Social videogames?

I thought this was so funny, I had to share.

Yesterday, we went to my brother Jim's for board games and dinner. I thought we were all going to play, but my 15 year-old nephew Chris was playing a first person shooter game on the computer and didn't show any signs of joining us. When it was clear he wasn't going to play with us, I said something about him being antisocial for not playing with us. Without looking over from his game, he replied, sounding a little annoyed, "There's like a million people online right now. I wouldn't call that 'antisocial'."

And he was serious. As if playing an online video game with "like a million people" where you go around shooting each other is as social as playing board games with your family. It's probably more social since there were only 5 of us playing board games and not a million.

Saying goodbye

Today we said goodbye to Aaron's first nanny. Julie started with us in September, back when Aaron couldn't sit up on his own, didn't flirt with strangers in restaurants, and was generally much less interactive than he is today. It was a sad day for us as well as Julie. Aaron lights up when he sees her and I know she adores him as much as he adores her.

Julie doesn't graduate until May, but she is starting a new ("real") job on Monday related to her major (pyschology). As a going away gift, we got Julie a Starbucks giftcard (she often arrived with a Starbucks cup in hand) and a reuasable insulated cup from Starbucks that we were able to customize by adding photos of Aaron (including this one we just took today) to the paper insert. Julie also surprised us with a Thank You card and offered to come play with Aaron sometime when we need to get out of the house.

Julie has been a great care provider for Aaron and one that will be sorely missed and hard to replace.

Afraid of the dark?

There was a time, many months ago now, that Aaron would sleep about 9-10 hours at a stretch, waking up for a feeding around 4am, then sleeping another 2 hours. But some time before his stomach bug, he was teething and starting to wake up around 2am, and sometimes again before he'd get up for the day. Then when he had the stomach bug, he was up 2-3 times at night, and I fed him each time to make sure he was rehydrated.

But now, he is still waking up 2-3 times after he goes to bed (although the first time is usually between 9-10pm, before I got to bed). He wakes up crying and I've tried to wait a couple of minutes to see if he'll go back to sleep, but he usually just gets louder. But we notice that in the morning, when he wakes up for the day, he can be awake for 30-40 minutes by himself in his crib, making noises and playing with his stuffed animals, but not crying. Sometimes, if he wakes up around 5:30, we just let him go and he usually goes back to sleep for another hour or so.

So why is he OK at 5:30 or 6:30am and not in the middle of the night? Although I usually nurse him to get him back to sleep, I don't think he is really hungry. So now I am wondering if he is afraid of the dark. Has anyone else had this experience? We are going to try putting a night light in his room to see if that helps.

Flowers

After we got home from our morning outing yesterday, Thom took Aaron out to the swing. I looked out and saw that Aaron was holding flowers in each hand.

He's so funny. Last week, I took him out in the yard and picked him some purple flowers. He held them in his left hand and reached frantically for the plant with his right hand, pulling off the ends of some flowers. Finally, I picked him another small bunch for his right hand and he was content to hold the flowers in each hand for about 30-40 minutes. We walked around and sat on the swing and he just looked around, babbled, and looked at his flowers. Before he had the flowers, we sat on the swing and he wouldn't sit still - he was trying to grab the swing, the pillows, anything. But with the flowers in his hands, he was content. (This isn't really a flower fetish - he's just as content with long blades of grass, leaves or just about any plant he gets his hands on.)

The only thing more interesting than his flowers, is the camera. He is dropping his flowers here to try to reach out to my camera.

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my 34th birthday. I only wish Aaron hadn't woken up at 12:30am to be the first to greet my birthday - and again at 3:30am.

Following a long standing tradition, Thom took the day off from work. After some coffee at home and feeding Aaron breakfast, we headed out to a local French bakery where we had breakfast. I brought along some Joe's O's to keep Aaron occupied, but he showed more interest in Thom's croissant.

I've tended to shy away from feeding Aaron table food, especially at restaurants when I don't know the ingredients. We are supposed to avoid honey, dairy (althouth we got an exception for yogurt), soy, egg whites, chocolate, and strawberries until Aaron is 1. But as his first birthday approaches, I am less worried about introducing new foods. I thought croissants might have eggs in them, but I looked up a recipe and it seems like they don't. But we didn't let him have the strawberry jam that came with them.

After breakfast, Aaron was pretty tired. Rather than head home for a nap, we decided to go for a drive out in the country and let him sleep in the car. Then we stopped at the library to return some of his books and let him play with the toy they have that has doors he can open and shut.

In the afternoon, our new sitter Candace was here and I got some work done. After she left, we headed out to In N Out for dinner. We kept Aaron up past his bedtime, but he did great. He is very self entertaining and just enjoyed watching people around him - especially other kids. I'm sure it has a lot to do with his personality, but I have also made a concerted effort not to bring a lot of toys with us when we go out so that he learns to entertain himself in other ways. We have a couple of emergency toys and his pacifier, but other than that, he entertains himself by watching people and scenery, or playing with random objects at other people's houses. (My mom kept him quite entertained with her measuring tape for her knitting one day.)

All-in-all it was a very nice birthday.

Words

It surprises me sometimes how many words Aaron understands now. Just this morning, I realized he knows "milk". I had started using the word milk sometimes when I breastfeed him. "We're going to have some milk now." or "Do you want some milk?" But I hadn't realized he understood until this morning. I hadn't nursed him since he'd been up and I figured he was hungry. He was sitting among his toys on the floor playing and usually when I sit down with him and he's hungry, he'll reach for me. But this time, he didn't. He continued to play with his coffee can. But when I said "Aaron, do you want some milk?", he immediately stopped what he was doing, looked at me and reached for me.

Another phrase I recently discovered that he understands is "All done". Sometimes when I'm nursing him, he starts playing with my hair, or wants to sit up and try to reach something to play with. I guess it is hard to just eat when there is so much in the world to explore. But if I ask him "Aaron, are you all done?", if he's not all done, he immediately goes back to nursing.

Other words he knows include: light, fan, clap, wave, Puppy (for his stuffed puppy, not in a general sense), and Bear (for his stuffed bear). I'm sure he knows more, but those are ones we can confirm. He will also wave if you ask him to say goodbye to someone.

Visit from Grandma

On Tuesday, Mom came up to see Aaron (and I like to think me as well). We spent some time at the house, but then went out to lunch at Macaroni Grill - a first for both of us (and not bad!).

Coincidentally, Mom and Aaron were both in red, so I took a couple of photos. Aaron is wearing these adorable red velour overalls from the Pumpkin Patch. They have a zebra on the front and are thick and warm for winter. I loved them when I first saw them, but balked at paying $26 for an article of clothing. I try to always buy stuff on sale (or on eBay) and also have a lot of hand-me-downs. But I went back when the spring line was in and the winter stuff was on sale. I paid $10 for the overalls, knowing he wouldnt' have much time to wear them before the weather heated up, and got them a size too big. The cuffs roll up and you can see the printed lining. Who knows, maybe the will still fit when it cools off in the fall. But red is a gender neutral color, so I figured the next kid could wear them, boy or girl.

Mom was reading Aaron Baby Danced the Polka. Auntie Janine gave this book to him and it has become a favorite for all three of us. Thom and I enjoy the rhyme and rhythm of the story and Aaron loves the flaps he can open up - especially the ones that have words hiding on them! The smile in the first photo captures how much he enjoys seeing the hidden picture and word. A few flaps towards the end of the story only have pictures and he doesn't show nearly as much reaction when those flaps are unfolded.

Peek-a-boo!

I can't wait until I have photos of this to share! This week, Aaron started playing peek-a-boo on his own. Up until now, we've covered his face with a cloth, hid behind a box, or covered our own faces when playing peek-a-boo with him.

But Monday night, I had the pleasure of getting out of the house on my own for a free yoga class, and while I was gone, Thom had the pleasure of changing Aaron's diaper. When I got home, Thom told me "Aaron played peek-a-boo with me."

I said, "Yeah, he does that."

"How does he play with you?"

"I cover his eyes..."

And Thom tells me "He covered his own eyes."

The next morning on the changing table I witnessed it for myself. Aaron puts his hands over his eyes, palms facing outward. It looks a lot like when he is sleeping and rubbing his eyes, but his hands aren't moving. We ask him "Where's Aaron?" and he removes his hands and smiles. Well, sometimes he removes his hands and looks confused. I'm not sure what that is all about.

I don't know where he learned this trick (I even called my niece to see if she had taught him last week, but she hadn't). He likes it so much, that once he starts playing, he repeats it over and over. In fact, when he was first playing his new version of peek-a-boo with Thom, he couldn't stop. Thom could see his lower lip starting to protrude, a precursor to crying, even as Aaron continued to play peek-a-boo. And sure enough, he did start crying. He was tired and somehow didn't know how to stop playing peek-a-boo. I suppose it is like when kids learn to stand and they pull themselves up in their cribs, but they don't know how to sit back down, so they stand there and cry until you come help them.

First sign!

I've started using "baby signs" (sign language for babies - some of which is standard American Sign Language, some is modified, and I think some are completely created for babies) with Aaron. I've only tried a couple and the main one I use with him is the sign for "more" since I know this is the one sign that all kids whose parents use baby signs seem to pick up.

There are a couple of variations for this sign, but the one I've seen most often is to tap your fingertips together, backs of the fingers facing out, thumb behind the pointer and middle fingers. When he points to the box of Joe's O's (Trader Joe's version of Cheerios), I would sign more and ask "Do you want more Cheerios?" (Cheerios is easier to say than "Joe's O's".) He would watch me sign, then point more emphatically at the box of cereal.

Yesterday, it dawned on me to try one of the variations I've seen for "more". There is one version where you tap your right pointer finger on your left palm. And since Aaron loves to use his pointer, I thought this one might grab his interest. Sure enough, the first time I did it, he watched intently and smiled. And within a few minutes, he had tried to do it himself. He sort of raised both his hands in the air, left hand open, right hand with pointer out, and then brought them down and put his pointer on his left palm. When he did it, I gave him another Joe's O and praised him. He did it a few times, but not consistently and he still reverts to pointing at the box of cereal, but it is a start.

11 months old!

It's hard to believe that in another month, Aaron will be 1 year old. This past year has been the fastest one of my life! For his 11 month birthday, I thought I'd share some random things about Aaron.

Pacifiers - Lately, he is obsessed with pacifiers. We (with my mom's help) introducted pacifiers to Aaron around 5-8 weeks. He now goes to bed with one and I can't remember him falling asleep without one. I also have one clipped to him in the carseat and when we are out, since I know it will keep him quiet in public if necessary (he doesn't always have it in his mouth, just clipped to his shirt). But he doesn't use one just when he is playing in the house - I have tried to limit it somewhat.

When I nurse him in his room in the dark, he will nurse, then struggle to get up. I realized he is looking for a pacifier since he knows we keep a stack on hand on the bed (where I nurse him). So I give him a paci, he grabs it, and turns back to nurse. Sometimes he'll stop, but the plug in for 2 seconds, pull it out with his other hand, then go back to nursing. But lately, one pacifier is not enough. I'll give him one, he'll stick it in his mouth and try to reach for another one. So I give him another one, he'll pull the first one out with his other hand, and then continue to nurse.

Also, when I get him up in the morning or from a nap, I put him on the bed to remove his sleep sack. He immediately tries to get to the stack of pacifiers and then has to suck on each one in succession, pulling it out to try another one. Or he'll put one in his mouth, have one in each hand, yet still struggle to get more.

Crawling - Aaron is still not crawling. We haven't gotten him in to the physical therapist, either. Our pediatrician was supposed to write a prescription for it and fax something to the PT's office, but she didn't. I've called twice about it and if they have finally faxed it over, they didn't notify me. So I need to call the PT's office and see if they have the info for us to schedule an appointment. Otherwise, I will just wait until his 12 month checkup and get the prescription then. I'm not overly worried about it and he is showing progress, albeit slow. Over the weekend, he managed to push himself backwards a little bit while on his hands and legs (not quite on his knees). We clapped at him and he propped himself on his elbows so he could clap, too.

Opening and Closing - Aaron is really into opening and closing things right now, especially doors. When we were at our friends' house last weekend, they had this Melissa and Doug Locks and Latches box, which is a box with doors on all sides and on the top, each with a different type of latch or lock. It is for ages 3+. But with all of the locks and latches undone, Aaron just opened and closed the doors, turning the box to try all of the doors on the sides. Aside from periodically picking up a rattle or other toy nearby, he was largely engrossed in the box with the doors on it for at least 20 mintues, and would have played with it longer if it hadn't been time to leave. So we managed to find the box online and ordered it for his birthday. The great thing about it is that as he gets older and can managed to do the locks and latches, the toy will still hold interest for him, hopefully for years to come. There were other toys that just had doors to open and close and were for children closer to his age, but I figured he would outgrow them quickly.

First Birthday - We are planning to keep his first birthday low key. We figure he won't remember it and he really doesn't need a lot of toys at this point, so we are just celebrating with family. And it will be a joint celebration at that - we are hosting our family's Spring Birthday party this year, which includes 9 birthdays. The box with doors and a wooden infant swing that looks like a horse are the only things we are planning to get him for his birthday. Although I'm sure he will get other gifts from his aunts and uncles. Rather than get him a bunch of stuff on his birthday, I prefer to get him things based on his current interests - like the box with doors.

But one thing I want to give him besides the toys, are two letters - one from me and one from Thom. I think it would be a nice tradition to each write a letter to him at his current age, talking about the things he has accomplished in the last year and the things we love about him at this age. Some day, maybe in the not too distant future, he will like to read these letters (or have us read them to him). And hopefully he will treasure them for years to come. I know I have saved every letter from my parents and especially remember the letters they wrote to me as part of a religious retreat I participated in when I was about 13 and preparing for Confirmation.

Now we are off to Mommy and Me yoga. The other day, I was practicing my Sun Salutations while Aaron was playing. As soon as I raised my hands over my head, he started smiling and watching me. I think he likes yoga. :)

Playdate

On Tuesday, my friends Crystal and Biriz came over for lunch (I made three simple salads - one pasta, one lentils, one green) and a playdate with their daughters Ruby and Alara. Ruby is 6 months old and Alara is 17 months. Aaron had a good time. He seemed to enjoy watching Alara run around (with Biriz chasing after as she approached the steps between the dining and living rooms - which Alara seemed to think she could handle on her own) and he smiled and interacted with Ruby as they sat among his toys. (As you can see, cofee cans are not just popular with Aaron!)

Aaron and Ruby

Ruby and Alara playing with coffee cans
Ruby and Crystal
Aaron chewing on a puzzle piece from one of Alara's books (sorry Alara!)

Cheap toys!

The first coffee can I saved for Aaron, I covered in Contact paper and colored a flower pattern on it in black and red. It was a drum and a rolling toy. We continued to save coffee cans now and then, plus an oatmeal can from my mom, and one day I decided to stack the cans up for Aaron.

Well, that was about the most exciting thing ever! We stack them up, counting as we go, and he gets more and more excited with each can. Then he knocks them all down.

Sometimes he draws it out, bending forward to look at the cans, then looking up at the top, then knocking it down. And sometimes he knocks the stack down when you've only got 2 or 3 cans stacked up.

Oh...the anticipation!

He knocks it down before Thom finisheds stacking them up.

Yea! Daddy is going to build it again!


And finally, a video that captures it all.

Visiting friends

This weekend we went to visit some friends up the coast. Vikas and Christina and their kids came to see us last August and we finally got our act together to go visit them. We went up Saturday morning and came home after dinner. It was the furthest Aaron has been from home. He did great. We timed it so he mostly slept on the ride up. And even though he was reluctant to take his afternoon nap, even when overly tired, he was well behaved and had fun playing with Talia and Luka's toys.

After a lovely lunch in their backyard, we walked down to the pier near their house with the kids. It was a beautiful day out.

Aaron wouldn't face the camera. The ocean was too interesting.

(No, I'm not pregnant, although someone recently assumed I was.)

Aaron was overdue for his nap and soooo tired.

But not as tired as Luka who fell asleep on the walk to the pier.

Talia didn't fall asleep until the way back.

Back to normal

On Sunday, Aaron had a bloodshot eye. Just between the iris and the outer corner. It looked like he may have scratched his eye or something. It was tearing and didn't seem to bother him. But on Monday when he got up, it was darker red, so I called his doctor's office. I had wanted to call anyway since he still had diarrhea after 8 days and he still had loss of appetite. So I left a message for the nurse and after talking to her, she made an appointment for Aaron that morning.

He saw a doctor that we hadn't had an appointment with before. He was great, as all the pediatricians have been that we've seen there so far. He didn't think the bloodshot eye was due to an infection, so there wasn't anything to do to treat it. And he said if Aaron still had diarrhea on Wednesday, they could do a stool sample. He would have expected it to last 4-5 days tops. But he said most likely Aaron just had a bad virus, possibly adenovirus, and he was just taking a long time to fight it off.

Sure enough, by Wednesday he was getting back to normal, and even back to just 2 naps a day. By Thursday, his eye had cleared up and his appetite was back to normal, too. And now he seems like the happy, energetic little boy we had before the stomach flu hit nearly two weeks ago.

Visit with Aunt Mel

On Sunday, we went to the spring bocce ball tournament at my parents' house. My dad's sister, Aunt Mel, was in town. The only pictures I managed to take during our visit were of Aunt Mel playing with Aaron. He had so much fun with this game that he was disappointed when she stopped. You'll see in the 5th photo down that he is imploring her to continue.

(I tried to post these on Sunday and then Monday, but Blogger was giving me grief.)