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.
Monday, March 28, 2011
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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