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!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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!
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