Happy Seventeen Months, Little Big Man!
As I type this, you are taking your baby thermometer out of its packaging, and then carefully fitting it back in. Sometimes you are more successful than others, and at those moments you can't get it, you run over to me yelling a semi-frantic "Help! Help! Help!"
I'll always be there to help you, baby, no need to get all crazed about it.
So goodness, my friend, we have been so busy. You, in particular, are busy busy busy. I realized after last month - when I noted down all the words you know -- that I left out a whole bunch. I'm too frazzled to go through it now, but it's a pretty significant list. And of course it just keeps growing.
I've got pictures and stories and all kinds of things stocked up in my mind, but I am afraid they are going to have to wait until the mini Thanksgiving break. Your Aunt Kdogg is on here way to Ptown as we speak, so we'll have a lot more after this weekend.
Oh, I will say one thing, though. You've learned the word "poop." For some reason, you say it much better if you whisper it, so it's pretty funny to see you lying on the changing table, whispering a gentle "poop" to me on a daily basis. Speaking of which, I think I have some work to do on your bum right now.
So yes, Happy Seventeen Months. I know this is not the usual birthday fare, and I would love to compose a fabulous post on all the changes you've been through this month, but it will have to come later...
I love you, Teo!
Hello my little man! Happy 16 months to you!
Boy, this has been a great month for the two of us. You have become so much more of a little person, and I am just enjoying you more and more every second. Now you tell me when you are hungry, when you want milk, and when you are just thinking about Elmo for the 456th time on any given day.
I thought the Elmo thing would be phase, but it doesn't seem to be. A fabulous coworker of mine gave me a Chicken Elmo (he does the Chicken Dance, folks) and it almost blew your mind. You insisted on walking around the house with that awkward, squawking contraption for the better half of the evening, letting Elmo's head butt against your chin every time he started dancing.
Your big thing this month is that you have joined the toddler class at school, and you are the youngest addition to the crew. They wrote up a transition report for you before you made the switch, and you passed all the requirements with flying colors. Your teachers were also very cute, saying you love group time, are an excellent helper (always first to start cleaning), are kind to your friends (always giving hugs and kisses) and are not a picky eater (hrm...). They also mentioned how much you love to dance.
The Hokie Pokie, sorta from odessa on Vimeo.
Your move to the toddler room is is so very bittersweet, because I am happy to see you growing and learning new skills, but I also want to just keep you as my little dude forever. By the time you leave the toddler classroom, you'll be talking and potty trained and capable of doing some crazy things -- it's amazing how fast time is flying.
Another amazing thing is how much I can recognize now that you really did need to move up. I didn't realize how bored you were in Wobblers, but it's clear to me now how your brain was ready to take on the toddler challenges. Ever since you moved up, you run into the classroom in the mornings, just waving a quick "Ba-bye" to me as you start in on your next project. This morning, you hopped out of my arms and ran to your friends for group time. When I came to pick you up, you were tinkering on the fake kitchen set, holding a conversation with another kid. I can just see you are a busy, busy bee, and that you are curious and independent and ready to take on new things. Your new teachers say you have had a super easy transition and that you are enthusiastic and always ready for new activities.
Along the lines of new activities, we've also been getting out and doing a lot over the last few weeks. It isn't always easy, trying to meet people and stay alert at work and stay on top of the bills and keep some food in the cupboards. I am honestly very tired. But, it's the good kind of tired -- the satisfied "We did something today!" feeling as opposed to feeling wiped out and exhausted.
Your vocabulary has stretched out a bit - I am going to list the words because it will be interesting to know how this changes in the months to come:
milk, no, bye-bye, night-night, hi, bonjour, au revoir, cracker, water, bird, wouf-wouf (what you call dogs) and meow (what you call cats), light, leash, lamp, moon, Elmo, Ernie, Mama, shoes, hat, book, loup (French for wolf), ball, attends (French for wait), go, more, help, sssss (what you call snakes), yuck
Ok, those are them, off the top of my head. We'll see next month if I can add new ones, until it gets to the point where there's no use in keeping up with it.
This month should be exciting. We leave in less than a week to go to France, to see your papa and your Aunties Kathy, Rebecca, Solange and so on. I am so excited to see my friends, to just enjoy myself for a few days amongst people I know and love so much. Of course, I am thrilled to show you off to them, too, because they stood by me in the early days and made my transition to motherhood as smooth as possible given the circumstances. You and I can visit some of my old stomping grounds, though we will probably stay away from that Irish bar on the Seine. Not your scene, my friend.
After our trip, we will get home in time for elections, and let's hope things don't go down a drastic, terrible path come November. I want a bright future for you.
I love you so much Babycakes, it's honestly sort of absurd. But, I just do. Thanks for making every day amazing.
We have an Elmo obsession in full-force, here, folks. I am just warning you.
It happened very organically. There was an Elmo pop-up book at school. A friend of mine's mother goes garage sale hunting and produced an Elmo DVD that she shipped out with tons of other goodies. And now there is Elmo Goes Potty.
Elmo Goes Potty (or whatever it's called -- Potty Me Elmo? ... um, no) needs to drink something from his sippy cup, or at least hat's what Elmo says. And you know what? Mateo likes to give him his sippy cup. So this is just grand, as it means that Mateo has an activity besides grabbing himself that he can do during diaper changes. I say, "Bring it on!"
Also, there is the DVD phenomenon. My child is not one to sit still. I will go out on a limb here and say that single parents generally have a hard time of things, and that is made doubly hard with a child who is not content to just sit on the floor and play in one spot. When I try to cook dinner (which, admittedly, I have done less and less of recently), it is a constant battle between chopping the veggies or keeping my child from investigating the contents of the garbage can. Stirring the pasta and him toppling over the lamp. That sort of thing. Oh, the joys of only having two hands! So, yes. I have set Mateo in front of the computer for 15-minute chunks so that I can make us dinner. At first, I had some guilt. But now, not so much.
Whenever he watches this particular DVD, he yells, "Elmo!" at the screen when he sees him. So its, you know, interactive n' shit.
Sometimes, when we are driving around, he will be quiet for awhile in the backseat. This generally means he's sleeping, or at least nodding off. But occasionally, he'll just randomly blurt out, "Elmo?" after a long silence. Loud and clear, pretty much in the form of a question, and I am fairly certain he is just asking me when he is going to get to see his friend again, in whatever form it may be: book. stuffed doll. animated image. He just wants to know.
So yesterday, I was putting some clothes away in the bedroom and Mateo was with me. Then I went to the bathroom, and he followed me there but then veered towards his room. I let him go in alone and heard him investigating his toys in the closet, so didn't follow him in right away. Suddenly, I heard a jubilant, half-crazed yelling from his room: "Elmo! Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!" It sounded as if suddenly his room was full of an Elmo parade, and he had to excitedly point out each and every one to his invisible audience.
I ran in to see what the fuss was, and Mateo stood in the middle of his room with both his arms extended high above his head. In each hand he was holding a diaper, each with a cheesy image of Elmo on the butt.
Yes, my friend, yet again. Another Elmo to love.
Late as always! But time is flying -- Happy Fifteen Months, my man!
You are a funny kid. You talk and talk and talk and talk, and I am pretty sure that at the moment "No" is your favorite word. Other words, at random, that you have picked up this month include, "Yech!," "Milk," "Diaper," "Moon," "Airplane" and many others. It has just been a little vocabulary explosion inside that head of yours. You've also started saying things in French on occasion, and that makes me happy, even if I am probably confusing your language-learning mind. Sorry about that, but I think it will pay off in the end.
So this is the first month you have gone in months and months without an ear infection. You got some other virus for a bit, but it really seemed like small potatoes compared to the hell you have suffered in the past. Congrats on that, though we are now busy paying the medical bills from all of your illnesses. Ah... America. I hope by the time you are 18 that we have universal health care.
This month you have learned the fine art of temper tantrums. I don't get the impression that you are a laid-back, even-Steven type of a guy. I think you are a bit of a go-getter. This is probably good in the long run, but it does mean you occasionally have a short fuse. Whatever, the tantrums are short-lived. I am amazed, however, at how you can so clearly express your needs and desires now. Or at least, you can express what you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT want, and that's a form of communication in and of itself.
You are also just becoming more and more of a little boy each day. If I am sitting in a chair and I suggest we read a book, you get up and wander over to the books to pick one out. When you spill something, you get a rag and wipe it up. As we leave Grandma and Grandpa's house, you give them kisses and you say "Ba-bye!" All of these things are just amazing as they mean you are learning to make your way in the world. I love it. Your teachers tell me that you are an enthusiastic kid who loves to help during clean-up time. You also like to give your friends at school neck rubs, and I have no idea what that's about.
You are also still in love with your toothbrush. It's a daily ritual (of course) and on that you get super duper excited for each night.
This month, you also discovered Elmo. You mention him regularly, and I am sort of shocked that even at such a young age, you have been bit by the Sesame Street bug. I played the DVD for you last week and could not believe that my usually constantly-moving child was sitting rigidly still in front of the computer while the cast sang a song about cookies. I am not all about you watching TV on a regular basis, but an occasional DVD is fine. It's nice to snuggle with you and watch Bert and Ernie fight.
Next month, we have a big month. First off, we are going back to France for a bit to see everybody we love out there. I was nervous about taking you on the trip, but you were so great during our weekend in Milwaukee that I am feeling much more confident now. I can't wait to see my old friends and for them to see what an amazing boy you have become. Secondly, you are going to begin transitioning into the toddler classroom at your day care. This really means you are no longer a baby, and the feeling is bittersweet. You'll always be my little guy (even when you're taller than me).
I love you to smithereens, Mr T. Happy 15 months!
Holy crap, I missed it again! Happy 14 months my man!
That picture is from your Aunt Kari, but I just uploaded a boatload of pictures to flickr to celebrate your 14-month birthday. This month has been the most fun yet -- someone told me when you were a few weeks old that it just gets better and better, and I can't say I disagree. Watching you go from a little wormy thing to a little squirmy thing to a real-live actual boy is awesomeness.
This month I have really seen the toddler in you come out, in both good ways and in bad. For example, you have started using crying as a tactic to get what you want. I am not so fond of that, but guess what? I'm on to you, kid.
On the flipside, boy howdy are you starting to figure things out. Examples from the last week:
1) When we eat dinner at grandma and grandpa's, you go on a walk with grandpa after dinner with the dog. Yesterday, you walked to the door and pointed at it to try to get outside. When that didn't work, you took the leash and walked it over to the dog. Still no answer? You gave it grandpa, so that HE could put it on the dog. And you know something? You guys were out the door in a few minutes.
2) Today we were putting away the groceries and you ripped up some paper bags. Just like a little grown up, you collected your scraps and walked them over to the garbage and threw them away.
3) A few days ago, we were in the bedroom playing, when I asked you if you wanted to read a book. You worked your way off the bed, clomped out of the room, went into the living room, grabbed a book, and then stood in front of the chair where we do our nighttime reading together. You looked at me and said, "Up?" So I knew you had figured it out. After we finished reading, I asked if you if you wanted to brush your teeth. You beelined towards the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, mimicking a brushing motion.
You are still obsessed with your toothbrush, by the way.
You are starting to talk more, and that is hilarious. Often times, it's gobblety-gook, like when you stand in front of the dryer and watch it spin. That is a recipe for fun, in Teo-land. But you are also starting to say some legitimate words: car, cracker, bubble, water, more, woof-woof (ok, not a word, but you are fascinated by dogs). Your teacher at school told me that you said "circle" and "wassup." Grandpa says you learned the word "leaf" while on a walk with him.
Mainly, I see that you are absorbing the world and some of it is going through the wheels turning in your little head. You have turned out to be a little stranger-wary, and you seem to want to think things through before jumping in, at least for right now. You have had a few scary moments in the last few weeks, and maybe being cautious is just a part of pushing the boundaries of toddlerhood in sometimes unexpected ways - like when you accidentally ran your toys into some pictures against the wall and they fell on your head. In those moments, you come running back to me and hug me tight, and I love being able to be your comfort.
Speaking of hugging, you have started a new game with me. You begin in the living room and run to the other side of the kitchen, where I am squatting and waiting with open arms. Then you run into me and give me a big hug, usually with squeezing involved on both of our ends. Then you giggle with glee, wiggle out of my arms, and run around the kitchen again, only to be delighted yet again when you see me on the other side, still waiting with open arms. You run to me again, crashing into my embrace, snuggling into my neck. And then the giggles and another circuit around the house, and another hug.
It's pretty marvelous, Bubster Magoo. Let's play that game forever, ok?
Well that month just whizzed by, didn't it? You went from baby to toddler in an afternoon, and now you are doing the talking-walking-laughing thing like a pro. We have had some ups and downs, what with the sick and the teeth and the sick again, but you are still the cutest ever.
Plus, you're letting me sleep through the night now, so I am more open to appreciating the cute.
You've also gotten so much more interactive, saying, "Up!" when you want me to pick you up. Or, "Nay nay nay!" when you don't want me to put you down. You are very clear about foods you like and dislike, and you let everybody know when you feel like being a clown. This evening, leaving Grandma's house, you and her kissed one another on the cheek over and over and over again. You thought it was the funnest thing. I want to keep that precious memory in my pocket, just to carry it around with me whenever I get sad.
You spend most of your time walking around the house/outside/wherever we are, commenting on anything and everything at varying volumes, so I saw it fitting to post a video of you walking. I have had several friends request such a thing, and I can't blame them. It's so damn cute. Your little butt just wiggling around as you so proudly strut your stuff.
Walker man! from odessa on Vimeo.
This next month is going to be big one. You're going to have surgery on year ears. Ten days later, we're going to a wedding in Wisconsin. Somewhere in there, you'll meet your Aunt Kara. These are all Big Important Events. Big events for a big man.
The Tater fell and hit his face today. Just... boom. He was walking and walking and gaining speed and then broke the fall with his face on my bed frame. Very fast.
Poor guy has a huge bump between his eyes. It is purple.
He was fine all day, but every time I looked at him, I got an icky feeling in my belly. I just don't like seeing him bruised. It's funny that I am the one suffering more from his injury. Oh... but it's sooo sad to look at.
Meanwhile, we are working on sleeping through the night. One of these days, we will make it.
Mateo slept through the night ok at three months old. And then, never again. It dawned on me that I never relax 100% when he goes to sleep, because I know he'll cry for me some time in the night. It's been ok, and even useful as he has been sick and so forth, but he is getting older and we need to establish a better rhythm. Plus, what happens if I ever bring a man into my life? I also thought about how I wouldn't feel right leaving Teo with my family overnight (or late night), because he would start to cry about 11:00. This needs to change, and we are on our third night of "training." So far, so good, but keep your fingers crossed.
Also: I got teary-eyed today when I told Mateo how much I love him as he fell asleep in my arms. Sometimes I am just blown away.
We are late as usual, but things have been so busy that I can hardly keep up. You are changing and growing so fast, little man -- happy 12 months all the same!
So the category for this portion of your life has changed, appropriately, from LittleTeo to ToddlingTeo, as you have figured out the walking thing now. After taking a few steps on your own each day since just before your first birthday, last night you really wowed the crowds by walking back and forth from person to person in grandma and grandpa's new living room. What a way to welcome them to their new home!
It is so exciting to me that you can walk, even though it means things are going to get crazy from here on out. Your doctor says that temper tantrums will start soon (we've already had a few), as will some downright stubbornness when it comes to food, sleep schedules, and other things that help keep you human. I can already tell you're a bit... um... strong-willed. So this year should be interesting.
Still, my goodness, you are more and more fun each day. For example, her is some Teo cuteness:
Animals! from odessa on Vimeo.
You are ten times more interactive than just a month or two ago, and I can see your development expand daily. It's so exciting! To date, you can say the following words:
Mama
Car
Bottle (even though you are off the bottle, you call cups bottles sometimes)
Dog (which you say "God" but we know what you mean)
and my personal favorite: Bird!
You also know how to sing along to "Wheels on the bus" -- not the singing part but all the motions. It's so cute and so fun. I actually discovered you had learned them on day care by accident, just singing the song to you one day.
As I type this with my left hand, you are nestled on my right shoulder, having just woken up. We've had a tough couple of day, with your ear infections acting up again. Let's hope this year that happens less.
I love you Buster Brown. I can't wait to watch you grow over the next 12 months.
Tickle Me Elmo tried to kill me today. In French. I am not sure how my parents got us -- er, um, Mateo -- a French-speaking Elmo, but there you have it.
Our near-death experience was as follows: The Tater and I had finished story time and were making our calm and collected way towards his bedroom when Elmo JUMPED OUT and tripped me. Mateo would have had to leap from my arms, and I would have had to brace myself for the brutal fall, had it not been for my uber strong mama reflexes. I saved us both from a near-fatal Elmo-related injury, and cursed the red-furried freak en route.
Too bad the little dude is like crack to Mateo. OH MY GOD he is fascinated. Did you know that Tickle Me Elmo flops around and spins and stuff?
Ok, so I am a little fascinated too.
Shut up.
Side note: I got off work early today and picked up Mateo a good 20 mins earlier than usual. Oh how I love walking in on him while he is going about his usual day care activities. Today, when I showed up, Teo and his friends were having a roundtable discussion about saltines. Upon seeing me, Mateo adjourned the meeting and quickly stood up from his baby-sized chair, clapping and hollering. I think his friends were a bit annoyed by the gesture, as they just continued jabbering away, but Teo was simply too ecstatic to continue with the day's business. Warmed my little icy heart, I tell you.
Also, this evening we sang "The Wheels on The Bus." The grandparents had bought him a book of it for his first birthday, but this evening was the first real official singing of the song in our household. Amazingly, Mateo filled in the movements as I sang -- clearly movements he had learned at day care -- and I got the first whiff of what it will be like when he comes home from school, ready to show me his new skillz. Wheels on the bus go round, wipers go swish, baby goes wah, parents go shh - each has its defined gesture and Teo was completely up to snuff as to what went where. I was mesmerized. I think we sang that song five times in a row. His teachers have been telling me that he is the most enthusiastic participant during group singing time, but I have now seen the proof. Damn, it's cute.
