365, 12, 1 -- heSaid -- sheSaid

August 6, 2008 7:29:39 pm

August 5th, 2008 -- 1st Birthday!

We are very late getting this up, but the toddlerness is kicking our asses! This is a joint effort and has been in process since his birthday.

Untitled from Marc Cabrera on Vimeo.

This month has been really fun, and very busy. heSaid started a new job (which rocks) so we all get more time together and heSaid takes babySaid to daycare in the mornings. sheSaid has been working in about 6 directions at once hoping one or more will pay off. All in all it's been great, but it does not leave much time for composing this update. Also I feel some pressure with this one. It's a big event, he's turned one year, we all survived, there is so much to cover.... so I think the imtimidation factor played in to it all too.



But off with the excuses and on with the update. This past year has seen babySaid go from tiny helpless bundle to happy energetic  toddler.




This month, babySaid has started talking more.

He says "Hi", this is amazing to hear, cause he is so overwhelmed to see you coming he has this very excited "Hiiiiiiiii!" that comes from the deepest part of him. He is stingy with his hi's and they seem to come out when he is overwhelmed by emotion at seeing you. The first time was to me (sheSaid) picking him up from daycare, and now he has given it to heSaid and also grandmaSaid.



While his grandparents were visiting from TC he got really good at saying BALL. Or as he say's baaaaaal. With reverence. For his birthday heSaid bought his 3 red mylar balloons. Those balloons save him from meltdown. He will be very upset, see those and with the tears still in his eyes stop crying and go baaaaal?
He also will repeat it over and over, happy to be able to say something and have us understand. If one of us says ball and there is not one visible to him, he starts looking all around for it.

Baaaaall from Marc Cabrera on Vimeo.

He has been standing up all on his own in the middle of the room since around the 4th of July but he is now practicing steps. He has taken a few try's one step forward and then falling. But he loves to hold our hands and practically RUN forward, giggling and dragging us all over the place. Sometimes this is the only way he will go some place.




babySaid has shown us many physical developments, but he has also shown us many developments that show us how smart he is.  He can now go up AND down steps, he can climb on anything, I think he is a better swimmer than I am, and I love to watch him think things through and I am really impressed with the desicions he makes.  He will be standing up in the tub, and he pulls the lever that makes the water come out of the shower.  Then he looks up at the showerhead, and then looks to you to see your reaction as you get splashed in the face with water.  It is amazing to see how he already understands so much, and how he puts things together.




He is fearless and cautious together, which I find amazing (and feel slightly blessed by!). He loves to climb steps and throw things down. But when he is at the top he lays down on his tummy to reach something on the top step instead of reaching and falling head first. He can now also go down a few steps. He cautiously lowers one foot and then the other. He backs up to things and goes very slowly. He has practised walking up and down steps with help too this week.




Some days we just sit back and watch amazed as he shows us something he just figured out and then does it over and over and over till he knows he has it right.

Though he does do some crazy foolish things.... like climbing up on his rocking chair and then standing on it facing backwards and rocking.... and then trying to use it to climb onto the couch....
 



He loves being outside. He will be very quiet if we are outside just taking it all in. Sometimes he will climb up on things so he can look outside (screaming with excitement) and when that is not enough he lets me know he wants to actually go outside.







Ok, so maybe part of the love of outside is also all the things he can eat/suck on/taste/chew. It has gotten to the point of strange too. He likes to lick bricks... and when we were at grandma's pool he cared much more about eating the slag then splashing in the water. And we are observing the emerging toddler in him with this issue. If you remove said not-appropriate-to-eat item from him he metls down into hysterics. His body becomes limp, falling to the ground, his face screws up and he cries so pathetically. So we are working on our techniques for this :)

 

He is definitely showing interest in food. In fact, he stole a piece of Falafel from me, and ate/destroyed the entire thing... So Proud. Weep. However, at his recent Dr. app we got the results of his blood test and he is anemic... which means we really need to get him to eat iron rich foods (egg yolk, liver, sea weed) I am really looking forward to this..... it's going to be fun.  Oh wait.....

He actually did really amazing getting his blood drawn. I went first (sheSaid) and he watched, then I held him and another lady held his arm and a second one drew the blood. He made an eh, noise when the blood first started going and that was about it. They took three vials and said they almost never have a kid not cry.

He is such a trooper. I am amazed over and over again at how well he does is so many situations. He is great at daycare; gets along with the other kids, is happy, naps, and hardly cries. When I need to run errands or get things done he holds up really well getting in and out of the car. And if I need to work (unless it is at the computer) he does so well. I was a vendor at the Garden Walk recently, which ment a whole day of being outside, not having much access to momma, his naps being all messed up and he (and heSaid) were so amazing. Yesterday I spent almost 7 hrs doing photoshoots for the Garden Walk, in and out of the car seat, me being very much so otherwise occupied, napping in the car. Yes he was fussy and cried some (he is not a huge fan of the carseat) but held up so well and allowed me to work. It is just amazing.

babySaid helped his Momma sell photos at the Belleville Area Garden Walk.

He is growing lots. He has 10 teeth now, his bottom molars have come in. He is over 2.5 feet tall, leaning out and reaching so much more around the house. He is no longer in the 95th percentile but somewhere closer to 75 or 65, which also means he is not going through clothes quite as fast, which is VERY NICE.

We are having lots of fun with him, chasing him through the house, letting him chase us. We can play balls, rolling them back and forth. Right now as I am typing this babySaid and heSaid are chasing each other around the living room, and babySaid will reverse the direction he is going around the table 'tricking' heSaid about which direction to chase. We sing a lot together, he still LOVES music.

He dances and bobs ands and sings along going ba ba ba ba. He makes music with everything. Spoons, balls, measuring cups, his hands.

Reading is finally getting his interest. He will pick up a few books and say 'this' or what sounds like this and hand us a book. Right now he loves animals and animal noises. He likes brown bear brown bear, Doggies, and Pat the bunny. I am relieved he will sit and listen to a book finally.

I have not included images from his birthday part in this update, I will put them in a separate post (hopefully, I think) but you can always see more images on my flickr site

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