Monkey: ONE YEAR

How do I even begin to tell you what's new with my ONE YEAR old child? I had planned to do an update every month with pictures and everything but oh, how life gets in the way sometimes.

When we left off, Peanut was 8 months old and getting ready to crawl. Now, he is just about 12 months old and taking tentative steps. I still call him Monkey, along with an assortment of other offhanded endearments.

Our little guy is as fabulous as ever – an incredible joy who brings us more happiness than we ever came close to imagining. I don't know what we would do without him. (Besides watch a lot more TV and surf a lot more internet!)

He is growing like a weed and flourishing like a flower. At his year checkup today, he was just under 30 inches tall and weighed 21 lbs 6 oz. Developmentally he's spot on – pulling up, cruising around on the furniture and sometimes taking as many as eight or 10 steps before he stops and sits down. It won't be much longer until he's a toddling maniac.

So much has happened over the last few months! It's hard to look back at pictures from six months ago and believe it's the same kid.

Food: We have been blessed with (so far) a non-picky eater. In fact, I would say he is exactly the opposite. He will and has eaten everything we've given him. If you ask him what his food preference is, it's "YES." And how funny that he's like this when, when we first started him on solids – not until after 6 months, mind you – he was all DO NOT WANT about everything we tried. I despaired that we would ever be able to sustain him with something other than my magic boobs. Formula is still strictly on the No-Fly list, however.

I don't know what happened but all of a sudden he became Hoover-baby, chomping at the spoon no matter what's on it. Apples, pears, cheerios, pasta, of course. Sweet potatoes, yes. Peas, yes. Prunes, yes. Spinach, broccoli, chicken, bagels, beef, yogurt, ham, lettuce, cheese YES YES YES!

We generally let him eat some of whatever we're eating, chopped up into bits and put on his tray, and then he usually also has a thing of baby food as well. Even though it's awful messy, he loves anything covered in spaghetti sauce, so I try to overcome my mess-phobia and let him have it even when we're not. Who knew that broccoli in spaghetti sauce would be a hit? He'll eat it plain but likes it much better sauced.

Monkey is a great eater and I'm so happy – I can only hope he keeps it up when he's older. Especially because despite the fact that I worry he's eating too much sometimes, he is in the 24% percentile for weight. Dr. Matt says he's just fine and to continue letting him eat as he wants.

Also, there have been many, many attempts at eating things that should not be eaten. I picture Monkey with a permanent little thought bubble over his head that says, "What's this? Can I put it in my mouth?" Or, more accurately, "What's this? I shall put it in my mouth!"

They say babies explore with their mouths and this is definitely true with our little guy. Everything he gets his hands on goes into his mouth. He especially loves to chew on tags. I hear there's a line of toys designed with all kinds of tags just for kids like him. Guess he'll have to get some for his birthday!

Teeth: He's got 8 fully in now – the four across the front on top. #s 9 &10 have finally broken through, which are a top molar on one side and a bottom molar on the other. They really gave him a hard time, at night especially; it kept him up, poor guy.

Walking: Monkey learned to stand in November and is now cruising around on furniture, people's legs, etc. In December my friend Erin gave us a walker that he runs around in like a madman – it has been his favorite thing ever since. He goes for walkies with Daddy down to get the mail and you can hear him squealing a mile away. He just loves it. Now that he is better at walking on his own, he tends to sit in the walker and roll himself backwards. It's hysterical to see him look back over his shoulder and kick off, flying down the hallway. I imagine in the next couple weeks when he's fully mobile upright, the walker will be abandoned and that will make me sad because I do love to see him zipping around in that thing.

He has also discovered using the dining room chair as a push toy. I can't believe he's strong enough to push it! But he is, and he's awesome at navigating that thing around the whole house. It's hardwoods all over so it is not unusual to come across an abandoned dining room chair in the hall or somewhere.

The other day, I was in the dining room working and out of the corner of my eye I saw movement across the kitchen. Looking up, I saw the stroller going by backwards. And then along comes Monkey, happily pushing it along and smiling at me as he went by. I love that my day is filled with such simple, beautiful moments like this.

Communication: My little guy babbles up a storm. He continues to be very vocal and has lately started mimicking us. We'll say something and at the end hear this little echo of the last two words we just said. And he sure talks to himself a lot…we always wonder just what it is he's saying. Won't be long now before he gets a few words that really sound like they mean something. Meanwhile, he does seem to know what we're saying much of the time. He knows who Mommy and Daddy are and claps and waves bye-bye, and especially loves to play "Where's Mommy?" The other day after dinner, I let him play with the washcloth I used to clean his face, and he started doing "Where's Monkey?" – held the cloth up in front of his own face, then yanked it down and smiled at me. He did it a couple of times until I caught on and started saying, "Wheeeere's Monkey?" and then he would giggle and hold it up again. Darling! I even got some on video.

He also knows "no" although we try not to use it except for the really dangerous stuff. Instead we aim for things like "hands off" or "hands to yourself" and thankfully, he is easily redirected.

We are trying some baby signs – right now we're working on "more" and "all done" and continuing to use the sign for milk as "yumyums."

Other stuff: It seems Monkey's favorite song has changed from Itsy Bitsy Spider to Little Bunny Foo Foo. Only problem is that I can't remember what happens at the end of Bunny Foo Foo when his three chances are up. Luckily, we tend to finish whatever it is we're doing before I get to the end. (Note to self: Find out what the hand motions are for when Little Bunny Foo Foo gets turned into a goon.)

He still loves Goodnight Moon, although we have gotten him some more books for his birthday so we can add a few more things into the rotation, seeing as I can recite Goodnight Moon in my sleep. We have quite a few more books but many of them are regular paper books which my little man destroys in seconds, so we're still on board books for a while yet. Also on the hit list: Guess How Much I Love You and Time for Bed.

He does great playing on his own too. A couple of months ago, I gave him a "safe" cabinet in the kitchen, filled with Tupperware and stuff. It also includes a large wooden spoon, which, according to Monkey, is AWESOME for banging. Mommy only agrees with this opinion for about half an hour; Daddy, not so much. It is super cute though to see him sitting on the kitchen floor with all the bowls and things spread out around him, happy as a clam banging away with his spoon.

Monkey doesn't seem to have a favorite toy as yet – he has lots of them but seems to give them all equal time. I suppose if we had to pick, the ones he seems to enjoy the most are the play keys from Aunt Heidi and the pretend cell phone I got him for our trip to Disneyland in December. We generally keep those in the car, though, so maybe he seems to like them so much because he doesn't get them all the time.

We are looking forward to his monkey-themed birthday party at Nana's this weekend. We are actually re-gifting some of the presents we got him for Christmas because he got spoiled by everyone, especially his Uncle John and Aunt Sherry. They got him so much stuff! Among other things, some cute clothes and a rocking horse that makes gallop-y noises and this adorable penguin thing that is like a giant weeble that laughs when you knock it down. He really loves the penguin and it's funny, if you bump into it and it bobbles a little, it lets out this loony laugh which is a sure fire way to get Monkey to come running (or crawling just as fast as he can!) Anyway, he pretty much liked the wrapping paper just as much as the actual gifts, so he won't even notice that many of the ones from Mommy and Daddy are the same.

Christmas this year was great but obviously a little sad. We missed Steve so much and couldn't stop thinking about excited he would have been for Monkey's first Christmas. It is getting easier day by day, but sometimes I get such an awful pang of missing him. Especially when Monkey does something exceptionally adorable that I want to tell him about. I sure hope there's some way that my mom and Steve can see what a great kid I've got.

He is such a joy – so happy, laughing and smiling all the time. Such a good kid and makes us so happy. I hope he knows – will always know – just how much we love him.

A whole year gone by already. We can't believe how much he's grown and how much we've grown too! I was so nervous about being a parent, about taking care of a baby and now I feel so accomplished and proud of my little boy.

It went so fast. I just hope the next twenty years don't go by like this or I will be an old lady all too soon!

As always, pictures here, video here.

Superbowl is a sad day

Superbowl is a sad day...we'd normally be heading to Steve's for celebratin' no matter who's playing. Sure miss him.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN AN IRISH FAMILY

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN AN IRISH FAMILY
You will never play professional basketball.
You swear very well.
At least one of your cousins is a fireman, cop, bar owner, funeral home owner or holds political office... and you have at least one aunt who is a nun or uncle who's a priest...
You think you sing very well.
You have no idea how to make a long story short!
There isn't a big difference between you losing your temper or killing someone...
Many of your childhood meals were boiled. Instant potatoes were a mortal sin.
You have never hit your head on a ceiling...
You spent a good portion of your childhood kneeling in prayer.
You're strangely poetic after a few beers.
Some punches directed at you are from legacies of past generations.
Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine or Eileen and there is at least one member of your family with the full name of Mary Catherine Eileen
Someone in your family is very generous. It is more than likely you.
You may not know the words, but that doesn't stop you from singing...
You can't wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start talking.
You're not nearly as funny as you think you are ... but what you lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.
There wasn't a huge difference between your last wake and your last keg party.
You are, or know someone, named Murphy. If you don’t know Murphy then you know Mac. If you don't know Murphy or Mac, then you know Sully ... Then you probably know McMurphy.
You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.
You have Irish Alzheimer's ... you forget everything but the grudges!
'Irish Stew' is a euphemism for 'boiled leftovers.'
Your skin's ability to tan ... not so much. (Only in spots!)
Childhood remedies for the common cold often included some form of whiskey.
There's no leaving a family party without saying goodbye for at least 45 minutes.
At this very moment, you have at least two relatives who are not speaking to each other. Not fighting, mind you, just not speaking to each other

First time away from the boy

Well, tomorrow I'm leavin' on a jet plane. Have to go to L.A. for work and won't be back until Thursday. It will be my first time away from Fletch for more than a few hours - I have never been away from him overnight before.

I'm nervous for all three of us. I know it will be hard on me - I will miss both him and Mr. Fantastic like crazy and I'm sure my boobs are going to wonder what the hell happened. I know it will be hard on Mr. F to take care of the baby all on his own and not have me and my magic boobs to help out if the going gets rough. And I know it will be hard on the boy to be without me, especially at night.

In the end, I'm sure it will be good for all of us. I need to learn how to be away from him and Fletchie needs to learn how to be away from me. And Mr. F needs to learn how it will be without me there.

I know I'm long overdue for an update on the boy - all is well, he is awesome as ever - but for now, check out the new photos and videos.

Avatar

Avatar in Imax was pretty amazing. Beautiful to look at! Gonna win @ Oscars. Could do without the 3D though - headachey!

Let's have some less interesting times this year, mmmkay?

I'm sitting here, listening to my husband snore and my baby cough as we all suffer from the same plaguey virus that's going around, and I feel…well, I suppose, not technically grateful for them as they are in their current state, but in general, I feel blessed. Enriched. My husband and son have made my life better, fulfilled, interesting.

As I contemplate the dawn of a new year, I am reminded of the Chinese 'curse,' "May you live in interesting times." As a general rule, I have always felt that living in interesting times was much preferable to living in uninteresting times – not a curse at all. What fun is living if your life's not interesting?

But 2009 was a pretty interesting year for me, with the birth and the death of two of the most important people that will ever be in my life. So for 2010, I'd like a year that's a little less interesting. Obviously, with a baby who'll turn one in February (!!!) I can't hope for anything like uneventful, but I'll take all the routine happy this year would like to throw at us. A bonus would be zero trips to any hospitals of any kind for any reason, either for myself or my loved ones. I spent far too much of 2009 in hospitals and doctor's offices for my tastes.

I know there will be plenty of interesting times this year – we will always have our ups and downs. I'm just hoping for a little more middle of the road ups and downs, like skinned knees and winning $2 on my lottery ticket. Let's save the big events for a few years down the road once we've had some time to enjoy some run-of-the-mill interestingness.

Bronco game

Bronco game with lots of my cousins today. Fun but sucked sitting in the cold for no reason. *grumblegrumble* Been home almost 2 hours & my feet are still cold!

Happy New Year to all!

Happy New Year to all! May 2010 bring you the things I wish for myself: health, happiness & peace. My love to you.

Bleargh. Feel crummy today.

Bleargh. Feel crummy today. Baby puked all over me this morning. Great...Looks like we both have the plague.

the Great Glass Elevator of Doom Incident of December 2006

On December 10, 2006, Mr. Fantastic and I had dinner at the Tabor Center. We finished and headed to the elevator to go down to the parking garage. They’re these cool glass elevators, in like an atrium sort of thing. And all four walls are glass so you can see not only into the atrium, but also to the street outside and everything. Mr. F presses the DOWN button.
Great Glass Elevator of Doom: *opens invitingly*
Me: *strolls innocently inside*
Mr. F: *starts to enter but is forced to stop when…*
GGEoD: *whooshes shut alarmingly, catching Mr. F's arm in the process*
Mr. F: D’oh! *hastily yoinks arm free*
GGEoD: *doors close with decisive clang*
Me: *turns around* What are you doing?
Mr. F: (shouting through the glass) THE DOOR SHUT ON ME! IT BARELY MISSED CLOSING ON YOU!
Me: *presses DOOR OPEN button* The button doesn’t work. *giggles*
Mr. F: TRY THE OTHER BUTTONS.
Me: You don’t have to shout. *presses all the buttons* None of the buttons work!
Mr. F: LET’S TRY TO PRY OPEN THE DOORS.
Mr. F and Me: *futilely struggle to pry open the doors*
Mr. F: *helpless shrug*
Me: *embarrassed giggle*
Mr. F and Me: *share look of ‘seriously, is this really happening?’*
Purple Sweater Lady: *presses DOWN button* What’s going on?
Mr. F: My wife is stuck in there!
PSL’s Teenage Daughter: Ohmigod!
PSL: Did she press the buttons? DID YOU PRESS THE BUTTONS?
Me: *presses all the buttons again* None of the buttons work! *laughs helplessly *
Mr. F: Try the CALL button.
PSL: TRY THE CALL BUTTON.
Me: *presses the CALL button again* It’s not working! *laughs helplessly some more*
GGEoD: *alarm bell rings*
Me: *looks hopeful*
Black Hat Guy: What’s going on?
Mr. F: My wife is stuck in there!
PSL: His wife is stuck in there!
BHG: *peers at me*
Me: *waves feebly*
BHG: Did she press the buttons? DID YOU PRESS THE BUTTONS?
BHG’s Girlfriend: Ohmigod!
PSL’s Teenage Daughter: I know!
Me: *facepalm*
BHG: (to Mr. F) Let’s see if we can pry the doors open. WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO OPEN THE DOOR.
Mr. F and BHG: *futilely struggle to pry open the doors*
GGEoD: *lurches unnervingly, lights flicker*
Family of Five: What’s going on?
Mr. F: My wife is stuck in there!
PSL: His wife is stuck in there!
BHG: His wife is stuck in there!
Me: *waves feebly*
FoF: *peers at me*
Me: *feels like zoo animal*
FoF Dad: Did she try the CALL button? DID YOU TRY THE CALL BUTTON?
Me: *facepalm* None of the buttons work! *laughs helplessly, demonstrates how pressing any of the buttons does nothing*
Family of Five: *takes escalator*
Mr. F: *calls my cell phone* I don’t know what to do! I’m calling 9-1-1.
Me: *laughs helplessly* I can’t believe this is happening.
~ Meanwhile, Mr. F calls 9-1-1. He gave me the recap on the way home.
911: What’s your emergency?
Mr. F: Er, I’m not really sure—my wife—we’re at the Tabor Center, and um, my wife is stuck in the elevator? And um…
911: At the Tabor Center? They’re already on their way. She’s in elevator 2, right?
Mr. F: Er…
911: We were alerted when the alarm bell went off.
Mr. F: Oh! Okay.
~ Back at the Great Glass Elevator of Doom…Mr. F has been forced to the back of the crowd of people while he was calling 9-1-1. They are all looking in at me and helpfully shouting suggestions.
A Small Crowd: *has gathered*
Me: *still feels like zoo animal*
PSL: DID YOU PRESS THE ALARM BUTTON?
Me: *presses the ALARM button*
GGEoD: *alarm bell rings, then shuts off*
Me: *facepalm*
Crowd Random #1: TRY PRESSING THE DOOR OPEN BUTTON.
Crowd Random #2: DID YOU TRY THE CALL BUTTON?
Crowd Random #3: TRY PRESSING THE 3 BUTTON.
Mr. F: *calls my cellphone* I called 9-1-1. They were already on the way.
Fire Truck Sirens: *wail in the distance*
Me: *facepalm* They’re sending a fire truck?! I cannot believe this is happening to me! *more helpless laughter*
Mr. F: *waves at me over the crowd* You okay in there?
Me: I’m fine. This is just…*laughs helplessly*
Fire Truck Sirens: *wail in proximity*
Mr. F: *laughing* Look! They’re here! *points behind me, outside*
Me: *looks outside* OH MY GOD.
~ There are TWO fire trucks plus that extra non-fire-truck vehicle, roaring down the street, sirens wailing, lights a-blazin’. I am mortified.
Me: They sent TWO fire trucks?
Mr. F: Well, you’re very important.
Twenty Firemen: *storm the atrium*
Me: *waves feebly*
Mr. F: I have to hang up now, they want to talk to me.
PSL’s Teenage Daughter: Ohmigod! This is SO embarrassing!
My Brain: No shit, Sherlock.
A Small Crowd: *disperses somewhat*
~ So the head fireman is very kindly and concerned about me, probably thinking that my continued helpless laughter is bordering on hysteria. He was really nice and kept talking to me through the glass, asking if I was okay and such.
Head Fireman: ARE YOU OKAY?
Me: Yes, I’m fine. *helpless laughter*
Head Fireman: WE HAVE TO TURN OFF THE POWER BEFORE WE CAN OPEN THE DOORS.
Me: Okay, no problem.
Head Fireman: *goes off to do fireman stuff*
Me: *twiddles thumbs*
Twenty Firemen: *do rescue-y things*
Fireman #2: WE HAVE TO TURN OFF THE POWER BEFORE WE CAN OPEN THE DOORS.
Me: I still have no problem with that.
Fireman #2: WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE ELEVATOR DOESN’T FALL DOWN WHEN WE DO IT.
Me: Okay, no prob—Wait, what?
Fireman #2: WE DON’T WANT THE ELEVATOR TO CRASH.
Me: You think it might crash?!
Head Fireman: *glares at Fireman #2* IT’S NOT GOING TO CRASH. JUST SIT TIGHT.
~ So then I twiddled my thumbs some more, and took pictures of the firemen with my camera phone, and called several people, including my brother and a friend. It was very hot and boring inside the Great Glass Elevator of Doom, despite the fact that it lurched alarmingly a couple of times and there was still somewhat of a crowd milling about. Also, Mr. F entertained me by taking pictures of the firemen and me in the GGEoD and also making faces and flipping me off behind everyone’s back.
~ And then they got the first set of doors open.
A Dwindled Crowd: *claps*
Me: *thumbs up*
Head Fireman: THE INSIDE DOORS WILL NOT BE SO EASY.
GGEoD: *laughs evilly*
Me: *facepalm*
Fireman #2: GET THE JAWS OF LIFE!
~ And it took three of them and some sort of jaws-of-life-y tools to pop the gears and pry the doors and then they finally got them open enough for me to get out.
GGEoD: *doors open reluctantly*
Head Fireman: *gallantly hands me out of the GGEoD* EVERYTHING—er, everything all right, miss?
A Dwindled Crowd: *claps* HOORAY!
Me: *humbly* Yes, yes, I’m just fine. Thank you. Thank you so much. (loudly, to all the firemen) THANK YOU!
Twenty Firemen: *tip caps politely*
GGEoD: *shakes fist* Curses! Foiled again!
~ And then we went home and ate cheesecake and all was well.