First Steps

This evening, Connor took his first step. Apparently he decided the feat was not worthy of repeating because try as we might, he would not be coaxed into taking another. He did, however, enjoy a very wild ride with his walker. He was literally running down the hall, stopping only when he ran into the couch. On the way back, he was running toward me and successfully made the turn into my bedroom. It was very impressive. It caused Ed to ponder whether Connor had a normal amount of wild streak or if Connor was particularly wild. Connor has also learned that once he runs into an object with the walker, he must back up in order to make it go again, rather than continuing to ram it into an object that will never move. (Clearly, my kid is a genius. I'm recording this so I can show it to any admissions counselors in his future.)


As you can see, Connor is also a very strong man these days. He can lift a very large ball over his head. Sometimes when he does it, he even pretends to strain beneath the weight of it all, which is really quite cute.

He was quite the charmer at dinner. Probably because Ed and I only attempted salad this evening, holding off for the main course until the little man was in bed. Seemed sort of bad to eat clams when he can't have them. Ed could hardly keep the cherries coming fast enough, Connor wolfed down most of a banana, and of course, Connor enjoyed a few tomatoes from Ed's salad.


Last night, there was a dude on TV who was displaying his many piercings, tattoos, and even silicon implants in the shape of horns. (No, I am not making this up.) Please Connor, don't do this to your body. You'll scare your poor mama!

Elaine

Your will...it has been made known.

Lately, Connor has perhaps reached another very important milestone...the ability to throw a temper tantrum. It's not really all that impressive, yet, but it portends a difficult future, perhaps. The funny thing is, he displayed this new talent twice in one day - first for me, and then for Ed. In the evening, Ed remarked "I think Connor may have just thrown his first temper tantrum" to which I said "or maybe his second". Lucky for the little man he is still incredibly cute so it's hard to make too much of it.


Speaking of which, Ed had the audacity to say that Connor may have reached his peak cuteness as in, kid, it may be all downhill from here. Clearly, I married an idiot. I pointed out that Connor could not have reached his peak cuteness because he kept getting new curls. Later that day, Ed decided that Connor was not on the downhill path of cute - so I let Ed continue to sleep with me rather than outside in the shed.


On Saturday, Connor went to the baseball game and enjoyed the first four innings napping in my arms. This reminded Ed and I of the first game we took Connor to. I was on maternity leave (and Ed was on paternity leave). It was a day game and Connor was about three weeks old. We went to the game and Connor fell dead asleep. In fact, he was sleeping so soundly that Ed and I left the game early because we'd never seen him sleep that long. That was the first and last time we ever worried about him sleeping too much. Anyway, when Connor woke up he was an absolute delight, pointing out all of the lovely lights, the people, clapping, shouting, and high fiving. As I was exiting the stadium with him, two ladies sitting a few rows back remarked how cute he was pointing everything out (see Ed...he's cute enough for random strangers to comment!) and how entertaining he was throughout the game. Yeah...that's my guy.


Connor continues to love books. Which is really great because shortly after Connor was born, Ed's office threw us a baby shower and everyone brought in favorite childhood books. Clearly, the folks have great taste because there hasn't been a dud in the bunch - though some are for older kids and haven't been tested yet.


We've almost made it to the one year mark. Wow. I can hardly believe it.

Oh...I broke down and hired a housecleaner. I'm sure the realtor would be proud of this development! My parents are probably also quite happy since they're planning to visit in a few weeks. There should be much less dust and less need for them to put my house back together - a feat my mother has done on more than one occasion since Connor was born - with my dad taking the lead on outside chores at one point. This all means there's more time for playing bridge.

Elaine

Has anyone seen Connor?

And another thing...

I don't need to use my hands to stand anymore! (OK - it's just for a few seconds, but it's still pretty cool.)

11 Months Old!

Dad's here guest blogging again, (which has nothing to do whatsover with the lateness of the post).

Dear Connor,

Happy 11 Month Birthday. And what a month it's been. You're really starting to figure the world out, and to realize just how much fun it is. We can't take you for a walk without you constantly pointing out everything (and saying Da).


Water has been a big theme this month. You tried the ocean for the first time (very scary), a pool (pretty cool, but too many kids thrashing about) and a lake (perfect, lots of fun, just like grandma thought). But you actually seeemed most impressed by the water all over the kitchen floor when the dishwasher broke.

And the food. Goodbye mush, you can now eat table food with the best of the them. Salmon, corn on the cob, cherries,tomatoes, cucumbers, necatrines, brocoli - you eat them all. You even demanded the lemon from my plate tonight, then proceeded to actually eat it (not the peel though). I feel much better about your diet these days.


I think I've finally gotten used to having you around. Exhibit A: At the beach, you slept in a playpen in our bedroom. I'm told that I slept right through you screaming at the top of your lungs just 5 feet away.

I have a few tidbits of advice to offer that might help you make it to your second year.

Be kind to Mom - you still need her. So when she's holding you, it's not a good idea to cry when dad leaves the room. And when you are asked to say Ma-Ma, try to come up with something better than Phhhht.

People in the family other than Sarah the dog have things to offer. You seemed to be scared of everyone in Elaine's family - her parents, sister, and nieces - but the dog - no fear whatsoever. I think Aunt Linda even was a little offended that you wouldn't let any family members touch you, but you had no problem letting the goats at the petting zoo nibble on your ears.


The little guy shouldn't be the antagonist. Head butting mom in the nose, using babies twice your size as jungle gyms, and snatching dad's glasses of his face and taunting him -- these are all bad ideas for the little guy.

Always have an exit strategy. Climbing the stairs without a plan to get down is bad strategy.

Graciously accept gifts. If dad gives you a an electronic monkey that you can chase around, don't burst into tears at the first sight of it.


And a late addition - just today, you learned to clap.

Connor, we don't understand you

A couple of nights ago, Ed and I decided that maybe we should give up on the baby mush. Connor likes cereal, apples, and pears - but more and more he doesn't approve of the vegetables. He does, however, get a kick out of eating whatever is on our plates. We talked to the nanny, and she agreed.

Today, I left him a bowl of pasta and broccoli, which is exactly the same thing that he had for dinner last night - and ENJOYED. Apparently, he refused to eat it with the nanny. Instead, he ate green beans that were pureed. Go figure. A few days ago he absolutely refused to eat green beans that were mushed.

Tonight for dinner he was a champ! He ate baby cereal, corn, cherries, and crab. Oh, yeah...crab is a SHELLFISH which we're not supposed to be feeding him until he's a year old. Oh well - guess he's not allergic to it.

Oh...and did I mention he's getting a little more insistent about life these days? Ed thinks Connor may have my stubborn streak. I think Connor has Ed's stubborn streak.

Elaine

'Teague 06

For one dozen years, some friends of mine have been visiting Chincoteague. The group varies from year to year, and the weekend has moved from Memorial Day to 4th of July, but it’s always a fun time. I believe only Dan and Denise have been EVERY YEAR, which is fairly impressive.

Last year, this marked Ed’s and my final vacation before Connor’s birth. Which means it’s almost been a year since the little guy entered our lives, and that is nearly unbelievable.

As some of you know, the car has never been Connor’s favorite place. For a while, I was convinced there was something physically wrong with Connor which made the car seat incredibly uncomfortable for him. The pediatrician assured me this wasn’t the case. At another point, my dad and I were feeling all over the infant carrier because Connor’s howls sounded as if there was glass in his back, but we found nothing – and that was before the screaming got really out of control. In any case, though the traumatic car rides have virtually stopped, Ed and I are still wary travelers whenever Connor is involved.

Connor typically wakes up around 5:00 to eat and then goes back to sleep for a couple of hours. We decided to use this normally annoying habit to our advantage by packing for the beach Thursday night, and heading out after his morning feeding, hoping he would sleep in the car. And, that’s exactly what we did. Connor was apparently very excited about his first beach vacation because he woke up at 4:30 – but thankfully went back to sleep almost instantly until 5:00. At this point, I rolled over and asked Ed if he was ready to begin our adventure, and he mumbled something that I took to be a yes. I got out of bed and rather than taking Connor down to the guest bedroom to feed him and fall back to sleep, I nursed him on the couch in the sitting room. Connor knew right away that something was up. When Ed walked past us, Connor cried – and he cried a second time when Ed walked back through the room. I told Connor that I agreed his dad could be scary in the morning, but there was nothing to worry about. After Connor had filled his tummy, I threw him in the car seat and we were off without me even bothering to brush my teeth (YUCK!).

Armed with the AAA book of attractions between here and the beach, we set out at 5:30, hoping to cross the Bay Bridge before any sign of a meltdown. And, miracle of miracles, the little man basically made it to Salisbury, and all of the stars aligned when the zoo opened at 8:00 – just when we arrived! I fed Connor and let him crawl around on a picnic table outside the zoo while Ed filled the car with gas. Then we walked around the rather small zoo and then found a playground adjacent to the zoo. This was a big hit, as it included a tunnel to crawl through. We played there until naptime, at which point I fed him again, threw him in the car, and he slept until we got to the beach. Clearly, we were working with borrowed time here.
Upon arrival on the island, we headed for Cap’n Fish’s where Connor approved of the french fries, though he wasn’t much of a fan of the flounder. We then went to the rental office and met 5 more people from our group – 2 of whom would be staying in our house. The house we were scheduled to stay in wasn’t ready yet, so we headed over to the other house. This house was very strange. In the main room, there was no light, which definitely perplexed the little guy. What was he to do? Who could he impress with his skill of pointing out the lights on the ceilings? Well…in the absence of anything better to do, he decided to make his first adventure up an entire flight of stairs. This was a skill Connor would practice throughout the weekend, though our house blessedly had two half staircases instead of one long one.
While in Chincoteague, we saw the ponies from Assateague, swam in a pool, and hung out on Captain Barry’s boat. Can't you just feel the wind in your face? All of these things were met with the little man’s approval. The ocean was not so fabulous, either because it was very cold or because it was erratic. Connor is not a fan of others approaching him, and this apparently extends to bodies of water. He even seemed a little concerned for Ed when Ed waded out about ten feet.

Over the course of the weekend, Connor really seemed to open up and was exercising his ability to crawl away from me and actually played with a few folks, without me there. He was, of course, the cutest thing ever to grace the beaches of Assateague, and we look forward to another trip next year.


Elaine