I'm Walking on Sunshine!

B-Boy is not walking on his own, but he sure wants too.

He is walking great hanging on to things, like the edge of the couch or the pack-n-play. He will even reluctantly walk if you hold his hands above his head and walk behind him.

But today, he took a new step in the direction of walking on his own. He used his V-tech Learning Walker in a different way. Normally, he just sits on his knees and plays with the front of it... making music play and lights blink. For the past few weeks, he has been pulling up on the walker, and pushing it against the wall.

Today was different. He played with it as he normally does, and kept pulling up on it, but he tried to push it from the front more than he usually does. Which got me thinking... I wonder if he wants to use the "walker" part of the toy.

So I moved it to the center of the room, and helped him pull up behind it. The next thing I knew, ZOOM! He took off walking!

I grabbed the closest camera to take some video for you. It's not the best video, and I wish the angle had been better. I hope you will still enjoy it!

The End of Summer

It's the end of August, and folks are headed back to school. The end of summer is upon us... and before the month ends, we have one order of business to address.

I know, you have been sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting patiently for the next photo in the "Eli and Neb dress up B-Boy and take his picture" series. Well, you have waited long enough, my friends... so we present you with the lastest installment. We hope you enjoy!

Hi folks, I am just sitting here at the lake, soaking in the sun...

thinking about going sailing later...

WHAT? What do you mean that summer is over?

I have so much homework to do to get ready!

That is so not cool.

I guess I'll start with this one.

There is A LOT to do...

No time for sailing or playing with you today folks.
I have to keep working!

B-Boy does not like dogs

I hope this is just a phase... but B-Boy does not like dogs.

It started with B-Boy's first encounter with a dog, a neighbor's poodle... which I blogged about earlier. Yesterday, we took B-Boy for a walk. We were cruising nicely, and between the stoller motion and the comfort of the paci, B-Boy was in a nice trace.

Along the way, we met a man and his son walking thier yellow lab. We stopped to chat for a few moments. The yellow lab was quite large, and his head was as far off of the ground as B-Boy's. He sighed, as dogs do, and the noise broke B-Boy's trance.

B-Boy's eyes got quite big, and then he let out a long, high pitched cry. Needless to say, we quickly said our goodbyes and moved on. I ended up zig-zagging the stroller back and forth quickly to finally get him to stop.

Fast forward to today. This morning, he woke up at 5:30am really upset, and it took rocking and a bottle to get him back to sleep. (I sure do hope that he wasn't having nightmares about enormous dogs...)

When I dropped him off at daycare, it did not dawn on me to tell them. I went back to play with him during lunch. His teacher said to me "B-Boy does not like puppets."

What?

B-Boy loves puppets. My mom bought him the cutest board book called "In My Nest" with a bird finger puppet in it and he loves it. I said just as much.

She then told me that she started with the frog puppet and then a rabbit puppet. She said B-Boy was really into it. And then it hit me.

"Was the puppet that caused a meltdown a dog?", I asked.
"Yes, it was!", she said.

She then told me that he was fine until she pulled out the dog and made it bark.

Then the meltdown began, and he crawled to the other side of the room.

I am still not sure how best to handle this... I am hoping he will get better with them soon. We shall see.

And he's climbing a stairway...

On Wednesday, I got to go play with B-Boy at lunch. He and his toddler friends usually go to sleep at one, and the baby in the room was sleeping, so we went into the common Atrium area to play.

We had a blast. B-Boy started with a music table that is perfect for standing or sitting. I then pushed him in the cart KidN pushed him in... and then we played CRAWL AROUND, which basically means you crawl around the outskirts of the Atrium as FAST as you can.

Which led us to an activity area that had a set of stairs and a slide. (See the photo below.) The steps are built for little ones... because they are about two-thirds the height of normal steps.

B-Boy quickly put his hands on the second stair. I crawled over and put my hands over him onto the third step. B-Boy had a hard time knowing what to do next, so I put my knee on the second step and then pulled up. B-Boy hesitated and then he proceeded to move up to the next step. Before we knew it, he was at the very top.

I then moved down to the bottom and around to the slide. B-Boy let me move his feet to the top of the slide, and then WHEEEEEEEeeeee! Down the slide he went. Although he didn't seem as happy about that as I did.

A few moments later, he was back over to the stairs again. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few photos for you. B-Boy was moving so fast, the pictures got a bit blurry.

It won't be long until he is doing this at home. I am SOOOO not ready for that.

Correction: Make that 8 Teeth

In my last post (from THIS morning), I mentioned that B-Boy had seven teeth.

I was wrong. At dinner, I noticed that his mouth look different. Upon further scrutiny, I discovered that he had an additional tooth on the bottom! Which is nice, because now he is quite symmetrical... four teeth on the top and four on the bottom.

Now that we have that straight... I have a lot to tell you. Stay posted.

Daddy's first day of school

Last week, school started back at many colleges and univerisities. NC State is one of them.

Neb is taking classes there, so last week we had a first day of school of sorts. I had to take some photos for you, because it is amazing to see how much B-Boy is growing... and how much Neb is shrinking. If you haven't noticed, Neb has lost a LOT of weight, something we are all really proud about.

I took some photos for this "first day of school"... If you look closely, you might see B-Boy's SEVEN teeth... yep, he is sporting four on top and three on the bottom. And if you did not notice, B-Boy is also wearing a matching outfit to his Daddy, only his shirt says "My dad has SUPER POWERS!"

Psst... I have to tell you a sneakret.....

Yep, B-Boy, and the best superpower is he can ALWAYS get you to laugh. I happen to really like that one.

B-Boy is Steppin' Out, and needs your help

Hello everyone, it’s Neb. I’ve hijacked this blog to say an important word or two about a cause important both B-Boy and me.

Now, those that know me well should realize that I am really passionate about only a few causes. One of these is the American Diabetes Association. Although neither B-Boy nor I have been diagnosed with diabetes, the disease has had a big impact on our friends and family. I am sure that many of you have known someone with diabetes or have even been diagnosed with the disease yourself.

For the last 70 years, the American Diabetes Association has been helping the 23.6 million Americans living with diabetes.

On September 25, B-Boy and I will be taking part in the ADA’s Step-Out walk to fight diabetes. This event helps raise money to fund educational outreach, advocacy efforts and critical research that hopefully will put an end to this disease in B-boy’s lifetime.


B-Boy and I would like to encourage you take a second and visit our Step-out page at
http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/StepOut/RaleighArea?px=6051803&pg=personal&fr_id=7242
We would be thrilled to get a modest donation. Remember, your dollar could be the one that supports the research that finds the ultimate cure.

Again, thanks.

Neb

B-Boy loses and then gains a toy

Over the weekend, Neb packed up some of the toys that B-Boy has outgrown.

Bye-Bye doorway jumper that he adored.

So long bouncer My-Little-Lamb chair that he slept in many nights.

Thanks for Playing, Farm-Themed Exersaucer that B-Boy enjoyed so much...

They were all discovered for far too short. (Hmmm that sounds better when you say far too long...) The farm had lots of toys on top, like a cow, pig, sheep, chickens, and more. I assigned voices to the animals so that I could engage him with the toy another way. The pig was a British pig, the cow was very girly sounding, and the sheep was Canadian. Oh, and the chickens were nice Southern Chickens... which they liked to tell him in a slow southern drawl.

He had not played with them in ages, but when Neb collapsed the Exersaucer and turned it on its side, B-Boy thought that it was the COOLEST.... TOY..... EVER.

So when Neb started to put it in a big bag to take to the garage, B-Boy had a meltdown.  NOOOOoooooooooo Daddyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! He can't actually say that with words, but his screams and cries let us know in no uncertain terms... he did NOT want his farm to be put in a bag, in a place that he could not play with it.

So I cuddled him and explained that sometimes we have to say goodbye to our toys... but that as we get older, we get BETTER toys. And then I told him about his new toy. It is a Fisher Price Drop & Roar Dinosaur. And it is SUPER COOL.

It is a big green plastic dinosaur with four holes that you push balls into. As the balls go in the holes, music plays and lights go off. The balls then travel through the dinosaur. One rolls down the neck, through the head and out the mouth. Another rolls down the back, which has steps and a spinning butterfly. One goes through a door that flips open, and the last one goes through the middle of the body, back and forth, swinging a pendulum until it comes out an opening at the bottom.There are also rubber dinosaurs to grab on top of the toy.

B-Boy decided that it was SUPER COOL... maybe his mom is on to something.

At first, he would just bang the plastic balls together. Then he would push the balls in the holes if I put them in most of the way. Tonight, as Neb played with him, B-Boy put the balls in the holes himself. Hopefully, he will continue to enjoy this new toy... at least until I can find the next one!

Stranger Anxiety

Who thought B-Boy, who adores people adoring him, would end up having Stranger Anxiety?

But, he does. It started with him just looking to us when a stranger approached. He would get the "it's ok" look from us (which usually included us issuing a big smile and an one of us saying "it's ok!")  and then he would break into a big smile.

And he still does that. But this week, the Stranger Anxiety has hit with a whole new level. I have watched the other kids in his class go through it, with all different levels of anxiety. One little girl would break into absolute hysterics if a stranger came into the classroom.

B-Boy is not quite that bad, but when strangers come into the room, he breaks into crying. There is a new baby in the room (almost 3 months old, who started today)... the baby is not the problem. Actually, the three toddlers in the room were pushing each other like crazy to get a good look at her from the other side of the low bookcases. I watched B-Boy push the little girl who is three weeks older than him aside so he could get a better look... she just glided down the bookcase as if she was meaning to do it. I was grateful she didn't fall over but I was suprised when she did not react. (She has 2 big sisters, so perhaps she is used to being moved aside??? B-Boy would NEVER stand to be scouched across a bookcase, but I am getting off topic.)

The problem was the parents. They are great people, the husband actually works three offices down from me. But B-Boy doesn't know that. All he knows is that the room he LOVES to go to everyday, to the point of being downright GIDDY.... has been invaded by strangers. He breaks into a long and loud cry until one of his teachers goes and holds him. Then, he is fine.

Like it didn't happen. Almost like- Heh heh, I got what I wanted! Score!

But the same thing happens at pick up time at the end of the day. All the babies get put in strollers (usually double strollers) and wheeled to the common Atrium area. As the parents drive up, the teachers bring out the babies who are swooped into their car seats and then moved out as if on a conveyer belt. Sometimes, parents will park and walk in to get thier kids. That is where the problem happens.

B-Boy is ok with the other teachers and babies... but now as parents are coming in to get their kids, his Stranger Anxiety kicks in and WAH!!!!!!!

I am hopeful that this phase does not last long. I was a terribly shy child, and I hope it has not moved on to B-Boy... I know, you are shocked with the thought of ME being shy... but I was. Thankfully, I eventuallly found my voice and stature. Otherwise, what WOULD you read?

;)

Just added... a Cast of Characters!

On the right side of the blog, you will see I have added an item called "the Cast of Characters".

With so many folks being mentioned, I was starting to think you might be getting confused. So as you read, if you think, "Who is that?"... click on the link for the Cast of Characters. It is pretty basic at the moment, but as time permits, I will add to it, I promise!

Enjoy!

Meeting with the teacher

This week, Neb and I met with B-Boy's head teacher.

It was his "10 month" meeting, where we learned more about the transitions that are coming for him... as he prepares to move up to the classroom for one year olds. He is bcoming more of a toddler everyday, and we got to learn how to best be consistent between what happens at home and what they do at day care.

We also talked more about his eating solids and moving up to the Toddler Food Program. This means that the day care will supply the food for lunch, which comes from my company's cafe. I am looking forward to it, as B-Boy really wants to eat what all the other kids in the room are eating. He is really big on doing what the older kids do.

His teacher said he is the best kid in the room with a cup. No sippy cup for this boy. He drinks from a big boy cup (well, a little big boy!) and he does it really well. She mentioned we should start transitioning him off of the bottle to strictly cup... at our discretion. She suggested that we consider just using the cup at day care and use a bottle at home until we were comfortable stopping the bottle.

I am going to miss the bottle. Why? Because I am able to go over and feed him a bottle during the day. He is so snuggly and sweet when I go, and it is nice to feel so close to him. I know that it won't be long before he is grown and asking for the car keys. So trasitioning off of the bottle, although a natural part of him getting older, is a sort of bittersweet milestone for me.

But, this is not about me... and his teacher said I could still come over to play with him. That made me feel better. I love playing with B-Boy at daycare.

At eleven months old, B-Boy will go more on a set schedule than he is now, and his bed will turn around. His bed has 3 sides, and the fourth side is open. The open edge is currently against the wall, but in a few weeks, B-Boy will be able to get in and out of his bed as he wishes. This is mostly because the beds in the 1 year olds room don't have any sides. So having one side open helps him with the transition.

We also discussed where B-Boy is developmentally. We all seemed to be on the same page with that. He is doing REALLY well with mobility and object permanence (the understanding that objects continue to exist even if you can't see them). B-Boy is a bulldog when you hide something (like the remote control)... he knows it is there, and will go after it to no end.

He is still not communicating with us with words, but considering the boy is almost 3 feet tall... I'll cut him some slack. A friend told me that when one area grows (like mobility, size, vocabulary) other areas tend to slow down. Makes sense to me... at least where B-Boy is concerned.

One thing that came up several times is that he is... stubborn and strong-willed.

Funny, since those are the words we used when we brought B-Boy in for the first time. Nice to see some things don't change. We are all in trouble as he enters toddlerhood! But, we will endevour to be consistent with what daycare does.

We all agree that it is time for B-Boy to learn the word no. I asked if Neb could learn it too. Ha ha.

His teacher told us they give him three chances (kind of like Little Bunny Foo-Foo, but without the GOON part). After the third time being told no, they will move him to a contained area to get him away from what he did. Neb and I both looked at each other and asked "Do we have to wait until the third time?" Some days, our patience just won't last that long.

All in all, it was a good meeting. Before we know it, we will be meeting again to discuss moving into a new classroom. How is it that he is almost a year old?

Come on and take a free ride...

Cue the music. Yesterday, B-Boy got a ride at school. Let me explain.

On Friday, only two kids were in B-Boy's daycare class. B-Boy was one of them. There are usually six kids, but they were down to five because one of the teachers was pregnant and they wanted to lighten the load. This past week, one of the five kids moved up to the next classroom. So we are down to four kids for the three teachers to manage.

The two girls were out, so that left B-Boy and his friend KidN.

They got lots of extra attention, and found new ways to amuse themselves. KidN has just started walking on his own, and he wanted to practice some more. One of the teachers got out a Radio Flyer push cart, which is perfect for him to walk behind.

B-Boy got jealous, and a bit curious. So, into the push cart he went. Yep, KidN started pushing him around the room. B-Boy is quite long, and he did not fit inside the cart... his feet dangled out, starting at the ankle.

The classroom wasn't large enough, so they headed off down the hall to see the fish tank.

Wheeeeeee!

One of his teachers took some video of it, and it just makes me giggle. (For the sake of privacy for KidN, I won't post it here, but will be happy to send it to you if you email me.)

Pardon Me while I get you caught up...

July was crazy for me work wise. Where I normally put in a 35 hour work week, I had been working at home at nights after work and on weekends.

Neb has been great through it all, and now that I have gotten past my deadline, I now have some time and energy to get caught up on the blog.

I am going back and blogging some posts about the end of July. To make it easy to find later, I am backdating them to reflect when they actually happened.

You can read them at:
        GranE comes to visit
        AuntJ and Limby come to visit
        Nebelito Gazette gets an Award
        Bye-bye GranE!
        B-Boy finishes his swim class

Please excuse my tardiness... Better late than never!

B-Boy utters a word

B-Boy speaks.

Mostly, he babbles sounds like BA-BA-BA? BA-BA-BA!     GA-GA-GA!     DA-DA-DA!

Yesterday, he spoke his first word. It was pointed, obvious, and purposeful. It has been a while in coming, building with practice for the past few weeks.

You are curious, aren't you? What on earth was his first word... and why did he use it?

Well, if you ask Neb, he would tell you he was voting for Da-da. Me, I was hoping for Ma-ma... but I gave up on it when he only uttered that sequence once... DA-DA-DA was much more common.

We were both wrong.

Last night, I carried B-Boy upstairs to go to sleep. One of our two cats followed us up... I asked B-Boy "Do you see the Kitty?". Mango (one of the cats) then started to run back downstairs. I called after her from outside his room, and she came back upstairs. B-Boy took one look at her and said....

"Kit.... ty."

See, for the past few weeks, Mango has been taunting B-Boy. I believe she is the main reason he started crawling. She would sit just far enough away that he could not touch her, and when he crawled near, she would pick up her pace to stay ahead of him. He would follow her all around the room, and once in a while she would let him catch her. He would get one stroke of a petting, and then "Ptchow!" she would be off and out of reach. B-Boy would laugh and then start off after her.

Cassie, the other cat, has avoided B-Boy and has been mostly missing when he is around. Ironic, because she is always around when people visit, and Mango hides. One of my friends swore we only had one cat, as Mango was never seen when they would take care of them.

So there it is... B-Boy speaks. And yes Grandpa Gator (my Dad), B-Boy loves the kitties. Heh heh. But don't worry, he will NOT be a Yankees fan.

Here Kid...Kid...Kid.

10 Months!

Today, B-Boy is ten months old! How that is possible is beyond me.

I am teaching this week, and so I did not get to spend much time with him today. Neb took him to daycare and picked him up. So I can't tell you too much about his day, but when I got home, we got to play together while Neb mowed the yard.

He was in a great mood, and we got to crawl all over the living room. He found his toy basket and proceeded to pull all of the toys out. Putting them back just did not seem quite so much fun.

B-Boy is pulling up like crazy. He is even feeling so confident to hold himself up with one hand. It won't be long before he starts walking, I am sure, but for now we are enjoying the crawling stage. B-Boy is so happy to be able to GO GO GO. He is loving the new found freedom.

I'm 10 months old today!

I have FIVE teeth! Two on the bottom and three on top!!!

ARGH!!!!! Let me out Daddy!