Today, Connor had his belated 18 month appointment. Not only has he FINISHED immunizations for a few years, but he has gained enough weight to make an appearance on the growth chart my doctor uses. It's not a big number, but I cheered (which caused Connor to cheer) when Dr. R. announced he had made it to the 5th percentile (which is not even the lowest bar!). He's still in the 75th percentile for height and head size. When Dr. R. said he had a big head, Connor grabbed his head and said "big". She about fell over when Connor counted to 10 and was totally impressed with all his yammering in the office. She said that he talks a ton, particularly since he's a boy and boys often talk late. Ed's response to that news "well, I guess he takes after you in some ways". Connor also barely cried when he got his two shots, and was quickly over it when he was rewarded with two stickers. I look forward to finding where he decides to put those two stickers when I come home this evening.
Elaine
Friday, February 23, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Counting, and other new developments
A couple of days ago, Connor displayed his latest skill - counting to 10. And this is a great skill, since that's about the number of words he seems to add every few days.
Connor enjoyed Ed’s 3-day weekend by hanging out at the zoo all day on Monday. He woke up talking about the zoo (after asking to go the zoo all day on Sunday – but that was not in the cards). Ed and Connor learned that though the grounds of the zoo typically open at sunrise, the zoo doesn’t really open up until 10:00. And on Monday, the grounds were closed until 10 because snow was being cleared at the zoo. So…they spent a couple of hours hanging out in the neighborhood playing in the snow. But boy were they ready when the gates were opened!
On their way home - many hours later - Connor and Ed picked me up from work. Connor was pretty dazed at the time, but later he told me all about the hippo (it's big), elel (also big), the ball - which apparently was an armadillo that Connor got to get very close to. He even got free cookies since we have finally become zoo members. Now that's cool!
This morning, Connor informed Ed he would like to go to the farm. These photos are from our most recent trip there. I’m sure my family will be proud to see Connor riding on the tractor as if he knows what he’s doing. I’m looking forward to warmer weather because then the farm has hayrack rides, which should be quite fun.
Connor is becoming quite adept at building towers and castles (which are remarkably similar) with giant legos. During our last visit to the Building Museum, he and Ed built this:
And, it seems like every day I come home he and his nanny have built a new structure, which she informs me must NOT be taken down until mama gets to see it. For a while, I wondered whether it was Connor or his nanny building the structure, but after playing blocks with him a bit yesterday, I'm fairly convinced he plays a major role in the process. I'm sure his Pappy is proud.
Connor also has two friends - Bubba (aka, Isabella) and ZoZo (Zoe), that he really seems happy to see. Bubba shares a nanny with Connor, and she's been gone the past 3 weeks. Surprisingly, he really seemed to miss her. But luckily, Zozo's nanny started bringing her over to play regularly, which seems to work out quite nicely.
Elaine
Connor enjoyed Ed’s 3-day weekend by hanging out at the zoo all day on Monday. He woke up talking about the zoo (after asking to go the zoo all day on Sunday – but that was not in the cards). Ed and Connor learned that though the grounds of the zoo typically open at sunrise, the zoo doesn’t really open up until 10:00. And on Monday, the grounds were closed until 10 because snow was being cleared at the zoo. So…they spent a couple of hours hanging out in the neighborhood playing in the snow. But boy were they ready when the gates were opened!
On their way home - many hours later - Connor and Ed picked me up from work. Connor was pretty dazed at the time, but later he told me all about the hippo (it's big), elel (also big), the ball - which apparently was an armadillo that Connor got to get very close to. He even got free cookies since we have finally become zoo members. Now that's cool!
This morning, Connor informed Ed he would like to go to the farm. These photos are from our most recent trip there. I’m sure my family will be proud to see Connor riding on the tractor as if he knows what he’s doing. I’m looking forward to warmer weather because then the farm has hayrack rides, which should be quite fun.
Connor is becoming quite adept at building towers and castles (which are remarkably similar) with giant legos. During our last visit to the Building Museum, he and Ed built this:
And, it seems like every day I come home he and his nanny have built a new structure, which she informs me must NOT be taken down until mama gets to see it. For a while, I wondered whether it was Connor or his nanny building the structure, but after playing blocks with him a bit yesterday, I'm fairly convinced he plays a major role in the process. I'm sure his Pappy is proud.Connor also has two friends - Bubba (aka, Isabella) and ZoZo (Zoe), that he really seems happy to see. Bubba shares a nanny with Connor, and she's been gone the past 3 weeks. Surprisingly, he really seemed to miss her. But luckily, Zozo's nanny started bringing her over to play regularly, which seems to work out quite nicely.
Elaine
Happy 18 month birthday!
Dear Connor,
A few days ago, you turned eighteen months, and I can hardly believe it. You’re changing so fast now, that it’s tough to keep up with you. The day after you turned 17 months, we were playing at the park and you looked up at me and said “bye” quite distinctly before heading off to take care of some important toddler business like running, or climbing, or eating dirt. And a few nights ago, you started telling your dad “ni ni” and waving when you’re ready to drink your bottle of milk, snuggle up, and prepare for bed. Your vocabulary has exploded this month and this, quite frankly, is simultaneously fabulous and nerve-wracking. When we understand you, it’s usually fabulous (unless you’re asking for a “k k”, in which case we can no longer ignore you and pretend we don’t know you want a cookie). But at the same time, it’s super frustrating when you are very clearly telling us you want something and neither your dad nor I have any idea what you’re talking about. You try to be patient with us. You look us right in the eye, say the word slower, and repeat it several times. Still, sometimes we just don’t get it. Sorry about that.
The playground used to be a little bit of a harrowing adventure when we went without a second adult. Now, Connor, you own that equipment. I can start you out at the bottom of the structure, then you climb to the top, and finally slide down on your tummy.
You’ve been honing your climbing skills in a gymnastics class, and your dada reports that you are the only kid who on occasion, will – for no apparent reason – begin running around screaming with pure joy. Those are the moments we live for, Connor. Of course, you will sometimes go to class and spend the whole time conning your dada into going to the water fountain and never really doing any of the class things. You don’t appreciate the stretching at the beginning (after all, the equipment doesn’t have any of those other children on it!) and the end of class is a little boring as well, because there’s a brief activity with a parachute. One would think you would enjoy this, but you are very skeptical.
Your dada hung a Grateful Dead poster at the top of the basement stairs (an appropriate welcome to Grateful Ed’s Brewhouse in our basement) and the first time you saw it, you were totally shocked. You looked at me as if something was really out of place and Connor, I wanted to tell you how much that poster scares me, but I am trying very hard not to project my irrational fears onto your psyche, so instead I smiled and said “Dada’s poster”. Ever since then, whenever you see the poster, you smile and shout “dada”.
You’ve started playing actual games that random people might recognize. For example, you can play ring-around-the-rosey – and you certainly understand you’re supposed to fall down at the end, but you’re more interested in seeing your dad and I on the ground. Perhaps because we have a much greater distance to travel than you. You can also play “round and round the mulberry bush” and you make the most excellent “pop” at the appropriate time. Your dad was singing to you the other night, and he taught you to sing “toot toot” in a couple of appropriate places, and this might be the best yet.
You have also thrown your first, full-on tantrum. It was hard not to laugh at the ridiculousness of it, but I kept a somber face and after giving you a few minutes to go nuts, I explained that we all have bad days sometimes, and lots of people wanted to run into their room, slam the door, and lay down screaming on their rug. Then, I distracted you and it was over. You repeated this feat twice, though you haven’t had to pull it out in the past couple of days. Mostly, I think you were tired when you put on these fine displays. I fear for our future Connor, because you have the will that could only be possessed by your mims’ German relatives.
A few days ago, you totally freaked me out, but I think I have finally recovered. Before your nap, you were talking up a storm about the “zhoo” and the “ba pa” that you enjoy being carried around in. I told you after your nap we could go to the zoo and dada would carry you in the backpack. You took your nap, and after about an hour, you stood up and called for me. I went to your room and you looked me right in the eye and shouted “zhoo” and though I didn’t really mean we would go to the zoo the minute you woke up, I figured you deserved some credit for remembering the promise, so off we went. It was about 40 degrees outside – which means your dad was overheating but normal people like you and I were a little chilled, so we went into the “el le le” house and you stared at those enormous animals for over an hour. This was good, because it meant I could shove a huge amount of food in your mouth because you were distracted. Then we went to the gorilla house and I have to say, Connor, if we ever need a babysitter in a pinch, that mama gorilla might be perfect. She was playing the most exciting game of “sheet” ever with her toddler, one of your favorite games.
You successfully used your potty chair – and dumping it was very exciting. I have no dreams that you’re close to being potty trained, but I figure it can’t hurt for you to get used to the thing. And hey, if you happen to take a shining to it and no longer need diapers – woohoo!
You have learned to climb up on a stool, which provides you access to many things we used to keep out of your hands. You also completed your first couple of painting projects, with no unwanted casualties. We sent these to your grandparents for Valentine’s Day.
The collection of “emma” [animals] in your bed is growing. Sometimes, you insist on sleeping with “do do” the dog, err Siamese cat, just like the good ol’ days. Others, “buh buh” the pink bunny is the only animal that will do. But a few nights, “ssss” your seal is number one and “duh” the duck is also likely to be the animal that has won your heart for the evening.
You have really fallen in love with your nanny, and this is fabulous, because often in the morning when she arrives, you just show her what you’ve been playing with and invite her to come on over. It really is the sweetest thing.
Love,
Mama
A few days ago, you turned eighteen months, and I can hardly believe it. You’re changing so fast now, that it’s tough to keep up with you. The day after you turned 17 months, we were playing at the park and you looked up at me and said “bye” quite distinctly before heading off to take care of some important toddler business like running, or climbing, or eating dirt. And a few nights ago, you started telling your dad “ni ni” and waving when you’re ready to drink your bottle of milk, snuggle up, and prepare for bed. Your vocabulary has exploded this month and this, quite frankly, is simultaneously fabulous and nerve-wracking. When we understand you, it’s usually fabulous (unless you’re asking for a “k k”, in which case we can no longer ignore you and pretend we don’t know you want a cookie). But at the same time, it’s super frustrating when you are very clearly telling us you want something and neither your dad nor I have any idea what you’re talking about. You try to be patient with us. You look us right in the eye, say the word slower, and repeat it several times. Still, sometimes we just don’t get it. Sorry about that.
The playground used to be a little bit of a harrowing adventure when we went without a second adult. Now, Connor, you own that equipment. I can start you out at the bottom of the structure, then you climb to the top, and finally slide down on your tummy.
You’ve been honing your climbing skills in a gymnastics class, and your dada reports that you are the only kid who on occasion, will – for no apparent reason – begin running around screaming with pure joy. Those are the moments we live for, Connor. Of course, you will sometimes go to class and spend the whole time conning your dada into going to the water fountain and never really doing any of the class things. You don’t appreciate the stretching at the beginning (after all, the equipment doesn’t have any of those other children on it!) and the end of class is a little boring as well, because there’s a brief activity with a parachute. One would think you would enjoy this, but you are very skeptical.
Your dada hung a Grateful Dead poster at the top of the basement stairs (an appropriate welcome to Grateful Ed’s Brewhouse in our basement) and the first time you saw it, you were totally shocked. You looked at me as if something was really out of place and Connor, I wanted to tell you how much that poster scares me, but I am trying very hard not to project my irrational fears onto your psyche, so instead I smiled and said “Dada’s poster”. Ever since then, whenever you see the poster, you smile and shout “dada”. You’ve started playing actual games that random people might recognize. For example, you can play ring-around-the-rosey – and you certainly understand you’re supposed to fall down at the end, but you’re more interested in seeing your dad and I on the ground. Perhaps because we have a much greater distance to travel than you. You can also play “round and round the mulberry bush” and you make the most excellent “pop” at the appropriate time. Your dad was singing to you the other night, and he taught you to sing “toot toot” in a couple of appropriate places, and this might be the best yet.
You have also thrown your first, full-on tantrum. It was hard not to laugh at the ridiculousness of it, but I kept a somber face and after giving you a few minutes to go nuts, I explained that we all have bad days sometimes, and lots of people wanted to run into their room, slam the door, and lay down screaming on their rug. Then, I distracted you and it was over. You repeated this feat twice, though you haven’t had to pull it out in the past couple of days. Mostly, I think you were tired when you put on these fine displays. I fear for our future Connor, because you have the will that could only be possessed by your mims’ German relatives.
A few days ago, you totally freaked me out, but I think I have finally recovered. Before your nap, you were talking up a storm about the “zhoo” and the “ba pa” that you enjoy being carried around in. I told you after your nap we could go to the zoo and dada would carry you in the backpack. You took your nap, and after about an hour, you stood up and called for me. I went to your room and you looked me right in the eye and shouted “zhoo” and though I didn’t really mean we would go to the zoo the minute you woke up, I figured you deserved some credit for remembering the promise, so off we went. It was about 40 degrees outside – which means your dad was overheating but normal people like you and I were a little chilled, so we went into the “el le le” house and you stared at those enormous animals for over an hour. This was good, because it meant I could shove a huge amount of food in your mouth because you were distracted. Then we went to the gorilla house and I have to say, Connor, if we ever need a babysitter in a pinch, that mama gorilla might be perfect. She was playing the most exciting game of “sheet” ever with her toddler, one of your favorite games.You successfully used your potty chair – and dumping it was very exciting. I have no dreams that you’re close to being potty trained, but I figure it can’t hurt for you to get used to the thing. And hey, if you happen to take a shining to it and no longer need diapers – woohoo!
You have learned to climb up on a stool, which provides you access to many things we used to keep out of your hands. You also completed your first couple of painting projects, with no unwanted casualties. We sent these to your grandparents for Valentine’s Day.
The collection of “emma” [animals] in your bed is growing. Sometimes, you insist on sleeping with “do do” the dog, err Siamese cat, just like the good ol’ days. Others, “buh buh” the pink bunny is the only animal that will do. But a few nights, “ssss” your seal is number one and “duh” the duck is also likely to be the animal that has won your heart for the evening.
You have really fallen in love with your nanny, and this is fabulous, because often in the morning when she arrives, you just show her what you’ve been playing with and invite her to come on over. It really is the sweetest thing.
Love,
Mama
Friday, February 9, 2007
MilesTone
On Thursday, I came home from work, and Ed asked Connor whaT the birds drink. Connor puT on this very impish grin and said "waTer" and, in case you were curious, he drinks milk from a "boTTle". Previously, these words were "wawawa" and "baba". So now, noT only does Connor have an ever expanding vocabulary ThaT is nearly impossible To keep up with, folks besides Ed, myself, and Connor's nanny can even decipher some of thaT vocabulary. Amazing. Simply amazing.
On the downside, I think all of these new words are keeping him awake at night - or causing him to wake up early. This is not good for anyone's sleep, and I'm hoping he settles back into an 8:00PM - sometime after 6:00AM pattern very soon. Not sure I can cope much longer.
On the downside, I think all of these new words are keeping him awake at night - or causing him to wake up early. This is not good for anyone's sleep, and I'm hoping he settles back into an 8:00PM - sometime after 6:00AM pattern very soon. Not sure I can cope much longer.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Nature vs. Nurture
There's a longstanding debate about the relative importance of "nature" - an individual's innate qualities - and "nurture" - an individual's environment - in determining or causing personal traits. Watching Connor change has me fascinated in this debate. Some things, seem very clear. For example, when he wants to know where his dog is, he holds his hands out in front of him, palms up, with a quizzical look on his face and says "Dodo?". This very clearly comes from his second nanny, Emma, who used to do this. And, when I ask him if he wants to do something, of late, he's taken to saying "shu", which makes sense to me as I often say "sure" in response to Ed's queries. Both of these habits seem firmly entrenched in the nurture side of the debate.
There are other things about Connor that can just as easily be attributed to nature. For example, he's incredibly stubborn, just like his dad (and me, I suppose). Ed and I both feel like this is not his most endearing trait, but it's hardly his fault, so we try to cope with the force he is as best we can. He also seems very smart to us, just like me (and Ed, I suppose). We're a little more proud of passing this on.
But one thing in particular has me troubled. I am much more sensitive than Ed. When it's cold, I seem to be colder than him; when I stub my toe, it seems to hurt me more (of course, I did give birth with NO pain medicine, but that's another story). When Ed and I first met, he thought I was his brother, apparently. He would occasionally try and roughhouse around, to which - in classic wimp style - I would say "ow". Ed would then look at me and say "that couldn't possibly have hurt you" and then he would inflict the same pain on himself, "proving" that it didn't hurt. I had to explain to him that when you do something to yourself, you're expecting it, and it cannot possibly be the same. So now Ed treats me more like the princess I am.
A couple of nights ago, Connor bonked me on the head with his Little People lion. It was some sort of game that Connor made up, to which I told Connor "Mommy doesn't like to play that game. Please don't bonk me with the lion." He then went over and nailed Ed - right in the glasses. Ed also told him it hurt and asked him not to do that. Connor then took a step back, looked right at Ed, and hit himself with the lion, as if to say "that couldn't possibly hurt you". I would've thought a behavior such as this could be squarely attributed to "nurture", but Connor has never seen Ed do this. Apparently, "nature" runs deeper than I ever suspected possible. I'm very scared.
Elaine
There are other things about Connor that can just as easily be attributed to nature. For example, he's incredibly stubborn, just like his dad (and me, I suppose). Ed and I both feel like this is not his most endearing trait, but it's hardly his fault, so we try to cope with the force he is as best we can. He also seems very smart to us, just like me (and Ed, I suppose). We're a little more proud of passing this on.
But one thing in particular has me troubled. I am much more sensitive than Ed. When it's cold, I seem to be colder than him; when I stub my toe, it seems to hurt me more (of course, I did give birth with NO pain medicine, but that's another story). When Ed and I first met, he thought I was his brother, apparently. He would occasionally try and roughhouse around, to which - in classic wimp style - I would say "ow". Ed would then look at me and say "that couldn't possibly have hurt you" and then he would inflict the same pain on himself, "proving" that it didn't hurt. I had to explain to him that when you do something to yourself, you're expecting it, and it cannot possibly be the same. So now Ed treats me more like the princess I am.
A couple of nights ago, Connor bonked me on the head with his Little People lion. It was some sort of game that Connor made up, to which I told Connor "Mommy doesn't like to play that game. Please don't bonk me with the lion." He then went over and nailed Ed - right in the glasses. Ed also told him it hurt and asked him not to do that. Connor then took a step back, looked right at Ed, and hit himself with the lion, as if to say "that couldn't possibly hurt you". I would've thought a behavior such as this could be squarely attributed to "nurture", but Connor has never seen Ed do this. Apparently, "nature" runs deeper than I ever suspected possible. I'm very scared.
Elaine
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Squirt bottle
Connor learned the joy of the squirt bottle today. After a while, I told him he could practice his new skill with Dad when he took a bath tonight. Seems like a good idea to me!
Elaine
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Swimming!
A local rec center has a fabulous swimming pool. It has a gentle slope in, much like a beach, which means that Connor can approach the water on his terms, rather than having to get in all at once.
Connor loves this pool. When we tell him we're going to go swimming, he starts talking about water [wahwahwah], and is very happy to put his toys in the swim bag in preparation. Typically, we stay a couple of hours, and usually he would gladly stay longer. Trouble is, after about that length of time, he is thoroughly chilled. That, and all of his fingers and toes look like prunes. Ed purchased Connor a wetsuit after our first visit, just to increase the chance that Connor had of staying warm.
Sadly, on Sunday, the water was colder than normal. This didn’t slow him down at first, but it certainly slowed Ed and me down. And, though we tried to take him out more often than normal, we had a tough time really warming him back up. This meant we had to cut our visit a bit shorter than usual.
Afterwards, Connor was completely exhausted – though that didn’t stop him from playing his new game of “uh-oh” with Ed in the backseat of the car. I think Connor enjoyed it more than Ed, which makes sense since Ed is the retriever of all things “accidentally” dropped.
Connor said his name for the first time this weekend - or at least something that resembles his name. He also decided that along with "dodo" and "bubba" [translation: doggie and bunny] he needs to sleep with "duh" [duck] as well. All I can say is, it's getting pretty crowded in that bed, but he sleeps through the night and is a breeze to put into bed.
Elaine
Thursday, January 25, 2007
All things are possible
Yesterday, I forgot to bring my lunch with me to work, so I went across the street to get some Chinese food for lunch. The fortune in my cookie said "all things are possible". And today, at least, it seems that might be true.
This morning, Connor did not wake up until 7 AM. That is nothing short of a miracle.
I am giddy with excitement.
I am certain he is growing because he's also been eating like a trucker, at least at lunch - though dinners, even the ones not consisting of popcorn, have also been going pretty well.
But, lest you get the impression my little man is getting too big, as you can see, he can still fit inside my bathroom sink - and he seems to enjoy it. He can only go in there right before bath because he's likely to douse himself with water, a skill he seems quite proud of.
This morning, Connor learned the lesson that you should push tall towers of blocks away from your body rather than towards your body. Apparently a couple landed on his head - ouch!
Who knew TV could be so great?
For Christmas this year, I made a video compilation of photos from Connor's first 16 months. It's a project I hope to repeat each year, not only because it took me a while to learn to use the software, but it's sort of a nice look back at the year. At first, the video could only be played on computer, but thanks to some work Ed did, it can now also be played on a DVD player. Some odd things happened in the conversion, but it's certainly of suitable quality.
To our knowledge, Connor has never seen anything on TV that actually interested him (though we suspect there was a period of about a week where his last nanny let him watch PBS - he busted her one day by pointing to the remote and saying her name). He's been privvy to a few football games, but after the excitement of seeing a ball wears off, he's likely to just go back to doing something that in his mind is much more fun - like coloring, or reading, or running around wildly. All of this has changed. Ed popped in the DVD of Connor and Connor was completely impressed with himself. Anytime a photo of Ed or I came on, he would identify "mama" or "dada". And, with each new photo, he would light up and say "da" pointing to the screen. That's about 500 utterances of "da".
The best part of the movie was when it got to one of only three live action shots in the movie (I had trouble getting the movie from the camcorder to the computer, sigh). There is a little clip of Connor when he was just starting to walk. He was holding on to Ed's hands, getting ready to walk to me. Connor let go, waved his arms back and forth to steady himself, and then fell right at my feet. Connor laughed. If only Ed and I could go inside Connor's head and know what he was thinking. Was he thinking "Wow, that kid on the screen sure looks funny when he walks" or was he thinking "Wow, I used to walk like that? It's amazing I didn't break my neck." I guess we'll never know.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Snow Day!
There are few things Ed loves more than snow. So when we went all of December without even a hint of the fluffy stuff, Ed was starting to get nervous. But, to Ed’s great excitement, on Sunday, it finally snowed. I was happy for the sole reason that it meant the snowsuit I had purchased for Connor at a consignment sale earlier in the year would actually be used. Connor thought the snow was OK, but nothing all that special. It is, after all, cold and wet. But, it also made the playground equipment very slippery. Connor started to enjoy the snow a bit more when Ed brought us a big container full and we could play with it in our warm kitchen. It ended up being quite a project.
Elaine
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