Xander climbs on everything. Even before he could walk, he was climbing. He climbed out of his bouncer, then he moved on to the stairs, and he hasn't stopped now that he is getting older.
Once he learned to walk, he put ladders on his to-do list. At first, he was too small to actually use the slide when he climbed to the top of the ladder, but that didn't mean he wasn't enjoying the process of climbing the ladder. Now that he is old enough to slide down on his own, a slide can be a standing source of entertainment for blocks of time. Even when there isn't a ladder, the process of getting up to and down a slide is an enjoyable one. At one particular playground, Xan is able to walk up a slanted ramp, then shimmy across a shaky bridge and then once he's across, careen down the slide, and start all over again.
Furniture is another popular target. On Xander's first trip to the Museum of Science in Boston, he ascended a two-foot stool on more than one occasion, delighting in the interactive computer screens that awaited once standing on the stool. Household furniture is no different. While he has his own little couch and chair from which he can watch TV, he will frequently forgo them in order to climb onto the couch. Upstairs, the rocking chair in his bedroom is no longer the sole domain of mom and dad. Xander can now climb into it and rock himself, laughing uproariously each time the chair tips backwards.
When Xander climbs into the fridge, or scurries close to the edge of the couch he has just conquered, his climbing isn't so cute, but most of the time he's ok. Xander has a good grip, and he knows what he wants. He hasn't tried to climb out of his crib yet, but it's only a matter of time. He has half-heartedly tried to hook his leg over the side, and when he realizes that he can stack his pillows and blankets in the corner...watch out. But whether it's his crib, a ladder or the couch, one thing is for sure -- Xander isn't about to stop being a climber monkey anytime soon.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Bedtime Bookworm
At one point, Xander was quite resistant to bedtime. He always liked it when mom and dad read him stories after bath and changing into PJ's, but when he started to get his molars, he didn't want to be put down. Babies don't like being horizontal when they're teething apparently, and since sleeping invariably involves lying horizontally, Xan wasn't having it.
Mom and dad, once willing to sit through half-hour to hour-long stretches of bed time, eventually decided that Xander needed to be a big boy, and would let Xander fall asleep on his own. At the tail end of the teething process however, this was still proving to be quite time consuming. But an accidental flip of a book into the crib proved a turning point. Ever the bookworm, Xander grabbed the book, plopped down on the bed, and read quietly. From that point on, bedtime became a breeze.
That's not to say there weren't missteps along the way. On the morning when mom and dad awoke to find a page from Xander's Toy Story Little Golden Book torn to shreds, they came to the realization that perhaps it would be best if only board books went into the crib. And while sometimes not even the board books survive the long haul, as his battered copy of Jamberry can testify, they certainly have much better odds. From Sandra Boynton, to Baby Einsteins, to Runaway Bunny, Xander has a bevy of board books, but Goodnight Gorilla and Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed the leaders in the clubhouse.
Now that Xander has his first (and almost his second) set of molars, bedtime (and nap time) is a lot more peaceful, and if mom and dad don't pick a board book for bedtime reading, he still goes to sleep fairly quickly, but if one comes out, you can bet that the bedtime bookworm is going to reach for it, roll up under his covers with it and fall asleep with a big smile on his face.
Mom and dad, once willing to sit through half-hour to hour-long stretches of bed time, eventually decided that Xander needed to be a big boy, and would let Xander fall asleep on his own. At the tail end of the teething process however, this was still proving to be quite time consuming. But an accidental flip of a book into the crib proved a turning point. Ever the bookworm, Xander grabbed the book, plopped down on the bed, and read quietly. From that point on, bedtime became a breeze.
That's not to say there weren't missteps along the way. On the morning when mom and dad awoke to find a page from Xander's Toy Story Little Golden Book torn to shreds, they came to the realization that perhaps it would be best if only board books went into the crib. And while sometimes not even the board books survive the long haul, as his battered copy of Jamberry can testify, they certainly have much better odds. From Sandra Boynton, to Baby Einsteins, to Runaway Bunny, Xander has a bevy of board books, but Goodnight Gorilla and Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed the leaders in the clubhouse.
Now that Xander has his first (and almost his second) set of molars, bedtime (and nap time) is a lot more peaceful, and if mom and dad don't pick a board book for bedtime reading, he still goes to sleep fairly quickly, but if one comes out, you can bet that the bedtime bookworm is going to reach for it, roll up under his covers with it and fall asleep with a big smile on his face.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tris & Xan
Two weekends ago, mom, dad and Xander ventured back to mom's home parts in central New York. The reason for the visit was simple -- Xander's cousin Tristan (and his mom) were coming to town for a visit. This was going to be Tristan's first trip to his mom's old stomping grounds, and it was a good opportunity to get the two cousins, who are separated by only a few months, together for a visit.
When kids are at this age, they rarely interact with each other. Rarely, they interact around one another, and this was the case for much of the time Tris and Xan spent together. But they offered a few glimpses of what life would be like when they managed to focus on each other.
One thing is clear -- the two boys like each other. It helps that both seem to be both outgoing and easygoing at the same time. Tris isn't walking on his own yet, but he is crawling up a storm, and he can walk if someone is propping him up. Several of the times he was propped up, he would venture over Xander's way, and when nobody helped him, he crawled over on his own.
Xander, being the more mobile of the two, would sometimes walk over to Tris, crouch down and point or wave at Tris. Once, when Tris was snapped into his umbrella stroller, Xander took it upon himself to wheel Tris around for a few minutes. Each time Xander's route changed, Tris would look up at him with a bemused look on his face, and they would share a laugh.
Like all good cousins, they also shared in some roughhousing. On Saturday at the hotel, Tris parked himself on the floor in front of one of the dressers. Xan took this as an opportunity to repeatedly Tris' fingers into the dresser drawers, until Tris had enough and went crawling over to his mom for protection. He would return the favor on Sunday though. Seated on the floor of the fire house where a gathering was held for family members to come and visit with Tris and his mom, the two boys shared a snack of Rice Chex. Xander, however, was sharing more reluctantly than usual, because Rice Chex are his favorite. Tris wasn't a big fan of Xander's reticence, and decided it would be easier to give him a chop across the chest with his meaty forearm, knocking Xan over and taking the Chex all for himself.
Though the two boys probably won't see each other as much as their mom's would like, they are growing up in the internet age and will likely be the best of buds. But when they do get together, they are sure to create a tornado of destruction, laying waste to both themselves and anything or anyone in their way. Put the women and children to bed when Tris and Xan are afoot!
When kids are at this age, they rarely interact with each other. Rarely, they interact around one another, and this was the case for much of the time Tris and Xan spent together. But they offered a few glimpses of what life would be like when they managed to focus on each other.
One thing is clear -- the two boys like each other. It helps that both seem to be both outgoing and easygoing at the same time. Tris isn't walking on his own yet, but he is crawling up a storm, and he can walk if someone is propping him up. Several of the times he was propped up, he would venture over Xander's way, and when nobody helped him, he crawled over on his own.
Xander, being the more mobile of the two, would sometimes walk over to Tris, crouch down and point or wave at Tris. Once, when Tris was snapped into his umbrella stroller, Xander took it upon himself to wheel Tris around for a few minutes. Each time Xander's route changed, Tris would look up at him with a bemused look on his face, and they would share a laugh.
Like all good cousins, they also shared in some roughhousing. On Saturday at the hotel, Tris parked himself on the floor in front of one of the dressers. Xan took this as an opportunity to repeatedly Tris' fingers into the dresser drawers, until Tris had enough and went crawling over to his mom for protection. He would return the favor on Sunday though. Seated on the floor of the fire house where a gathering was held for family members to come and visit with Tris and his mom, the two boys shared a snack of Rice Chex. Xander, however, was sharing more reluctantly than usual, because Rice Chex are his favorite. Tris wasn't a big fan of Xander's reticence, and decided it would be easier to give him a chop across the chest with his meaty forearm, knocking Xan over and taking the Chex all for himself.
Though the two boys probably won't see each other as much as their mom's would like, they are growing up in the internet age and will likely be the best of buds. But when they do get together, they are sure to create a tornado of destruction, laying waste to both themselves and anything or anyone in their way. Put the women and children to bed when Tris and Xan are afoot!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Fork & Spooner
It started innocently enough. One time at a restaurant, Xander was busy grabbing for everything in sight as is his custom. Mom and dad didn't want him playing with sharp knives or forks, but a spoon seemed harmless enough. Or at least it did, until Xander started spooning ice cubes out of the water glasses. Experiment over.
Still, mom and dad got to thinking that maybe they should let Xander use a toddler fork and spoon during meals. He had a couple from baby shower gifts. At first, nothing happened. He would grab them, but didn't really know what to do with them. Ever the observant boy, he watched mom and dad, and started experimenting. In no time, he was spearing stuff with his fork. Now, when he wasn't teething, meal time became somewhat exciting for Xander, as he had control over what he was eating. Bye bye watermelon! See you in hell, canteloupe! Asta la vista, pork chops! He would almost attack the bite-size morseld of food in front of him. If the piece was too big, he astutely guided them to his mouth, cradling the food with his non-fork hand (usually his left hand) on the side the same way a basketball player would when he goes to shoot.
In the midst of all this fork-mania, the spoon sat idly by, waiting its turn. There aren't as many things in Xander's diet that call for the spoon as do the fork however, so it was often ignored, especially at lunch time. Once Xander grew weary of apple sauce, the only spoon-staple left in his diet was his morning oatmeal, which mom and dad were happy to feed to him (to pass the time, dad would sometimes hum Elaine's "Yankee Bean" ditty). Breakfast doesn't usually start with oatmeal though, it starts with Xander's all-time favorite food, Chex. While Xan mows on his Chex, the parental unit in charge prepares his oatmeal and waits for him to finish.
One morning last week, dad put the oatmeal down on the table, just out of Xander's reach, waiting 'til the Chex binge concluded. But on this day, Xan reached for the spoon sticking aloofly out of the sea of oatmeal. It was the second or third time he had reached for it in recent days, but on previous occasions dad had ignored it. On the morning in question however, dad shrugged his shoulders and let Xan have a go. The results, both on that day and since, have been encouraging. Xander doesn't quite hold the spoon correctly -- he grips it with his four fingers rather than using his thumb. As a result, he loses control three-fourths of the way to his mouth and turns the spoon over, dropping the food into his mouth like a priest giving Communion to a group of people he's never met before. With oatmeal, this works just fine, as oatmeal tends to stick to the spoon. With apple sauce or a snack-size bowl of pears, less so. The first time Xander ate his own apple sauce, half wound up in his mouth, and half on his bib.
Whether he gets all the food into his mouth is of lesser importance though than the feeling of independence he gets from being able to feed himself. Mom and dad aren't sure whether or not 16 months is young for a baby to be feeding himself, but frankly they don't care. The only thing that matters is seeing little Xander transform into a fork and spooning machine!
Still, mom and dad got to thinking that maybe they should let Xander use a toddler fork and spoon during meals. He had a couple from baby shower gifts. At first, nothing happened. He would grab them, but didn't really know what to do with them. Ever the observant boy, he watched mom and dad, and started experimenting. In no time, he was spearing stuff with his fork. Now, when he wasn't teething, meal time became somewhat exciting for Xander, as he had control over what he was eating. Bye bye watermelon! See you in hell, canteloupe! Asta la vista, pork chops! He would almost attack the bite-size morseld of food in front of him. If the piece was too big, he astutely guided them to his mouth, cradling the food with his non-fork hand (usually his left hand) on the side the same way a basketball player would when he goes to shoot.
In the midst of all this fork-mania, the spoon sat idly by, waiting its turn. There aren't as many things in Xander's diet that call for the spoon as do the fork however, so it was often ignored, especially at lunch time. Once Xander grew weary of apple sauce, the only spoon-staple left in his diet was his morning oatmeal, which mom and dad were happy to feed to him (to pass the time, dad would sometimes hum Elaine's "Yankee Bean" ditty). Breakfast doesn't usually start with oatmeal though, it starts with Xander's all-time favorite food, Chex. While Xan mows on his Chex, the parental unit in charge prepares his oatmeal and waits for him to finish.
One morning last week, dad put the oatmeal down on the table, just out of Xander's reach, waiting 'til the Chex binge concluded. But on this day, Xan reached for the spoon sticking aloofly out of the sea of oatmeal. It was the second or third time he had reached for it in recent days, but on previous occasions dad had ignored it. On the morning in question however, dad shrugged his shoulders and let Xan have a go. The results, both on that day and since, have been encouraging. Xander doesn't quite hold the spoon correctly -- he grips it with his four fingers rather than using his thumb. As a result, he loses control three-fourths of the way to his mouth and turns the spoon over, dropping the food into his mouth like a priest giving Communion to a group of people he's never met before. With oatmeal, this works just fine, as oatmeal tends to stick to the spoon. With apple sauce or a snack-size bowl of pears, less so. The first time Xander ate his own apple sauce, half wound up in his mouth, and half on his bib.
Whether he gets all the food into his mouth is of lesser importance though than the feeling of independence he gets from being able to feed himself. Mom and dad aren't sure whether or not 16 months is young for a baby to be feeding himself, but frankly they don't care. The only thing that matters is seeing little Xander transform into a fork and spooning machine!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Six Flags
Mom, dad and Auntie D took Xander to Six Flags New England this past weekend. The park would only be open for a couple more weeks, and mom and dad (mainly dad) wanted to give Xander his first amusement park experience.
Upon arriving in scenic Agawam, Mass., the group headed over to the tram. We ended up on the sky-blue painted Skittles tram. Xander, who likes trains and most other moving vehicles, was a big fan of the tram. But it is a short ride - so short that the group wondered aloud why they had bothered taking it (note: this didn't stop them from taking it on the way back).
Once inside, the group made off for Kidzopolis. The first stop was ZoomJets - the little planes in a circle that go up and down. Xander was seemingly unimpressed. He was also seemingly unimpressed on Krazy Kars (that one actually did suck, even for a kids ride) and Zinger Swings. It wasn't until the western-themed ferris wheel, which was called Wagon Wheels or something like that, that smiles surfaced.
This shouldn't have come as a surprise. One of the effects of Xander observing everything around him is that he sort of detaches when he has an opportunity to just look around. This comes into play mainly on the swings. Knowing that he's not responsible for his own movement, he takes the time to look around at cars, other kids or whatever is in the area. One often doesn't know that Xander is enjoying himself until the person pushing him lets Xan come to a gentle stop, only to find Xander kicking that he wants to swing some more.
Back to Wagon Wheels, when Xan got to the top - which took awhile since each rider had to be loaded on one at a time - he broke out in smiles, and it was a smile-fest from there on out. He enjoyed the pirate-themed playground, and the Route 66 car driving course with mom, and the Ship's Ahoy! kiddie dragon-boat ride. Once he figured out where everything and everyone was, he had a much better time.
But his favorite part of all? Watching the big roller coasters. Dad and AD went on the Bizarro Superman and Mind Eraser coasters, and during each mom and Xan hung out near the exit and watched the coasters zoom by overhead. Each time, Xan would screech with delight and point at the coasters. He's still a long ways away from being tall enough to ride them himself, but he will likely be ready long before that.
When you add up the price of admission, plus food and games, amusement parks are rarely cheap, but giving Xander his first experience at one proved worth the price of admission and then some.
Upon arriving in scenic Agawam, Mass., the group headed over to the tram. We ended up on the sky-blue painted Skittles tram. Xander, who likes trains and most other moving vehicles, was a big fan of the tram. But it is a short ride - so short that the group wondered aloud why they had bothered taking it (note: this didn't stop them from taking it on the way back).
Once inside, the group made off for Kidzopolis. The first stop was ZoomJets - the little planes in a circle that go up and down. Xander was seemingly unimpressed. He was also seemingly unimpressed on Krazy Kars (that one actually did suck, even for a kids ride) and Zinger Swings. It wasn't until the western-themed ferris wheel, which was called Wagon Wheels or something like that, that smiles surfaced.
This shouldn't have come as a surprise. One of the effects of Xander observing everything around him is that he sort of detaches when he has an opportunity to just look around. This comes into play mainly on the swings. Knowing that he's not responsible for his own movement, he takes the time to look around at cars, other kids or whatever is in the area. One often doesn't know that Xander is enjoying himself until the person pushing him lets Xan come to a gentle stop, only to find Xander kicking that he wants to swing some more.
Back to Wagon Wheels, when Xan got to the top - which took awhile since each rider had to be loaded on one at a time - he broke out in smiles, and it was a smile-fest from there on out. He enjoyed the pirate-themed playground, and the Route 66 car driving course with mom, and the Ship's Ahoy! kiddie dragon-boat ride. Once he figured out where everything and everyone was, he had a much better time.
But his favorite part of all? Watching the big roller coasters. Dad and AD went on the Bizarro Superman and Mind Eraser coasters, and during each mom and Xan hung out near the exit and watched the coasters zoom by overhead. Each time, Xan would screech with delight and point at the coasters. He's still a long ways away from being tall enough to ride them himself, but he will likely be ready long before that.
When you add up the price of admission, plus food and games, amusement parks are rarely cheap, but giving Xander his first experience at one proved worth the price of admission and then some.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Give Me Freedom Or Give Me Chex
The positives to Xander learning to walk far, far outweigh the negatives. But one potential negative is the fact that he has learned that can be free. If Xander does not want to ‘come here,’ he no longer has to, because now he can get to wherever he wants on his own. Mom and dad are rapidly learning that there is one way and one way only to conclusively corral Xander on a consistent basis: Chex.
Originally, dad only gave Xander Chex because he and Xan had finished the Cheerios, and it was another couple of days ‘til pay day. But the impact was immediate -- he loved them. Corn Chex are his favorites, but he also likes Wheat Chex and never turns up his nose at Rice Chex either. Or more appropriately, he never gives them the Heisman treatment. If you come to Xander with a food or beverage item that is not on his menu, you are most definitely getting the stiff arm treatment. In recent weeks, he’s added a Dee Brown to the move -- he throws out the stiff arm (with a little push in it) with the left arm, while covering his mouth and face with the right arm. Where mom and dad used to be able to drive hard to the hoop to get food he didn’t want on to his lips -- and then from there hope he swallowed it and liked it -- now it’s nigh impossible. If he doesn’t want it, you have no chance.
This goes for walking outdoors as well. It’s probably dad’s fault. In front of mom and dad’s new apartment is a big hill with a fence on top. When you exit the abode, you have two choices to get to your car -- walk up the stairs that detour around the side of the hill, or just charge up the hill and pommel horse the fence. Dad, ever the impatient, too frequently charges straight up the hill, Xander in one arm, diaper bag in the other. So now, whenever Xander gets outside, the first thing he wants to do is try to walk up the hill. It would be cute if it wasn’t so potentially dangerous.
Xander’s other dangerous habit is that he doesn’t believe in holding adults’ hands when he is walking on the sidewalk. You might get him to hold your hand for a few yards, but soon enough, there will be a noise or movement, and suddenly holding your hand is no longer a priority. The priority is looking at that car, looking at that truck, looking at that six-year old who just went careening across the playground at breakneck speed. Suddenly the hand that was holding yours is violently yanked away as he assumes his “watcher” position, feet shoulder width apart, hands at his sides, mouth slightly open, eyes focused. Once the moment, or vehicle, passes, he’ll go back to walking towards the intended destination, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll want to hold your hand. This sort of behavior earns Xander a lot of shoulder rides.
On the sidewalk of the apartment complex, the combination of the desire for freedom and the natural inclination to shift to the “watcher” position is mostly cute, and almost completely harmless, but in large crowds it can be problematic. For example, dad and a friend recently took Xander to his first Pawtucket Red Sox game. When he was a tyke that couldn’t move around, Xan sat quietly on dad’s lap at the Rockies’ game, but now that he has freedom, nothing of the sort is going on. Upon reaching the concourse, dad plopped Xander down and went about the process of trying to walk to our seats. But even though we were early, there were still hundreds of people to look at. Did it help that the 40-year old woman who can be conservatively described as voluminous was trying to carry on a conversation with him? No, probably not. But there were legions of people to look at, and given his druthers, Xander would have just planted himself on that concourse and looked at every single one of them.
Conversely, while there were plenty of people and things to look at from the seats, they were limiting. Sit in one place for three hours? Dad, surely you jest. Xander was temporarily sated by the spread of veggie sticks, Triscuits and Chex, but once the supply was dry, Xan wanted to fly. And one advantage of being a little guy is that you fit everywhere -- trying to shimmy down the backs of the chairs to the row in front of him became a prominent strategy for Agent X. After the third inning, dad and his friend had seen enough.
Xander is big on exploring, and that is the main way he learns about the environment around him, and also about himself. But unfortunately, there are times when he needs to be tended to, and during those situations, attention needs to be heightened, because as freedom increases, cooperation decreases. Give him freedom, or give him Chex.
Originally, dad only gave Xander Chex because he and Xan had finished the Cheerios, and it was another couple of days ‘til pay day. But the impact was immediate -- he loved them. Corn Chex are his favorites, but he also likes Wheat Chex and never turns up his nose at Rice Chex either. Or more appropriately, he never gives them the Heisman treatment. If you come to Xander with a food or beverage item that is not on his menu, you are most definitely getting the stiff arm treatment. In recent weeks, he’s added a Dee Brown to the move -- he throws out the stiff arm (with a little push in it) with the left arm, while covering his mouth and face with the right arm. Where mom and dad used to be able to drive hard to the hoop to get food he didn’t want on to his lips -- and then from there hope he swallowed it and liked it -- now it’s nigh impossible. If he doesn’t want it, you have no chance.
This goes for walking outdoors as well. It’s probably dad’s fault. In front of mom and dad’s new apartment is a big hill with a fence on top. When you exit the abode, you have two choices to get to your car -- walk up the stairs that detour around the side of the hill, or just charge up the hill and pommel horse the fence. Dad, ever the impatient, too frequently charges straight up the hill, Xander in one arm, diaper bag in the other. So now, whenever Xander gets outside, the first thing he wants to do is try to walk up the hill. It would be cute if it wasn’t so potentially dangerous.
Xander’s other dangerous habit is that he doesn’t believe in holding adults’ hands when he is walking on the sidewalk. You might get him to hold your hand for a few yards, but soon enough, there will be a noise or movement, and suddenly holding your hand is no longer a priority. The priority is looking at that car, looking at that truck, looking at that six-year old who just went careening across the playground at breakneck speed. Suddenly the hand that was holding yours is violently yanked away as he assumes his “watcher” position, feet shoulder width apart, hands at his sides, mouth slightly open, eyes focused. Once the moment, or vehicle, passes, he’ll go back to walking towards the intended destination, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll want to hold your hand. This sort of behavior earns Xander a lot of shoulder rides.
On the sidewalk of the apartment complex, the combination of the desire for freedom and the natural inclination to shift to the “watcher” position is mostly cute, and almost completely harmless, but in large crowds it can be problematic. For example, dad and a friend recently took Xander to his first Pawtucket Red Sox game. When he was a tyke that couldn’t move around, Xan sat quietly on dad’s lap at the Rockies’ game, but now that he has freedom, nothing of the sort is going on. Upon reaching the concourse, dad plopped Xander down and went about the process of trying to walk to our seats. But even though we were early, there were still hundreds of people to look at. Did it help that the 40-year old woman who can be conservatively described as voluminous was trying to carry on a conversation with him? No, probably not. But there were legions of people to look at, and given his druthers, Xander would have just planted himself on that concourse and looked at every single one of them.
Conversely, while there were plenty of people and things to look at from the seats, they were limiting. Sit in one place for three hours? Dad, surely you jest. Xander was temporarily sated by the spread of veggie sticks, Triscuits and Chex, but once the supply was dry, Xan wanted to fly. And one advantage of being a little guy is that you fit everywhere -- trying to shimmy down the backs of the chairs to the row in front of him became a prominent strategy for Agent X. After the third inning, dad and his friend had seen enough.
Xander is big on exploring, and that is the main way he learns about the environment around him, and also about himself. But unfortunately, there are times when he needs to be tended to, and during those situations, attention needs to be heightened, because as freedom increases, cooperation decreases. Give him freedom, or give him Chex.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sand-er
On Saturday, Xander made his first trip to the beach -- Easton's Beach in Newport to be exact. Xander had made a seafaring trip before, but he had not yet been to the beach. In short, he loved it.
Mom and dad met their friends Nicole and Mike, and Xander's good friend Jonah there on Saturday morning. Mom, dad and Xan got there first, and learned quickly that it would be a good day on the beach. After renting an umbrella, they plopped Xan down on the sand so they could set up the umbrella and their various other beach belongings, and before they gear was out of their hands, Xander had taken off like a bat out of hell for the water. He got about two-thirds of the way there before he realized no one was following him, and he stopped and came back, with a big grin painted on his mug. From there, he played in the sand and waited patiently for his turn in the water.
That came about an hour and a half into the day, as both dad's took their boys into the surf. After splashing for a few minutes, Jonah and Mike headed back to the beach, while Xan and dad stayed out in the water. Easton's Beach is rated as a very kid-friendly beach, and one of the reasons is that the land at the edge of the water does not slope at all. In fact, dad could walk a good hundred yards out into the ocean before getting chest-deep. So, out Xan and dad ventured. They splashed in the waves, and dad explained some of the things that were around them, such as the copious amounts of red seaweed populating the beach. Once they were out far enough that they could see waves forming, dad would point out each incoming wave to Xander.
At first, it didn't seem like Xander liked this too much, as he kept methodically pointing back to the ocean. But just as dad was about to take him back to land, he noticed that Xander was smiling and laughing. Watching closer, he realized that Xander was not pointing at the land, but in fact was pointing at the waves as they passed by the pair and crashed their way towards land. So they stood in the ocean, tracking waves for a few more minutes before heading back in.
In or out of the water, Xander was having a grand old time. He started to get sleepy, but unlike Jonah, he refused to take a nap. Dad even took him on a long beach walk, but there was simply no sleep in the forecast. Xander has always loved sandboxes, and the beach is a giant sandbox, so he was enthralled.
After lunch at the snack bar, the group headed over to the beach's exploration center, which was essentially a low-grade aquarium. There were tanks with turtles, jellyfish, a blue lobster and other assorted aquatic creatures, but what Xander and Jonah really liked was the story time area, which was filled with books and stuffed animals. The pair got nearly hysterical laughing and playing with the stuffed animals. Xander would pick up a stuffed squid, dolphin or fish and hand it to Jonah, who would give it to his mom or toss it on the ground or give it back to Xander. They carried on with this little game for nearly 10 minutes before finally losing steam.
At that point, Xander was finally gearing down for a nap, so mom, dad and Xan took leave of Nicole, Mike and Jonah, and headed home. Xander slept nearly the entire way back -- he woke up in Providence when mom stopped to get her favorite pizza at Antonio's on Thayer St. -- but he was so worn out from the beach that he not only slept in the car, but slept through the night for the first time in a week. He is a beach bum in the making, a real...Sand-er.
Mom and dad met their friends Nicole and Mike, and Xander's good friend Jonah there on Saturday morning. Mom, dad and Xan got there first, and learned quickly that it would be a good day on the beach. After renting an umbrella, they plopped Xan down on the sand so they could set up the umbrella and their various other beach belongings, and before they gear was out of their hands, Xander had taken off like a bat out of hell for the water. He got about two-thirds of the way there before he realized no one was following him, and he stopped and came back, with a big grin painted on his mug. From there, he played in the sand and waited patiently for his turn in the water.
That came about an hour and a half into the day, as both dad's took their boys into the surf. After splashing for a few minutes, Jonah and Mike headed back to the beach, while Xan and dad stayed out in the water. Easton's Beach is rated as a very kid-friendly beach, and one of the reasons is that the land at the edge of the water does not slope at all. In fact, dad could walk a good hundred yards out into the ocean before getting chest-deep. So, out Xan and dad ventured. They splashed in the waves, and dad explained some of the things that were around them, such as the copious amounts of red seaweed populating the beach. Once they were out far enough that they could see waves forming, dad would point out each incoming wave to Xander.
At first, it didn't seem like Xander liked this too much, as he kept methodically pointing back to the ocean. But just as dad was about to take him back to land, he noticed that Xander was smiling and laughing. Watching closer, he realized that Xander was not pointing at the land, but in fact was pointing at the waves as they passed by the pair and crashed their way towards land. So they stood in the ocean, tracking waves for a few more minutes before heading back in.
In or out of the water, Xander was having a grand old time. He started to get sleepy, but unlike Jonah, he refused to take a nap. Dad even took him on a long beach walk, but there was simply no sleep in the forecast. Xander has always loved sandboxes, and the beach is a giant sandbox, so he was enthralled.
After lunch at the snack bar, the group headed over to the beach's exploration center, which was essentially a low-grade aquarium. There were tanks with turtles, jellyfish, a blue lobster and other assorted aquatic creatures, but what Xander and Jonah really liked was the story time area, which was filled with books and stuffed animals. The pair got nearly hysterical laughing and playing with the stuffed animals. Xander would pick up a stuffed squid, dolphin or fish and hand it to Jonah, who would give it to his mom or toss it on the ground or give it back to Xander. They carried on with this little game for nearly 10 minutes before finally losing steam.
At that point, Xander was finally gearing down for a nap, so mom, dad and Xan took leave of Nicole, Mike and Jonah, and headed home. Xander slept nearly the entire way back -- he woke up in Providence when mom stopped to get her favorite pizza at Antonio's on Thayer St. -- but he was so worn out from the beach that he not only slept in the car, but slept through the night for the first time in a week. He is a beach bum in the making, a real...Sand-er.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Johnny Walker
It started on July 7th. That was the day Xander took his first steps. Xander was at his friend Jonah's for a play date, and the two were having a good time playing outside on the deck and Jonah's house, as Jonah has a big, plastic sink and a little baby pool out there. The two of them splashed and played for the better part of two hours. Jonah is almost two months older than Xander though, and so was already walking at the time. Though mom and dad (and many other family members) had been practicing walking with Xan, he had not really seen it from someone his size that he knew. Seeing Jonah walk likely spurred Xan to take his first steps, steps that he repeated later on that afternoon when visiting his giddoo (that's Arabic for grandfather).
After those first steps, the regularity with which Xander took steps grew slowly. At first, it was just one or two steps before falling. Then, it was three. Then, it was three and lunging towards a person or object. These sort of isolated incidents would happen once or twice a day, but Xander was still mostly crawling. Then about a week ago, Xander burst out for six quick steps, before breaking into his normal crawl. The idea of walking was blooming in his head, but it was not yet fully formed. At this point, mom and dad had seen Xander walk plenty, but it was still not his mode of transport of choice. As such, they were still reticent to say that Xander was walking.
That changed on Wednesday evening. On Wednesday evening, Xander started walking with regularity. And while at times he still stumbles like a drunken gambler, he is becoming adept at catching himself in mid-fall and straightening back out. What clinched it for mom and dad though, was the fact that Xander walked outside. Xan is easily distracted by cars and other kids, and often will stand contemplatively watching cars or people when left to his own devices outside. But on Wednesday night at the park near the family's new apartment, there was Xander, walking, walking, walking. He still hasn't completely abandoned crawling, but Xander has most definitely become a regular Johnny Walker.
After those first steps, the regularity with which Xander took steps grew slowly. At first, it was just one or two steps before falling. Then, it was three. Then, it was three and lunging towards a person or object. These sort of isolated incidents would happen once or twice a day, but Xander was still mostly crawling. Then about a week ago, Xander burst out for six quick steps, before breaking into his normal crawl. The idea of walking was blooming in his head, but it was not yet fully formed. At this point, mom and dad had seen Xander walk plenty, but it was still not his mode of transport of choice. As such, they were still reticent to say that Xander was walking.
That changed on Wednesday evening. On Wednesday evening, Xander started walking with regularity. And while at times he still stumbles like a drunken gambler, he is becoming adept at catching himself in mid-fall and straightening back out. What clinched it for mom and dad though, was the fact that Xander walked outside. Xan is easily distracted by cars and other kids, and often will stand contemplatively watching cars or people when left to his own devices outside. But on Wednesday night at the park near the family's new apartment, there was Xander, walking, walking, walking. He still hasn't completely abandoned crawling, but Xander has most definitely become a regular Johnny Walker.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Gate-gate
This past weekend, Xander's mom and dad bought two gates for their new apartment, in an attempt to keep Xander from killing himself in either the kitchen (with deadly chemicals) or on the stairs if their back happened to be turned. So far, it has been a very futile attempt.
Mom and dad figured the easiest time to set up the gates was after Xander was asleep, so Sunday night, they set up the first one, leaving the second gate for another time. Upon awakening on Monday morning however, mom quickly realized that they had assembled the gate too high. Dad was tasked with seeing if Xander would try to crawl under the gate. After a few hours, dad was convinced that he wouldn't. Xander tried to climb over the gate, but never made any real attempt to get under it. Much ado over nothing thought dad, and forgot all about it.
The next day, Xander got under the gate on his very first try. Like he does when he crawls down the stairs, he went feet first and shimmied under backwards on his stomach. He even made sure to tuck his head so that he wouldn't hit it on the bottom of the gate. He did it so fast that dad accused mom of deliberately putting him on the other side of the gate in an attempt to make him think he had crawled under. Then Xander crawled under again, emerging right back where he started, with a sh*t-eating grin that mocked "what else you got?"
With the knowledge that the gate was now ineffective as a means of corralling Xander, dad tried to use it as a distraction. Xander's favorite game remains opening and closing (and sometimes hiding behind) doors, so perhaps he would seek to open and close the gate rather than crawl into the kitchen or onto the stairs unsupervised. Sure enough, the gate became Xan's new favorite toy. It became such a favorite that he quickly tore it up. The gate is held in place on the wall in four places. On Thursday morning, Xander yanked one of them loose. With the gate still functioning and other things on mom and dad's to-do list, fixing the gate was still on hold. That was until Friday morning, when Xander yanked the gate not just loose, but free of the wall completely.
Some might say the gate was poorly made, others that it was poorly installed, and still others might say that that's one strong baby. But no matter how you view Gate-gate, one thing is certain -- you can't stop Xander, you can only hope to contain him. And you're going to have to try awfully damn hard to contain him!
Mom and dad figured the easiest time to set up the gates was after Xander was asleep, so Sunday night, they set up the first one, leaving the second gate for another time. Upon awakening on Monday morning however, mom quickly realized that they had assembled the gate too high. Dad was tasked with seeing if Xander would try to crawl under the gate. After a few hours, dad was convinced that he wouldn't. Xander tried to climb over the gate, but never made any real attempt to get under it. Much ado over nothing thought dad, and forgot all about it.
The next day, Xander got under the gate on his very first try. Like he does when he crawls down the stairs, he went feet first and shimmied under backwards on his stomach. He even made sure to tuck his head so that he wouldn't hit it on the bottom of the gate. He did it so fast that dad accused mom of deliberately putting him on the other side of the gate in an attempt to make him think he had crawled under. Then Xander crawled under again, emerging right back where he started, with a sh*t-eating grin that mocked "what else you got?"
With the knowledge that the gate was now ineffective as a means of corralling Xander, dad tried to use it as a distraction. Xander's favorite game remains opening and closing (and sometimes hiding behind) doors, so perhaps he would seek to open and close the gate rather than crawl into the kitchen or onto the stairs unsupervised. Sure enough, the gate became Xan's new favorite toy. It became such a favorite that he quickly tore it up. The gate is held in place on the wall in four places. On Thursday morning, Xander yanked one of them loose. With the gate still functioning and other things on mom and dad's to-do list, fixing the gate was still on hold. That was until Friday morning, when Xander yanked the gate not just loose, but free of the wall completely.
Some might say the gate was poorly made, others that it was poorly installed, and still others might say that that's one strong baby. But no matter how you view Gate-gate, one thing is certain -- you can't stop Xander, you can only hope to contain him. And you're going to have to try awfully damn hard to contain him!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
I Learned To Walk On Georges Island
Last Tuesday, on what was the first official day of summer, there were free ferry's from Long Wharf in Boston out to Georges Island and Spectacle Island, which are small islands in the Boston Harbor. It was sort of a kick off to the summer-type deal. Dad thought this would be a great time to get Xander his first taste of the ocean, and selected Georges Island as the destination.
Xander, his Sittoo (Arabic for grandmother), his great aunt and dad set out for Long Wharf a little later than expected, thanks to his mom's car breaking down on her way to work. Nevertheless, the trip got underway with the drive into Boston. Dad had not been to Long Wharf since back in 2003, when he went to meet his cousin at the Marriott. As a result, he forgot that the New England Aquarium was right there at the wharf. Dad was tempted to take Xander into the aquarium, but held off, since his mom had already called dibs on that excursion.
After parking in the garage, the group set out to find the free ferry tickets. They were of course on the opposite side of the hotel, and at 10:55, the frenzied group (well, Xander was calm) scurried over to grab the ferry's last set of tickets. The group was the last to board before the ferry pushed off.
Once on board, seats were scouted out. Dad found a bench next to a nice lady and her fraternal twins, who were a couple of years older than Xan. As is his wont, he immediately flirted with her, batting his long eyelashes at her. The girl was smitten, and when dad got up to show Xan the water, the girl insisted to her mom that we sit back down next to them. It was very cute.
One of the nice things about the ferry was that it was a double-decker, which meant that the bottom level was shaded. As a result, that's where all the kids were, and there were quite a few young ones making the trek. On the way over, Xander was initially excited about the water, but he lost interest as the half-hour ride progressed. Each new buoy, boat or island passed sparked his interest, but otherwise he went back to his favorite meal, Daddy Shoulder Sandwich. Hold the mayo.
George's Island is a remarkably tiny island, but it does have an old, but still very much intact, army fort -- Fort Warren. When the ferry reached the island, the visitor center was swarmed, so the group set out straight for the fort. There weren't a lot of rooms that you could enter, but the design of the fort was fairly interesting, and the group explored the grounds. But from inside the fort one could not see the ocean. But the roof of the fort offered a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding areas -- the city, the islands and what is the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean. The view was priceless, especially on the postcard-picture perfect day. Xander realized the beauty of the view, and stopped fidgeting in daddy's arms long enough to drink it all in.
After a walk around the rest of the island and a quick break, Xander's sittoo and great aunt wanted to stop and hang out at the island's snack shack. Daddy had other ideas. The beach on the island was a bit rocky, so Xander couldn't go crawling around on it, but daddy took him down to the beach and held him over the water, so he could touch ocean water for the first time. Xan, who these days loves all things cold and/or wet, was excited, and tried to squirm free from daddy and into the water, but daddy was not having it.
The return ferry was set to leave at 1:30, so there was just enough time for daddy and Xan to run back to the snack shack and grab lunch. Then everyone jumped in line. But after being pushed around in his stroller all day, Xander was full of pent-up energy. So dad decided to try and walk with him. He had tried once or twice before, but Xan had refused to this point. Not today. First dad and Xan walked 10 feet from the line to the flagpole and back. Dad was ecstatic at this development, but like any good overbearing parent, wanted more. So he tried again, and this time Xander walked a good thirty feet away from the line. Seemingly tired of walking, he shook free from dad's grip, but instead of just plopping down on the ground, he went into a crouch. And then stood back up. And then back down into a crouch. And then stood back up. He did this for two solid minutes before finally plopping down in the grass. This was a sort-of-first. Xander had stood on his own before, and had crouched down while holding on to something, but never both together, and never for that space of time. Combine that with the walking (he then walked back to the line) and it felt like real progress. Dad joked that he should run into the visitors center to see if they sold "I learned to walk on Georges Island" bumper stickers, but then the ferry was there. He never got a chance to look.
All in all, it was a fun, free (well, except for the $35 at the parking garage. Yey Boston!) excursion, but while the intent was to show Xander the ocean, Xander ended up showing us that he was starting to get down with the whole walking thing. That's what dad calls a win-win.
Xander, his Sittoo (Arabic for grandmother), his great aunt and dad set out for Long Wharf a little later than expected, thanks to his mom's car breaking down on her way to work. Nevertheless, the trip got underway with the drive into Boston. Dad had not been to Long Wharf since back in 2003, when he went to meet his cousin at the Marriott. As a result, he forgot that the New England Aquarium was right there at the wharf. Dad was tempted to take Xander into the aquarium, but held off, since his mom had already called dibs on that excursion.
After parking in the garage, the group set out to find the free ferry tickets. They were of course on the opposite side of the hotel, and at 10:55, the frenzied group (well, Xander was calm) scurried over to grab the ferry's last set of tickets. The group was the last to board before the ferry pushed off.
Once on board, seats were scouted out. Dad found a bench next to a nice lady and her fraternal twins, who were a couple of years older than Xan. As is his wont, he immediately flirted with her, batting his long eyelashes at her. The girl was smitten, and when dad got up to show Xan the water, the girl insisted to her mom that we sit back down next to them. It was very cute.
One of the nice things about the ferry was that it was a double-decker, which meant that the bottom level was shaded. As a result, that's where all the kids were, and there were quite a few young ones making the trek. On the way over, Xander was initially excited about the water, but he lost interest as the half-hour ride progressed. Each new buoy, boat or island passed sparked his interest, but otherwise he went back to his favorite meal, Daddy Shoulder Sandwich. Hold the mayo.
George's Island is a remarkably tiny island, but it does have an old, but still very much intact, army fort -- Fort Warren. When the ferry reached the island, the visitor center was swarmed, so the group set out straight for the fort. There weren't a lot of rooms that you could enter, but the design of the fort was fairly interesting, and the group explored the grounds. But from inside the fort one could not see the ocean. But the roof of the fort offered a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding areas -- the city, the islands and what is the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean. The view was priceless, especially on the postcard-picture perfect day. Xander realized the beauty of the view, and stopped fidgeting in daddy's arms long enough to drink it all in.
After a walk around the rest of the island and a quick break, Xander's sittoo and great aunt wanted to stop and hang out at the island's snack shack. Daddy had other ideas. The beach on the island was a bit rocky, so Xander couldn't go crawling around on it, but daddy took him down to the beach and held him over the water, so he could touch ocean water for the first time. Xan, who these days loves all things cold and/or wet, was excited, and tried to squirm free from daddy and into the water, but daddy was not having it.
The return ferry was set to leave at 1:30, so there was just enough time for daddy and Xan to run back to the snack shack and grab lunch. Then everyone jumped in line. But after being pushed around in his stroller all day, Xander was full of pent-up energy. So dad decided to try and walk with him. He had tried once or twice before, but Xan had refused to this point. Not today. First dad and Xan walked 10 feet from the line to the flagpole and back. Dad was ecstatic at this development, but like any good overbearing parent, wanted more. So he tried again, and this time Xander walked a good thirty feet away from the line. Seemingly tired of walking, he shook free from dad's grip, but instead of just plopping down on the ground, he went into a crouch. And then stood back up. And then back down into a crouch. And then stood back up. He did this for two solid minutes before finally plopping down in the grass. This was a sort-of-first. Xander had stood on his own before, and had crouched down while holding on to something, but never both together, and never for that space of time. Combine that with the walking (he then walked back to the line) and it felt like real progress. Dad joked that he should run into the visitors center to see if they sold "I learned to walk on Georges Island" bumper stickers, but then the ferry was there. He never got a chance to look.
All in all, it was a fun, free (well, except for the $35 at the parking garage. Yey Boston!) excursion, but while the intent was to show Xander the ocean, Xander ended up showing us that he was starting to get down with the whole walking thing. That's what dad calls a win-win.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Art of People Watching
Xander spends the majority of his time in the house with mom and dad. He usually gets to go for a walk once a day, and there are trips to the stores and such, but now that swimming lessons are over, he is in a brief respite where he has no scheduled activities outside of the house. So when he gets to go somewhere new or somewhere fun, he has one objective - looking at other people.
This past Thursday, dad took Xander to the Denver Aquarium for the first time. It was a pretty good time. There were definitely points where Xander was very interested in looking at the fish, especially in the tunnels of water, when there was literally water all around. He looked up and saw a giant sea turtle that caught his attention. At another point, he stood with his hands on the glass wall, transfixed by the many different fish floating by at his eye level. And then finally, he liked when the floor was see-through, and he could see the sharks swimming down below. But mostly, he liked looking at people.
Xander especially likes looking at kids that are a little bit older than him, say kids that are three to four-years old. When he does this, he doesn't smile, he doesn't frown, he just kind of stares at them. You can see the wheels in his head turning, as if he's thinking to himself, "Why are these kids bigger than me ... What are they doing ... I want to do that." You can tell when Xander goes into this mode, because no matter how many times you say his name, or poke him in the belly, or tap him on the shoulder, or try to make eye contact, he's just not even aware of your existence. This is a trait he picks up from his dad, who can sometimes block out other people - most notably Xander's mom - when he wants to.
Dad was out of town over the weekend, but he received similar, if not stronger reports from Xander's mom that he had done the same thing at the zoo. "Xander, look at the bears." Nope, looking at these people over here. "Xander, look at the crazy monkeys." Sorry, there's a lot of people here to look at.
If there's a bright side, it's that in addition to being focused, Xander is also curious about other people, and that perhaps it means he will be very sociable. If there's a downside, it's that he's already learned to tune out his mom and dad at the tender age of 10 months.
This past Thursday, dad took Xander to the Denver Aquarium for the first time. It was a pretty good time. There were definitely points where Xander was very interested in looking at the fish, especially in the tunnels of water, when there was literally water all around. He looked up and saw a giant sea turtle that caught his attention. At another point, he stood with his hands on the glass wall, transfixed by the many different fish floating by at his eye level. And then finally, he liked when the floor was see-through, and he could see the sharks swimming down below. But mostly, he liked looking at people.
Xander especially likes looking at kids that are a little bit older than him, say kids that are three to four-years old. When he does this, he doesn't smile, he doesn't frown, he just kind of stares at them. You can see the wheels in his head turning, as if he's thinking to himself, "Why are these kids bigger than me ... What are they doing ... I want to do that." You can tell when Xander goes into this mode, because no matter how many times you say his name, or poke him in the belly, or tap him on the shoulder, or try to make eye contact, he's just not even aware of your existence. This is a trait he picks up from his dad, who can sometimes block out other people - most notably Xander's mom - when he wants to.
Dad was out of town over the weekend, but he received similar, if not stronger reports from Xander's mom that he had done the same thing at the zoo. "Xander, look at the bears." Nope, looking at these people over here. "Xander, look at the crazy monkeys." Sorry, there's a lot of people here to look at.
If there's a bright side, it's that in addition to being focused, Xander is also curious about other people, and that perhaps it means he will be very sociable. If there's a downside, it's that he's already learned to tune out his mom and dad at the tender age of 10 months.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Baby Steps
On March 1st, Xander crawled up his first stair. It caught mom and dad off-guard, but luckily since he only went up the one stair, it wasn't a big deal. He plopped back down on his bum, and seemed satisfied that he had done it. Nine days later, he had grown a lot more ambitious.
Generally speaking, Xander's night time routine is eat dinner, watch a 22-minute Baby Einstein video, change into PJ's, story time, nighttime feeding and bed. But last Thursday, he ate dinner a little early, so mom and dad let him play for a little in the living room before it was time to watch his video. Xander apparently took this as an invitation to climb the stairs again. Up he went on the first stair. Dad slid behind him at the bottom of the stairs, but didn't really think much of it, as he had done this before. Then he climbed the second stair. And here. We. Go.
Immediately, he began to reach for the third stair, and mom and dad realized that this was no ordinary stair climbing. While dad moved into better position to hold Xander in case he fell, mom started to record on the camcorder on her phone. One problem - the camcorder on mom's phone shines a light. Xander noticed this, and turned around to look at the light, and in doing so ceased his ascent. Camera off. Up and up he kept scampering. The staircase is a two-parter, with a landing at the sixth and seventh steps. These stairs are much bigger, and gave Xander ample room to crawl and maneuver on when he reached them, which he did quickly.
Initially, Xander moved briskly past the landing, on to the eighth stair. But then he decided he liked the landing better. He let himself fall off the eighth stair into dad's arms. Once back on the landing, he decided to crawl down from seventh stair to sixth stair and back up again. He did this maybe two dozen times. He seemed to enjoy the fact that the two stairs were wide enough for him to crawl downward from one to the other. He got very good at it quickly, as he was able to keep his arms out in front of him so that his little head didn't bop on the ground on the way down.
After he seemed to tire of this game, Xander got back to trying to make it all the way up the stairs. He climbed the eighth, and then the ninth stair, but at this point he was getting pretty tired. Dad, who to this point had been silently sitting behind Xander so as to not disturb his thought process, went to the top of the stair case and leaned over to encourage Xander to finish the job (mom slid in behind him to catch him if he fell). Xander smiled and laughed, but was clearly tuckered out. The last five steps will have to wait for another day, but they seem like they will be easy prey.
Generally speaking, Xander's night time routine is eat dinner, watch a 22-minute Baby Einstein video, change into PJ's, story time, nighttime feeding and bed. But last Thursday, he ate dinner a little early, so mom and dad let him play for a little in the living room before it was time to watch his video. Xander apparently took this as an invitation to climb the stairs again. Up he went on the first stair. Dad slid behind him at the bottom of the stairs, but didn't really think much of it, as he had done this before. Then he climbed the second stair. And here. We. Go.
Immediately, he began to reach for the third stair, and mom and dad realized that this was no ordinary stair climbing. While dad moved into better position to hold Xander in case he fell, mom started to record on the camcorder on her phone. One problem - the camcorder on mom's phone shines a light. Xander noticed this, and turned around to look at the light, and in doing so ceased his ascent. Camera off. Up and up he kept scampering. The staircase is a two-parter, with a landing at the sixth and seventh steps. These stairs are much bigger, and gave Xander ample room to crawl and maneuver on when he reached them, which he did quickly.
Initially, Xander moved briskly past the landing, on to the eighth stair. But then he decided he liked the landing better. He let himself fall off the eighth stair into dad's arms. Once back on the landing, he decided to crawl down from seventh stair to sixth stair and back up again. He did this maybe two dozen times. He seemed to enjoy the fact that the two stairs were wide enough for him to crawl downward from one to the other. He got very good at it quickly, as he was able to keep his arms out in front of him so that his little head didn't bop on the ground on the way down.
After he seemed to tire of this game, Xander got back to trying to make it all the way up the stairs. He climbed the eighth, and then the ninth stair, but at this point he was getting pretty tired. Dad, who to this point had been silently sitting behind Xander so as to not disturb his thought process, went to the top of the stair case and leaned over to encourage Xander to finish the job (mom slid in behind him to catch him if he fell). Xander smiled and laughed, but was clearly tuckered out. The last five steps will have to wait for another day, but they seem like they will be easy prey.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Doors, The Doors!
All kids love peek-a-boo (some adults like it too). One of the easiest ways to actually hide your whole body while playing peek-a-boo is obviously to hide behind a wall or a door. Once mom and dad realized that Xander liked this a lot, they started playing it with him. Before he started crawling, he would just sit on the living room floor and laugh and throw his hands in the air (sometimes) excitedly while mom or dad kept surprising him from behind the door.
Once Xander started crawling however, the cat was out of the bag. Now he could crawl over to that pesky door and find mom or dad, stripping away the element of surprise. The first time he figured it out, he crawled over and poked his head around the door. Then, being the strong boy that he is, instead of crawling all the way around the door, he decided to push it out of his way. And thus his new favorite game was born.
Now, whenever he gets an opportunity, Xander will crawl over to a door and start opening and closing it. He does this a little at a time. He'll push it one way, then crawl to the door and pushes it some more. Sometimes, it's a tight squeeze, like inside the bathroom. In that case, he'll kind of wiggle his body so that he's sort of wrapped around the base of the door. Then, when he's ready to push it, he'll kick his legs out of the way so that the door doesn't take him for a ride. He has just as much fun wiggling and crawling to and around the door as he does pushing it, but he does take special pleasure in shutting the door completely on someone, especially his mom.
That's not to say it's all fun and games. Big doors are fine, but the pantry doors can be tricky. One day, Xander got his fingers caught in between the slits of the doors. He didn't care for that at all. Other doors have cleaning chemicals behind them, so those doors now have locks. Xander still thinks he can open these doors though, so every once in awhile mom and dad hear this thunderous rattle. One of these days, Xander will probably tear the doors off at their hinges, he's so strong. Or not. After all, he's just a baby. A baby that likes to play games like peek-a-boo. Just as long as he can figure out how the game is played.
Once Xander started crawling however, the cat was out of the bag. Now he could crawl over to that pesky door and find mom or dad, stripping away the element of surprise. The first time he figured it out, he crawled over and poked his head around the door. Then, being the strong boy that he is, instead of crawling all the way around the door, he decided to push it out of his way. And thus his new favorite game was born.
Now, whenever he gets an opportunity, Xander will crawl over to a door and start opening and closing it. He does this a little at a time. He'll push it one way, then crawl to the door and pushes it some more. Sometimes, it's a tight squeeze, like inside the bathroom. In that case, he'll kind of wiggle his body so that he's sort of wrapped around the base of the door. Then, when he's ready to push it, he'll kick his legs out of the way so that the door doesn't take him for a ride. He has just as much fun wiggling and crawling to and around the door as he does pushing it, but he does take special pleasure in shutting the door completely on someone, especially his mom.
That's not to say it's all fun and games. Big doors are fine, but the pantry doors can be tricky. One day, Xander got his fingers caught in between the slits of the doors. He didn't care for that at all. Other doors have cleaning chemicals behind them, so those doors now have locks. Xander still thinks he can open these doors though, so every once in awhile mom and dad hear this thunderous rattle. One of these days, Xander will probably tear the doors off at their hinges, he's so strong. Or not. After all, he's just a baby. A baby that likes to play games like peek-a-boo. Just as long as he can figure out how the game is played.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Undeterred
Now that Xander is able to move around, it's a lot easier to see what he's thinking. Since he doesn't crawl very fast, it's easy to spot what it is that he's crawling towards, which is helpful, just in case he's crawling towards something dangerous. If he is, there are a few options available at hand that mom and dad can utilize to dissuade him. One option is to put something else in his way and see if he changes course. Another option is to try and draw him away by making a noise or banging something on the ground. Finally, you can walk over, pick him up and put him down back where he was. There's just one problem: none of these work well, if at all.
Xander is one very determined little baby. Once he locks his eyes on something, there's a good chance he won't stop until he has it within his grasp. His favorite items include mom and dad's shoes, heating vents, door stops, and of course, computers. He also frequently crawls over to the bottom of the stairs and hoists himself up on the first stair, but so far that's as far as he can get. He's also getting better at opening cabinet doors from the bottom, though he'll only do that if directly in front of them - he doesn't seem terribly interested in cabinets just yet.
Often, mom or dad won't want Xander to be crawling towards whatever he's crawling towards - i.e., dad's dirty sneakers. But no matter how many times Xander is picked up and placed back where he was, he will start right back up. Unless it's something dangerous, mom and dad usually give up and let him have at it. After all, sucking on a dirty shoelace isn't going to kill him, it's just gross.
It's not just at home that Xander exhibits this behavior either. On Sunday, dad took Xander over to a friend's house to watch football, and eventually my friend's sisters took him into one of the other rooms, as they weren't that into the games. This room had a printer on the floor, and sure enough, Xander was interested. Upon entering the room, I saw him trying to hoist himself up on the printer (it was a bulky kind of printer, the kind that was super high-tech in 2006 but looks incredibly dated today). Obviously, I didn't want him breaking my friend's printer, so I pulled him off and put him back in the center of the room. But he started right back up again, crawling towards the printer. After we repeated this process four or five times, I gave up and handed him to my friend's sister, who exclaimed, "He's so focused!"
Who knows how long this phase will last for - it seems every kid today has ADD, or ADHD, or some sort of attention issue. It's not hard to understand why when you buy children's CD's, and all the tracks are less than two minutes long. Nevertheless, it's exciting to see Xander so determined to reach whatever it is his little heart desires, and hopefully it's a trait that he carries with him as he matures.
Xander is one very determined little baby. Once he locks his eyes on something, there's a good chance he won't stop until he has it within his grasp. His favorite items include mom and dad's shoes, heating vents, door stops, and of course, computers. He also frequently crawls over to the bottom of the stairs and hoists himself up on the first stair, but so far that's as far as he can get. He's also getting better at opening cabinet doors from the bottom, though he'll only do that if directly in front of them - he doesn't seem terribly interested in cabinets just yet.
Often, mom or dad won't want Xander to be crawling towards whatever he's crawling towards - i.e., dad's dirty sneakers. But no matter how many times Xander is picked up and placed back where he was, he will start right back up. Unless it's something dangerous, mom and dad usually give up and let him have at it. After all, sucking on a dirty shoelace isn't going to kill him, it's just gross.
It's not just at home that Xander exhibits this behavior either. On Sunday, dad took Xander over to a friend's house to watch football, and eventually my friend's sisters took him into one of the other rooms, as they weren't that into the games. This room had a printer on the floor, and sure enough, Xander was interested. Upon entering the room, I saw him trying to hoist himself up on the printer (it was a bulky kind of printer, the kind that was super high-tech in 2006 but looks incredibly dated today). Obviously, I didn't want him breaking my friend's printer, so I pulled him off and put him back in the center of the room. But he started right back up again, crawling towards the printer. After we repeated this process four or five times, I gave up and handed him to my friend's sister, who exclaimed, "He's so focused!"
Who knows how long this phase will last for - it seems every kid today has ADD, or ADHD, or some sort of attention issue. It's not hard to understand why when you buy children's CD's, and all the tracks are less than two minutes long. Nevertheless, it's exciting to see Xander so determined to reach whatever it is his little heart desires, and hopefully it's a trait that he carries with him as he matures.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
I Would Like To Play With This Fire Poker
It's amazing it took this long. Xander had been doing the whole crawl two steps and then lunge forward for several weeks. He had actually become pretty mobile with that strategy. He would go two steps, lunge, then sit up backwards, then repeat the process. But then he started sewing the seeds of actual crawling this past Sunday, first in the morning, and then again later in the day. He made three to four crawls, but stopped there. Monday, those seeds were planted in full force.
Xander and daddy were playing quietly with his blocks Monday afternoon. Daddy was stacking them as he always does so that Xander can knock them down, so he lost sight of Xander for a minute. But when he looked up, he noticed that Xander was no longer in the middle of the room, but rather all the way in the corner, running his finger across the heating vent (ever since he learned about turning pages, Xander loves running his hand across heating vents or anything with similar ridges). In semi-disbelief, dad grabbed him and carried him back to the middle of the room to see if he would do it again. Like a very slow-moving rocket, he took off once again, arriving at the vent a few seconds later. Xander was crawling!
Monday night was the best night. Mommy came home and together the happy parents watched as Xander crawled about his bedroom from place to place. Every once in awhile, he would crawl to where one of them pointed, but for the most part he had a mind of his own. They shot a video and sent it to friends and family. That night, he slept pretty well. But the next day, the honeymoon was definitely over.
Now that he could crawl, there was nothing in the living room that he couldn't get to. And that was a problem. First, he crawled under the coffee table and bumped his head. Then he climbed over to the stairs, and made his first attempt to go up the stairs. Both were a little concerning, but no real harm was done. And then he crawled over to the fireplace and grabbed the fire poker. Dad was just in time to prevent it from slipping from its hold and landing squarely on his head. But then he tried to do it again right away, and it become clear that Xander was now a full-blown wreckin' machine! Looks like mom and dad have some baby-proofing to do...
Xander and daddy were playing quietly with his blocks Monday afternoon. Daddy was stacking them as he always does so that Xander can knock them down, so he lost sight of Xander for a minute. But when he looked up, he noticed that Xander was no longer in the middle of the room, but rather all the way in the corner, running his finger across the heating vent (ever since he learned about turning pages, Xander loves running his hand across heating vents or anything with similar ridges). In semi-disbelief, dad grabbed him and carried him back to the middle of the room to see if he would do it again. Like a very slow-moving rocket, he took off once again, arriving at the vent a few seconds later. Xander was crawling!
Monday night was the best night. Mommy came home and together the happy parents watched as Xander crawled about his bedroom from place to place. Every once in awhile, he would crawl to where one of them pointed, but for the most part he had a mind of his own. They shot a video and sent it to friends and family. That night, he slept pretty well. But the next day, the honeymoon was definitely over.
Now that he could crawl, there was nothing in the living room that he couldn't get to. And that was a problem. First, he crawled under the coffee table and bumped his head. Then he climbed over to the stairs, and made his first attempt to go up the stairs. Both were a little concerning, but no real harm was done. And then he crawled over to the fireplace and grabbed the fire poker. Dad was just in time to prevent it from slipping from its hold and landing squarely on his head. But then he tried to do it again right away, and it become clear that Xander was now a full-blown wreckin' machine! Looks like mom and dad have some baby-proofing to do...
Friday, January 14, 2011
Swish, Swish, Swish
"The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish!"
Last week, Xander was busy crying, and mom and dad were busy trying to comfort him, so neither heard the second verse of the ever popular "Wheels On The Bus," a song parents sing to their children to help them get used to the water. On the first verse, you twirl the children round and round, just like the wheels. For "swish, swish, swish," you rotate them sideways, dipping one arm into the water, and then the other. For the third verse, "windows go up and down," you bop your toddler up and down, though no complete dunking. Finally, for the "doors go open and shut," you push them out away from you, and then pull them back towards you, ending with a big hug. This week, Xander got to experience this fun song/game, because he wasn't crying to beat the band the entire time.
Whether it was becoming more familiar with the pool, or that he wasn't as crabby from being woken up from his nap, or that dad wasn't rushing around like he was last week, or that he wasn't as cold because he got to keep on his swim t-shirt, or just good old-fashioned peer pressure, Xander took the water with a vengeance this week. It was probably a combination of factors, but the largest factor seems to have been peer pressure.
At the start, the parents brushed water over the toddlers' feet and legs and arms, same as last week, and Xander didn't like it right away, as the water was much colder than the week before. So the instructor had the parents go slow, getting the kids used to the water's temperature a little longer before putting them in. For most of this time, Xander was watching the other boy in the class. Since he is about a year older than Xander, he was ready to get in the water a little sooner. And when Xander saw this boy dipped into the pool, and then brought back up to the side for what the instructor calls "sit-jumps," you could see a touch of envy forming in his eyes. "Hey, I want to play too," he seemed to be saying. Dad took this as his opportunity, and began plopping Xander into the water. So far, so good. The other boy would go, then Xander would go. Now he was liking it.
By the time "Wheels On The Bus" started a couple of minutes later, he was having a grand ole time. And by the end of the 30-minute lesson, almost of all it spent in the water (except for the part where he surfed down the pool on top of a big, styrofoam turtle mat) he was kicking, and even splashing. Xander may like this swimming thing yet!
Last week, Xander was busy crying, and mom and dad were busy trying to comfort him, so neither heard the second verse of the ever popular "Wheels On The Bus," a song parents sing to their children to help them get used to the water. On the first verse, you twirl the children round and round, just like the wheels. For "swish, swish, swish," you rotate them sideways, dipping one arm into the water, and then the other. For the third verse, "windows go up and down," you bop your toddler up and down, though no complete dunking. Finally, for the "doors go open and shut," you push them out away from you, and then pull them back towards you, ending with a big hug. This week, Xander got to experience this fun song/game, because he wasn't crying to beat the band the entire time.
Whether it was becoming more familiar with the pool, or that he wasn't as crabby from being woken up from his nap, or that dad wasn't rushing around like he was last week, or that he wasn't as cold because he got to keep on his swim t-shirt, or just good old-fashioned peer pressure, Xander took the water with a vengeance this week. It was probably a combination of factors, but the largest factor seems to have been peer pressure.
At the start, the parents brushed water over the toddlers' feet and legs and arms, same as last week, and Xander didn't like it right away, as the water was much colder than the week before. So the instructor had the parents go slow, getting the kids used to the water's temperature a little longer before putting them in. For most of this time, Xander was watching the other boy in the class. Since he is about a year older than Xander, he was ready to get in the water a little sooner. And when Xander saw this boy dipped into the pool, and then brought back up to the side for what the instructor calls "sit-jumps," you could see a touch of envy forming in his eyes. "Hey, I want to play too," he seemed to be saying. Dad took this as his opportunity, and began plopping Xander into the water. So far, so good. The other boy would go, then Xander would go. Now he was liking it.
By the time "Wheels On The Bus" started a couple of minutes later, he was having a grand ole time. And by the end of the 30-minute lesson, almost of all it spent in the water (except for the part where he surfed down the pool on top of a big, styrofoam turtle mat) he was kicking, and even splashing. Xander may like this swimming thing yet!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Mistah, Mistah, Get Me OUTTA HERE!
Dad was very excited about Xander's first swimming lesson. Just as he was going to get him changed for it last Monday, the Y called. Sorry, they said, but Xander is the only one signed up for the class; would you mind doing Thursday afternoon or Saturday morning? Dad told them Thursday afternoon would work great. How wrong he was.
Thursday afternoon came, but Xander had his eyelids shut for much of it. At the two and a half hour mark of his nap, it was 3:20, and it was really time to get a move on. Unfortunately, Xander has never been woken up before, so he was a little dazed when dear old dad roused him from his slumber. Call that bad omen number two.
As a result of the hustling and shuffling, and not really knowing the routine at the Y, we got out to the pool a little late. Luckily, mom was there, so the instructors knew not to start without Xander. They probably wish they had.
After a little run down from the instructors, it was time to get started. Dad hopped in the pool, with baby boy dangling his feet over the edge. His cute little feet don't reach the water yet, so the instructors had dad pour water over first his feet, then his legs, then his stomach and then his shoulders. This was the high point for Xander. He was smiling, and looking around excitedly. In retrospect, he was looking everywhere but at the water. So when all of a sudden dad picked him up to put him in the pool, it was probably a bit of a shock. And he. did. not. like it!
Xander spent the next 15 minutes not just crying, but murderously shrieking at the top of his lungs. It was a new sound for both mom and dad, with the only comparison being the couple of times he has received shots at the doctor's office. And this was much louder, and much more prolonged. At the doctor's office, he can be comforted. Not at the pool. No matter what mom or dad did, he was not having it. It wasn't until he was taken a good 15 feet away from the spot where he was dipped into the pool that he stopped crying. It was an event, to be sure, and one that mom and dad will remember for a long time. But from what I've gathered, it's not a wholly uncommon occurrence. Babies frequently don't like water the first time, or first couple of times, so mom and dad are just going to keep trotting him down to the pool!
Thursday afternoon came, but Xander had his eyelids shut for much of it. At the two and a half hour mark of his nap, it was 3:20, and it was really time to get a move on. Unfortunately, Xander has never been woken up before, so he was a little dazed when dear old dad roused him from his slumber. Call that bad omen number two.
As a result of the hustling and shuffling, and not really knowing the routine at the Y, we got out to the pool a little late. Luckily, mom was there, so the instructors knew not to start without Xander. They probably wish they had.
After a little run down from the instructors, it was time to get started. Dad hopped in the pool, with baby boy dangling his feet over the edge. His cute little feet don't reach the water yet, so the instructors had dad pour water over first his feet, then his legs, then his stomach and then his shoulders. This was the high point for Xander. He was smiling, and looking around excitedly. In retrospect, he was looking everywhere but at the water. So when all of a sudden dad picked him up to put him in the pool, it was probably a bit of a shock. And he. did. not. like it!
Xander spent the next 15 minutes not just crying, but murderously shrieking at the top of his lungs. It was a new sound for both mom and dad, with the only comparison being the couple of times he has received shots at the doctor's office. And this was much louder, and much more prolonged. At the doctor's office, he can be comforted. Not at the pool. No matter what mom or dad did, he was not having it. It wasn't until he was taken a good 15 feet away from the spot where he was dipped into the pool that he stopped crying. It was an event, to be sure, and one that mom and dad will remember for a long time. But from what I've gathered, it's not a wholly uncommon occurrence. Babies frequently don't like water the first time, or first couple of times, so mom and dad are just going to keep trotting him down to the pool!
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