Talking Video - Not Happening

I've been trying to get video of Edward talking. He narrates his life for us normally. But try to record it and the words slow to a trickle. Only grandparents, and really bored ones at that, would like the videos we've managed.

The biggest problem is that if you say a word, like "walk" or "swimming", he immediately wants to do it and runs off. I tried sitting him down with his farm animals, but after naming each one, he grinned and insisted that they all "moo". But only until I put the camera down. Then they went back to their usual noises. Prankster.

So we'll keep trying. But the only way I can guarantee you'll hear Edward's cute narration is for you to come visit!

Talking with Messy Boy

Just in case you missed this on John's blog---

I'm not ready!

Edward has decided to have a developmental spurt of sorts. It's so amazing to watch, but it makes me sad. I'm loosing my baby!

Over the weekend, Edward finally decided that walking was better than crawling. He's been walking some for months, but he acted like it was too much work for most trips across the floor. All of a sudden, he went from rarely walking to rarely crawling. We're still amazed when he walks from room to room jabbering away at us.

And the talking! We realized that his large vocabulary has changed. In the past, he understood us, would mimic the word, and point to what we were talking about. He did independently use a few words, but most were repeats after we said them.

Now, Edward says quite a few things on his own. Mostly types of food. And he's constantly trying to learn new words when we label things for him. (I love listening to him sound out new words.) The hard part is that he doesn't have many consonants. We're learning to hear the subtle differences between banana, bottle, bread, cup, ball, done, down, etc.

He has also developed more non-verbal communication. Some are obvious to anyone. When he brings you his shoes and sweatshirt, he wants to go outside. When he makes huge head gestures, he's saying yes. (I have to get video of him nodding yes. I find myself asking him questions all day just so that I can giggle at his giant nod.) Then there are the less obvious. When Edward reaches out his arm, then smacks himself in the head, he wants you to give him whatever he was "pointing" at. How can you refuse a request like that!

This boy is cracking me up. (Boy! Not baby!) I want him to stop right here. No more growing up. It's not allowed. I'm not ready.

Edward's 12 Month Checkup (at 13 Months)

I finally gave up on the first dr we tried here in TX and tried a new one. He came highly recommended, but we all know I can be a tad picky when it comes to doctors, so I didn't get my hopes up.

He was fabulous! Very knowledgeable AND good with kids. (You'd think most pediatricians would be good with kids, but I've found it to be a very rare thing.) He made Edward happy by climbing up on the exam table with him for the exam, and me happy by being incredibly thorough. Ethan will love the Spiderman pictures covering the walls in his exam room. I think we've found our new pediatrician!

Anyway. Enough about my doctor crush. You probably want to hear about Edward.

No shockers at this routine appointment. His weight gain has slowed down (surprise, surprise) but not drastically. At 22 lbs he's doing just fine. Time to cut out the bottles. He's walking right on schedule. Still sleeps like a champ. Talking WAY more than your average 13 month old. (We think he's up to 25 or 30 understandable words!!) Understands us incredibly well. (When I told him it was time to put his shirt back on, Edward leaned over, grabbed his shirt, and handed it to me.)

And of course, he got four shots. The regular two plus Hep A (required for preschools out here) and the flu shot I'd forgotten earlier. (Good thing the flu is just barely hitting TX. This weekend was the first batch of cases, in fact.)

So nothing surprising. A smart growing boy.

A gratuitous and fuzzy picture of our cute boy.
And yes, he does eat with a fork. Very successfully.

How do you say "Ball"?

If you're Edward, than most balls are "Bah". But not footballs. Footballs are "BAAAAAHHH! BAAAAAHHHH!"

Hee hee. This boy cracks me up.

Edward at almost 13 months

Edward is such a talker. He babbles nearly all the time. Even with his pacifier hanging out of his mouth. Combined with signs and gestures, he makes himself understood reasonable well. Our current favorite is when he does different voices for different toys. High pitched screechy noises for some, and deeper daddy type voices for other.

The words he says right now (that I can remember) are:
Uh-oh
Whoa
Side (outside)
Uh-sat (what's that)
Mama
Dada
Ama (grandma)
Eeta (Ethan)
Paa (pacifier)
Baa (bottle)
Bah (ball)
Up (cup)
*grunt* (I'm poopy.) This really is a vocalized response when you ask if he needs a diaper change, not just the grunt you thought of.
Moo (cow)
Boo (scaring you)
Rar (lion)

Of course, he still signs eat and all done. And shakes his head no.

He has also learned to beep noses. That's less fun at bedtime when he can reach my nose and beep it from every angle. Mom flinches when you jab the inside of her nose. But it's cute the rest of the day.

Edward's walking has gone from a few steps to a definate goal, to walking just because it's a way to get around. He still doesn't take more than five or six steps before switching to a crawl, but if he's standing, he'll walk a while first. Even switching surfaces easily.

Our little guy is getting bigger by the second. He seems less and less like a baby every day, and more and more like a kid. I love watching this stage!

Some Random Things

- Edward got his first tooth on his first birthday. That could have been bad, but we didn't even know he was teething. Yay for my stoic, sweet guy!

- Ethan is having sleeping issues. Mainly going to sleep issues. It takes hours every night, and napping is non-existent. (It was only four days a week before, but he still needs it.) Our boy is exhausted. He's so tired that he's started having tantrums again. Like he's two. And the nearly constant whining and crying is driving me out of my mind. We have no idea what the problem is and have found nothing that will keep the boy in his room. Really no fun at all.

- Edward is a chatterbox. He almost never stops talking. I love that he looks at me and rattles off whole sentences, like I should understand exactly what he's saying. We've figured out a few. Mama, Dada, and Hi are all obvious. Then there are those that no one else would get. Ethan, All Done, What's That, Ball, and Raaar (as in roar). Also he has a specific grunt that means "Yes, my diaper is stinky." And he has the "no" head shake down pat. Loving that we can communicate more!

- John is shaving off his goatee in three days! Really, two days and a wake up. I'm so excited!! I've decided to call it a Christmas present to me. I've been ready for it to be gone for a while. He's had it for a year, people. A year of a scratchy faced husband is not my favorite. (I love him, just not his unkempt facial hair.)

- My Grandpa's doing great. We couldn't even let ourselves hope for this before, but he should be home for Christmas! Probably even the traditional Danish Christmas Eve at the farm. I wish I could be there. (Also, this means I really need to decide on a layout program and a printer so that I can buckle down and get his book ready for publishing. At least the first volume. Any suggestions? I've used Blurb, but have some issues with their layout program. Solvable ones, but it's easier to avoid them all together.)

- How is it that Christmas is so close and I haven't finished my wrapping???? Usually I'm done shopping before December hits and I'm done wrapping by the middle of the month. I like having the last few weeks to just relax and enjoy the season. Life managed to get in the way this year. At least I'm done shopping. (Unless you're family. We're aiming to have your gifts done by the end of January. Hopefully.)

- I need to clean the boys bathroom. But I think I'm going to go make some chocolate gingerbread cookie bars instead.

Quotes from Today

"Why did you take your shirt off?" "Because my hands had ice cream on them."

"Mom, I'm all grown up. Look. I have hair on my legs. And my arms."

"Yay, chores! I'm going to make all the beds. And clean your whole room." (We told Ethan that we only stay up later than him because we're doing chores. He took a fabulous nap today, so he gets to stay up and do chores with us. He's so excited! I'm thinking the playroom needs some major cleaning...)

A Whole Family

At bedtime.

Ethan: Mom? I want Dad to hold my hand.

Me: He'll come in and give you a kiss after Cub Scouts. You'll be asleep already.

E: But I miss him.

M: I know you do. He'll come home as fast as he can.

E: Do you miss him, Mom?

M: Of course I do.

E: And Edward?

M: Yes, Edward misses Daddy too.

E: I want him to come home. I want us to be a whole family again.

M: Me too, bud. Me too.

The Constant Topic of Conversation

"You be Zurg!" Then he pushes a spot on his arm and makes laser noises while pretending to shoot at you.

He whispers while pushing a pretend button on his belly "My wings are up, my wings are up" then yells "To Infinity... And Beyond!!!" Then he takes a flying leap off of wherever it is he climbed up to.

"Wow... It'll be so amazing when I have a Buzz costume." If I don't get one for next Halloween, we'll have major issues.

Yes, he does have a SMALL obsession with Buzz Lightyear.

Backseat Driver

Who taught my son to drive??? How did Ethan learn the rules of the road??? I may have answered a few questions without thinking about the consequences.

"Two hands on the wheel! ... Higher...Higher...Good." My hands must be at 10 and 2 at all times.

"Mom. MOOOM! Slow down!" As we approach a red light that I am already slowing down for.

"GO. Green light means GO!!" Apparently I don't hit the gas quickly enough for him.

"Mom, you're driving too fast." or "Can we drive faster? We're going too slow." Usually he's right when he says these.

Listening to the Man in the Moon

Ethan: I see a circle!

John: That's the moon!

Me: Do you see the man in the moon? His eyes, nose and mouth?

Ethan: Yes... Does he talk?

Me: I don't know

Ethan: Shhhh! Be quiet and listen!

Quiet

John: (in funny voice) Ethan, this is the moon

Ethan: Dad, be quiet and listen!

Quiet

Me: What is the moon saying?

Ethan: He's talking about the prophet. And cars. . . . Be quiet! . . . He's talking about buildings and building houses. And trucks.

(Yes, we know that seeing the moon means we had Ethan out waaaay too late. But we were celebrating my awesome husband. More when we know more!)

Car Talk

One of our favorite times to talk to Ethan is in the car. He opens up and chats away about the things he's been thinking about and learning, and also about what he sees out the window. Usually a combination of both. In the last few days, we've talked about letters, stinky skunks, happy monsters, airplanes, fish, snow, and presents we can give baby Jesus for his birthday (my favorite). It's so fun to just drive and wait to hear what he will bring up.

I'm sorry, WHAT??

Tonight, when I went in to sing to Ethan before bed, he asked "After Edward can you have another baby?" Seriously.