes on and off. He stares at it and bounces up and down when it turns on. He waves at it too. Maybe hoping to turn it on. Mom and Frank dances around the kitchen and living room area to trigger the senor.  Frank gets so excited watching it go on and off.  Dad lifted him up to get a closer view and Frank cried.  Not the reaction we expected.  It must be too scary since he doesn’t understand it.  Only to be admire from a distance. This reminds me of the porcupine-fish toy. Frank used to just touch it carefully and then shrink away; or yell at it from across the room.  It was so useful being the protector of the diapers on the shelf.  Frank never reaches to throw them off the shelf when the fish is there.  Finally he got accustomed to it and it was no longer able to protect the diapers.  It has been missing from action for some time now…. I wonder where it went.

The light at the top of the stairs is another favorite.  Mom showed Frank how it turns on and off.  He likes to play with the switch but can’t get it to flip up and down yet on his own.  Then right next to that light is the smoke detector.  It also has a blinky light.  Frank just sits up there and stares at it.

When the doctor asked, “Is he sleeping through the night?”  Mom answered a definitive YES.  Maybe she spoke too soon.  Maybe Frank is out to prove her wrong once again.  Several wakenings for two days now.  Frank is also have a running nose.  Dad thinks that is from reaction to the vaccinations.  Can that explain his wakenings?  Or maybe when the doctor said the molars come out next, she was saying the molars are coming out NOW.  Frank drooled so much yesterday his whole entire front was wet without the help of any sippy cup spills.  At any moment during the day his neck was glistening with saliva.  Maybe that is why he is wakening up at night again.  We just don’t know.

At least he still took naps.  Hahaha.  Not today.  Morning nap resulted in 15 mins of quietness and then loud noises until that nap attempt was out the window.  An hour later, still no go.  Almost lunch time and there is no sign of sleepiness.  Started to get cranky but was also crawling around the kitchen floor picking up pieces of what might be food and putting them into his mouth.  Would someone please feed this poor starving child?  After lunch, Frank still playing with energy.  The break mom and dad was looking for just didn’t come.  Frank laughed, kicked, crawled, cruised, played ball, flipped books, threw blocks, and played the piano. But no naps.  Several other attemps failed with very loud screaming.  Overtired?

This week we are learning to put things back into containers rather than just taking everything out.  With that new found knowledge, Frank took the socks out of daddy’s drawer and placed it inside the garbage can.  Daddy was not as amused as mommy.  Frank goes after the balls from the shooting toy and puts them back into the tube.  He also started to put other things into there.  But they won’t fit!  He tried his spoon several times.  Finally he got it to go in by vertically inserting the spoon.  Lots of other things just sit on top since they don’t fit in the hole.

After playing all those games and taking a stroll to the store in the rain, Frank was still alert and playful.  Mom and dad was ready for a break.  Oh we spotted a yawn, better put the child down.  It is only almost 5pm.  Nope, that didn’t work.  Dinner, PJs, bed.  Still the screaming went on for 2 mins before silence came.  I wonder if he’ll sleep through the night this time…  I just heard him and it is only just 9pm.  The night is not looking promising.  Hopefully his molars will come out or he’ll start walking and we can say “Oh, that’s why he wasn’t sleeping well those nights…”

New weight came in as 20 lbs and 6.8 oz, still 15%.  New height is 29.5 inches, in the 40%.  Head is still up in the 90%.  That is likely why his shirts are hard to pull over his head.  Another tooth is out.  That makes number 8 so Frank is even on top and bottom.  Doctor says next are the molars.  Frank got 3 more shots.  One on the thigh and two on the arms.  One of them was the chicken pox shot.

Today Frank is looking for the balls and putting them back into the tunnel without mom asking and pointing.  When he tries to do it while the air is still blowing to push the balls out, he makes the funniest expression as the air blows into his face.  Sometimes the balls will come and hit him in the face and bounce off.  He turns away but then goes back to look again.  Curiosity!  Several attempts to capture this on video has failed.  Frank always hears it getting turned on and that becomes his focus even after it is turned off and put away.

Frank has tried to crawl on all fours(feet instead of knees) several times yesterday and today.  Maybe that is how he will transition to walking.  He is letting go more when moving from one holding spot to the next but not to just stand.  This is especially true when he wants to reach mom and still have his sucky thumb in his mouth.  One time he was walking around mom who was sitting on the floor and patting her back.  Then mom turned around and Frank wasn’t holding on to the wall like she thought.  Frank gave her a look that said “Dude, I’m not holding on to anything.”  Then he sat down.

We have officially started our playgroup with the East County Mothers’ Club last Tuesday (1/30). We hosted that one and 2 other moms showed up. Our playgroup is specifically for babies who are cruisers and early walkers. There is only one little girl who is already walking. She is not yet one and have beautiful blue eyes. Her name is Morgan. Another boy only 2 weeks older than Frank is already standing without holding and will walk when his mom holds one hand. His name is Spencer. At our house last week, everyone played with the ball shooting toy and Spencer showed Frank how to put the balls back into the tube. Frank just watched for a long time. Then he went and pounded on the button to start the shooting. Frank knows that part well. Later everyone played on the stairs and Frank showed off his sliding down skills. Then the moms had fun trying to get all three kids to cooperate in a group photo. This one is the best of the bunch.

This week we played at a new member’s house. Her son, Keegan, is one month younger than Frank. Five new moms gathered this time in one playroom. We arrived late since Frank had an early rising(6am) and then a long nap (8-10). Everyone was already there playing but Frank joined in on the sidelines for a while before crawling in to reach for some of the toys. Morgan liked to pat Frank and give him toys to eat. Frank would open his mouth and Morgan tries to get it in there. Frank later played with the cat. He plucked at the cat’s fur and tried to get its whiskers. Mostly the kids moved around the room oblivious to the others and the moms tried to carry on conversation. It was hard to keep any one thought going as the kids were always getting into trouble. While everyone happily stayed in the playroom, Frank always wanted to crawl out to the hall and explore the rest of the house. We played until past noon. Good thing he had his nap but he was starting to get hungry. Our host offered some new veggie chips that she recently discovered and her son eats. They look like french fries and Frank tried to eat them by the handful. “One at a time please,” mom pleads. After some of that and some water, we all decided it was time to go home.

This week Frank started to put the ball down the tube of the shooting part. At first he would takes the ball over to where the button is. As if that is the place for everything. After guiding his hand a few times, he now does it on his own if mom points to the ball and then points to the tube. “Put the ball in here,” mom says. I wonder if this new learned skill is partially due to watching Spencer and Morgan do it.

Frank’s second Superbowl! One year ago he sat in his rocker chair wrapped up in a receiving blanket. Today he sat in his red Elmo chair wearing tie-dyed socks.

One year ago his diet consisted purely of breastmilk and he demanded it every hour or so and ate for 30 minutes. Today he had 1 banana and 1/2 an English muffin for breakfast, pasta for lunch, grapes for a snack, and chili with corn bread for dinner. One year ago he spent his days mostly sleeping and crying. Today he throws toys (and food), climbs up and down the stairs, cruises, babbles, makes motorboat noises with his lips, and hands mom toys when asked. We have come a long way.

Today we celebrated Frank’s first birthday. He is such a big boy now. We opened many presents for Frank, right after he eat bananas and waffles. He got more board books, peg puzzles, wooden blocks, some cute clothes, and a puppet theater setup complete with puppets. He liked daddy playing peekaboo behind the puppet theater curtains. After his morning nap we went shopping for a new car seat. Now Frank can sit facing forward. They didn’t have the one we picked so later we order one on the Internet. Frank got leftover meatballs for lunch along with some wheat muffins. After lunch Frank was not happy playing inside so we all went to the park. We played and played until it was nap-time again. For snack, Frank was given some Asian pear but he spit them out and threw them on the floor. Finally mom gave in and peeled him an orange. Ate the whole orange with delight. Then we opened the wooden blocks and Frank picked them up, chewed them, carried it up the stairs, tossed them around. And then he was done with this new toy. Daddy gave him a bath and mommy played with him until dinner time. We ate stir-fry with rice. Frank liked the chicken alot. He got mad when daddy was putting the leftover away while he was still eating even though his tray was still full. Changed into PJs, brushed teeth, put down to bed at 8pm sharp. Frank rolled over and snuggled his blanket and we have all made it through 1 whole year of excitement, stress, joy, frustration, love, worrying, laughter, crying, hugs and kisses, amazement, wonder, and delight.

One Week Old	One Year Old