Dancin' Man

Dance from Melanie Lafeen on Vimeo.

Some of your favorite things

I know I just posted, but I've been meaning to post some of these stories. Unfortunately, I have no new pictures to add, which will upset the grandparents. I'll see what I can do in the next few days.

This is how this week's babycenter email started out... "At this point you're still your toddler's favorite playmate."

This is so true. It's safe to say that your mom is one of your favorite things. Your dad is ALSO your favorite... and a close 3rd is Jodo. (Or, as most of us refer to her, Jodi). You also love your grandma's and grandpa's, even though you can only say 'Papa'. You like playing with your cousin Laila and can say her name -but only when she's not around.

You like dogs -especially when they bark.

You like swimming. And, I found out that you give extended hugs to me when we're swimming together, so I think we'll go swimming with Jodi more often. I mean, Jodo.

You love, love, LOVE music. You 'lead' music when you hear it (most people think you're waving) and dance. Which is really funny. It's baby dancing, so you kind of just bounce up and down. You also love to play the piano.

You like talking on the phone, or even pretending to talk on the phone.

You like riding on dad's shoulders and bonking heads. In fact, you like bonking heads so much you often do it at unexpected times and with unsuspecting people. (It kind of hurts).

I feel like this one doesn't need to be said, but you still love your elephant. I gave him (plural) a name today, buddy. It's something you can say, and I think it'll stick.

You look for Papa whenever we go outside, and you love escaping through the gate and racing up the stairs when we turn our backs.

You still love balls (you leave Christmas tree's alone unless they have balls on them) and baths. You ask for a bath at least once a day and run into the bathrooms and go straight to the bathtub.

You love snacks, bread, and water. You're always on the move and almost always happy. You still love your naps, but we're down to two a day, instead of three. You like your new car seat and enjoy being able to see more things while we're in the car.

You're definitely one of my favorite things, Little Man!

Merry Christmas!

Last year you were barely a month old and you still didn't like me much (you wouldn't eat or sleep despite all of my best efforts), this was your first fun Christmas.

We spent Christmas Eve with Mimi and Papa. We had dinner at Cindy and Lon's and you got to spend some time with Sammy, Matt and Melissa's little boy. You were both pretty happy all night long and enjoyed dinner.

We came home that night and opened a Christmas Eve gift from Grandma Hardcastle -it was pajama's.

You woke up early on Christmas morning, but had to wait for mom and dad to get ready before we went downstairs.

You were excited to see the few things Santa had brought. He must have known you were going to get plenty of fun toys from your Grandparents, because he just brought you a few things. A couple of onsies, a fun book, and a Playskool Walk and Ride. You really liked the Walk & Ride and loved it when dad pushed you around on it.

After breakfast we went out to Grandma and Grandpa Lafeen's so we could talk to your uncle Bryan. You got way too many gifts there -including a bus you can ride and a fishing tackle box, that you may have to wait a few years to properly use!

You were exhausted when we left there, and you slept for a few minutes on the way to Mimi and Papa's for brunch. You were the only little kid there so you had plenty of attention, even though you napped for a while. Mimi and Papa gave you your very own baby -a glow worm doll.

From there we went to Grandma and Grandpa Hardcastle's. You had fun with all of the kids there, but went to bed early. We had decided that we were sleeping over since we knew we would be there so late. You got a few more toys and clothes from Grandma and Grandpa and had fun playing with everyone on Saturday too.

You're one lucky kid!

13 months (almost)

I can't believe it's been almost a month since we celebrated your first birthday.

I don't think you've done anything new this month, but you're getting better at everything you've already figured out.

You LOVE balls. And, things that even look like balls -like lights, snowman ornaments, things hanging from Target's ceiling. From the time you wake up it's "Baaa, baaa, BAAA..." You actually have done really well at leaving Christmas tree's alone -unless they have balls on them. Then we have issues. We actually picked out an ornament for you this year, which was -a ball! I'm sure you love it. Or, you would if we let you pay it.

This is how you 'play'. I pull the center cushion off the couch and you climb up and have a blast. Until you fall over the edge onto your head. It's only happened once though.

You've also figured out Grandpa (papa) and bottle (bata) which sounds different from baby (baba). You can also say your cousin Laila's name -sounds like waywah, but it's close enough. You also copy a lot of things that you hear, but those ones, along with mama and dad, you definitely know and say. A lot.

Matching ties. This was your dad's birthday present.

You haven't figured out going downstairs yet, but you will usually stop, turn around, and sit down. The problem is you sit down about 3 feet from the first stair. Speaking of backwards, you like everything backwards and upside down. In the last few days you seem to like to walk backwards. So much that you often run into things and over things when you're walking backwards. You also love looking at things upside down -sticking your head on the ground and looking through your legs until you fall over.

You've had more than a few haircuts this month. Really, it was one haircut that happened over three different days. I finally fixed it today -the back was super long, but now the front is a little short.

That's all we can think of at the moment. You've had a cold for the past week or so, and you've been a little ornery and a bit more clingy than usual. However, Monday you were happy all day long. It was great!

One Year Old

We've had a really busy week, leading up to your birthday, but there have been a few moments of calm when I try to remember what it was like before you arrived. It's actually pretty hard to remember. Mostly I remember the anticipation and excitement in the weeks and months leading up to when you were born. We were both so excited and nervous to meet you.

Since then, I can't believe how the time has gone by.

I can't believe we survived (all 3 of us) the first few weeks, and finally got into some kind of rhythm in the first few months.

It was so much fun watching you struggle and learn how to do new things in the beginning, like hold your head up and rolling over. You started going to sleep on your own when we laid you down in your crib without much of a fight and hardly ever cried or screamed after the first week or so.

When you turned 6 months old it was like your personality came through overnight. I think mom's can see it all along the way, but at 6 months it was there for everyone to see. You would smile and scoot and roll all over the place and LOVED to eat. You started sleeping through the night (thank you) and going to sleep with your little elephant.

Right before 9 months you figured out how to crawl. I think it was something that you knew you could do for a couple of weeks, and by the end were so frustrated when you couldn't figure it out. You weren't satisfied with crawling, so you learned how to stand up the same day and started cruising.

You learned to clap and babbled non-stop. The 2 elephants turned into about 5 or 6 when we realized how bad they would smell and how often we had to wash them. You learned how to say 'ball' and find your head and ears when we asked. You moved all of the time and got closer to walking. You finally took your first steps at 11 months and within 2 weeks after that you were walking everywhere.

We're so lucky to be your parents. I love seeing your huge smile and when you laugh -both for real, and when you laugh when other people are laughing. We never leave home without your elephants and you are so eager to play with other kids and light up when you see family. I'm excited to see what you'll learn tomorrow -it seems like you're eager to get out of bed everyday just to explore and figure new things out. It's an amazing blessing just be to be your mom.

Happy Birthday Hyrum.

There's a first time for everything

Yesterday you did something that you haven't done since you were probably 4 months old, or younger.

You fell asleep in my arms.

It was wonderful.

Trick or Treat

I'm not sure if you really enjoyed your first Halloween, but you seemed to tolerate it well.

We had a ward party during the week, went to Mimi's work, Grandma and Grandpa Hardcastles, and the Lafeens came by on Saturday to see you. All of that and you managed to come home with zero pieces of candy.

Your main costume was the puppy dog, but you spent some time as Wally, the Green Monstah!

A strange binky

I'm sure that most of you that read this blog know about our little blue binky.

We have 5 of them now, because they don't often last more than a day.

Oh, how they stink -and you don't care a bit.

You just want your blue elephant.

One small step for man...

More like, a few small steps for baby.

So, I wouldn't say that you're walking quite yet. But, you've taken too many steps to not write a post (and maybe tell a few grandparents).

As a recap- the same day you stated crawling, you pulled yourself up and stood. I was worried we wouldn't get any crawling time, and you'd be walking already.

That wasn't quite the case, you are a MASTER crawler. You do this funny sideways and almost one-legged crawl on the hardwood or other hard services. You can crawl super-fast, especially when you see something you want (like an open door or fridge). And, you can also crawl upstairs, and would do it alot more often if we didn't pull you back down so quickly.

You've been cruising along furniture almost since you started crawling as well and have been getting more daring. I've seen you, on several occasions, take one step away from the couch (or wall) but then you just fall down. To be honest, you're so determined to just get wherever you want to actually be, I don't think you care in the slightest how you actually get there. And, you also just assume you CAN get there.

But today without me really even paying attention to you, you absolutely took three (yes, 3) steps away from a chair and then fell down. Justin said you took a few steps like that last night too.

Look out world, here comes Hyrum! Ummm... about the toe biting? I'm sure you'll be embarrased of this later, but kid, you LOVE to bit toes!

Fetch

You have a few favorite toys.


There are two Red Sox dice (that used to be hanging from my rear-view window) that you really seem to enjoy right now.

So much so, that once you pick one up and chew on it for a bit, you like to throw it and play fetch.

With yourself.

And the two dice, of course.

The path of *most* resistance

I can't believe you're almost 10 months old! (And I can't believe I haven't posted anything in the last 3 and a half weeks). Actually, since typing that statement, I CAN believe I haven't posted anything since you started crawling (and standing and falling). Because, you LOVE the computer -so it has to stay closed when you're up. Otherwise I'd have no idea how to fix what you'd break in a matter of smacks on the keyboard.

What a month you've had. Anyone who comes over or see's you has to add the remark, "He just doesn't stop moving, does he?!" No, no he doesn't. EVER! If you're awake -even if you're still in your crib, you're moving! I can't remember if I mentioned that the same day you learned to crawl, you learned to pull yourself up. And, you've never looked back! You pull up on EVERYTHING -including walls and moving objects.

I've lost count of the bumps and scrapes you've got in the last few weeks. We've tried a lot of different things to keep you from any serious damage, but you've managed to come pretty close. The most dangerous spots around the house is the TV stand and the upstairs bathroom. You love standing while holding on to the tub, and that has made for some bumps. And the TV stand? Man, that thing has got you pretty good quite a few times. I'm surprised that you haven't done more damage with the fireplace, but those have been fairly minor, probably thanks to some oversized pillows that are now around it.

You are getting more stable while standing, and will even let go of what you're holding for a brief second or two. You've also started 'cruising' around from furniture piece to furniture piece a little bit too. To tell you the honest truth, I'm not really encouraging walking, but you don't seem all that interested when we do try to help you. Maybe in another few weeks (or months) as you become more steady.

The other week when I was giving piano lessons (the only time you're really outside your gate) I turned back just in time for you to reach the second step on the stairs. That was interesting. I guess this week we'll have to block that area off somehow. You're only mildly interested in the stairs when we put you there -unless it's lunging yourself DOWN the stairs to get your dad when he opens the door to the basement.

You've started waving hi and bye to people, and you are sort of clapping on your own. You're not quite making contact, but you're getting the motion down. You chatter almost constantly when you're in a good mood.

The last day or two you have NOT been in a good mood because of another tooth coming in. They seem to come in pairs, and the first of the new batch (on the top) showed up about a week and a half ago, and this second one will probably break through today or tomorrow, I can actually see it right under the gum. Funny thing is, it's not the front two teeth. I'm pretty sure the first one was your eye tooth (so you sort of looked like a vampire) and I'm guessing this one is the one right next to it. It's been a rough couple of days for you.

It's also been a nice month of no vacations -which has been good for you I think. We're headed to Jackson Hole in another week, so I hope you do well there. We'll be inside, so it shouldn't be too bad.

You're still sleeping really well, although you like to scream yourself to sleep on occasion again. It seems to be getting better. You also had your hair cut. It was getting pretty close to a mullet in the back, and really long around your ears. Your dad did it, and although there's a few patches that probably need to be fixed you look very handsome with your new look.

We don't have another doctors appointment scheduled until your birthday, but my estimates put you between 21 and 22 pounds. Now that you're so mobile (an understatement) I think the weight gain has slowed a bit, so hopefully you'll be able to stay in your current car seat until your birthday.

You're so happy most of the time. You have some rather strange habits -you love hitting your head when you're sitting against it. You'll sit down right next to a wall, gate, chair, your crib, your mom, and bang your head backwards. Kind of funny, especially when you hit a little harder than you expect and startle yourself. We gave you a lemon the other day, and although you didn't love it, you didn't seem to hate it and pull crazy faces like most kids do. You probably get that from me. I loved lemons when I was younger.

As soon as you started crawling I gave you some snacks for the first time. Oh boy - you LOVE your snacks. It's funny that kids figure that one out so fast. You know the container that they come in and the one I put them in, and you can't get enough. It's fun to watch you try to pick them up with your fingers and then shove your whole hand in your mouth trying to eat it. I've also been feeding you a lot more 'adult' food ground up. In fact, you seem to enjoy anything that is fed with a fork and off of your dad's or my plate. I think your favorite is Shepard's Pie, which you probably get from your dad.

I think that's about it. I haven't taken a whole lot of pictures in the last couple of weeks, but I'm sure that will change in the coming weeks, so if there's not a lot to go with this post, there will be plenty more soon enough.

9 month update (Even more *updated*)

I was holding off on the 9 month stats to see if you'd crawl by your actual 9th month -and you did!

We went to the doctor one week before the 9 month mark and here are your stats:

Height: 28.5 in (59th percentile)
Weight: 20 lbs 10 oz (56th percentile)
Head circumference: ? but it's in the 82nd percentile.


I haven't been able to take pictures of crawling (can you even do that) but I'll try. For the blog, I have the video, but I'm already thinking about your eventual book, so pictures are a must. You 'crawled' yesterday, although it's a bit of a hop/jump with a lot of leg movement. So far, you won't take more than 2 crawl-jumps, but you've finally figured out you can get places without me, and you're excited. The other thing you figured out yesterday was to get to a sitting position from your tummy, a great plus.

*I guess we can add one MORE thing to your list of 'party tricks' -I mean milestones. You stood up this afternoon on one of your baby toys -all by yourself! I have a feeling crawling isn't going to last long.*



In the last week or two you've figured out the 'm' sound. You've been doing that da-da sound for months, and now you will make the 'mom' sound -but only when you're upset and frustrated. Thanks a lot, kiddo!



My ankle was out of commission for a few weeks, but now it's better and we're back to our morning walks almost every morning. You enjoy walks, but I'm always trying to stretch your awake time, so by the end of it you're ready to be home again.


Speaking of naps, you're still taking 3 a day. Which is fine, it just makes it hard to get out and do anything. You're trying to wake up earlier and earlier in the morning too, but I don't get you out of bed until at least 6 am.


You still just have the two bottom teeth, but you're a champion eater! Now that you're crawling, I think we'll try some finger foods, which would be pretty new for you. Your dad is scared to death of choking, so we might have to start that out when he's not around.


Oh, I sort of cut your hair. You have this long bit in the back and a few really long strands in the front that was starting to resemble a comb-over. So, I just cut those down a little. No pictures though, your dad didn't want to help, so it was a little difficult to maneuver the scissors AND a camera.

You have a new favorite past time -playing the piano. You LOVE playing and will usually 'sing' along too!