Life As We Know It
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Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Today I asked Ryan what he'd like to give Daddy for Christmas. He said, "A snowball for him to throw and break." I said, "Wow, I don't know where we can find a snowball in Texas." He said, "Maybe in the snow in Texas." I told him it didn't snow that much in this part of Texas, and asked what he'd want to give Daddy if we couldn't find a snowball. He answered, "A toy that makes snowballs." Good thinking!
Kyle is 9 months old now, and I think he might have said "Mama" today. Well, he definitely did say "Mama," the question is whether he meant me when he said it! But he was crawling towards me at the time, so I hope he did! He might have also said "hi' before. He definitely does sort of wave sometimes, after not doing so for a long time. Another really cute thing he does is to grin or laugh if he sees pictures of people he knows (including himself). The other day when I tried a costume on him and he started crying, I was even able to make him stop by showing him himself in the mirror, which made him laugh! Kyle LOVES music, and just like his Daddy, he likes to have music playing in the background even when he is doing other things. He will start one of his music toys playing, then go play with something else, but as soon as the music stops he'll lean over & start it again, then go back to his other toy, and just repeats that for as long as he is near the music toy! Other times he will just play with music toys for long periods of time, especially one that plays about 30 different songs. He "dances" to the music by rocking back & forth on all fours while the music plays...very cute! He also tries to clap, and gets very excited if he hears a song he recognizes, either on TV or with us singing. He adores the Baby Mozart and Baby Van Gogh videos and will stop whatever he is doing as soon as he sees or hears the opening segment of them, but for some reason had no interest in the related Baby Bach video when we rented that one! He also doesn't seem very interested in the kids' TV shows Ryan watches, although he did once seem fascinated by Elmo. Ryan still loves the Baby Mozart and Van Gogh videos, too, by the way, and both kids were also mesmerized by the Baby Einstein one we rented last week, which includes people talking in quite a few other languages. Kyle is finally eating some solids, though he definitely prefers table food to babyfood. Whenever he sees food or sees someone eating, he starts smacking his lips! He will sometimes eat a Gerber Tender Harvests babyfood called Banana, Oatmeal, & Peach, but seems to be more of a Tex-Mex fan and a carnivore! He likes salsa & cream cheese Tostitos, cheese, tortillas, quesadillas, fajita beef, and some sausage Mark had on a breakfast taco! He also likes pizza a bit and enjoyed gnawing on some garlic bread, and will now eat Cheerios and a few other finger foods. In the past week or so, he learned to drink out of a sippy cup (but it has to be held for him as he can't tip it back correctly yet). He likes diluted apple juice fairly well, but not white grape juice. Ryan and Kyle spend much of their time playing with Ryan's Lego table and/or Kyle's activity table, and/or fighting over those two tables! Ryan never wants Kyle to play with the Legos, but sees no problem playing with Kyle's table. Kyle really likes both tables, and I'm glad we have a little table for him since he is so often banished from the Lego table! Ryan's Lego table is a very small play table he has to kneel to use, but it has to be the best toy purchase we've ever made. He got it for Christmas nearly 2 years ago and still plays with it every day. Some days he probably plays with it (or at least the blocks) for 2 hours! He is making some really intricate structures lately. Ryan also likes to play restaurant, store, and library a lot these days. He also got a motorized toy Jeep from Pampers Perks this week, but can't figure out how to steer it yet! Ryan sometimes wants to be a baby these days, too... Sometimes he'll ask to eat in the high chair, or he'll crawl around. Yesterday he even found a pacifier upstairs and would put it in his mouth, spit it out, and pretend to cry: "Waaah!" Note that neither of our boys ever agreed to take a pacifier for real, although I did wash it off for Kyle after Ryan played with it, and he got pretty interested! (Then we hid it!) Also, yesterday when I picked Ryan up from school, he suddenly sat down on the playground & took his socks & shoes off! I figured he had a rock in his shoe, but instead he said, "Now you have to carry me." I told him I couldn't because I was already carrying his brother and also a huge handful of school papers & books, and my purse, so I made the poor kid walk barefoot across a gravelly playground, grass, rocks, & the parking lot to the van (which he didn't really mind...he thought it was funny). I couldn't get his shoes back on him while carrying Kyle. It wasn't until I talked to my mom on the phone today that she made the connection--Kyle is usually barefoot and I carry him, so Ryan must have been jealous! If it ever gets cooler here (it was 84 degrees today...), Kyle will start wearing something on his feet. I expect him to start walking before toooo long, too. Meanwhile, though, I love looking at those cute little baby toes! Both kids have been sick for 2 weeks now!! We visited the YMCA on a guest pass 2 weeks ago today, and put the kids in childcare for 30 minutes. They were the only kids there besides the workers' kids, who were older, but I am wondering if that is where they picked up the illness. Kyle woke up sick the next morning and is still somewhat congested now! Ryan took longer to get it, but eventually all 4 of us got it. Mark missed much of last week at work, and worked from home some. I am still a bit sniffly and hoarse--I almost completely lost my voice last week. Ryan is a bit sniffly, too, but since he missed all of last week at school, he did go back yesterday. I doubt he is contagious anymore.... We also took both kids to the fall festival at Ryan's school on Sunday evening. Ryan dressed as Tigger and Kyle was a giraffe. Both were adorable! And Ryan got quite a haul of candy and little toys, as well as playing a lot of games, winning some cupcakes, riding a pony, & jumping in a bouncy castle. Kyle had his 9-month well child check-up last Monday, but it was more of a sick child check-up! He was okay except for his cold, and both kids really enjoyed going to the doctor! Ryan took his toy stethoscope and had great fun--the doctor even let him use it on her. Kyle, who fights every diaper change by twisting and turning and trying to get away, laid still happily for the doctor to poke at him and clean his ear out with a metal instrument! He weighed 18 lbs. 7 oz. & was 28.5 inches long, which means he is still in the 50th percentile for height but has gone down from 50th to 25th percentile for weight. The dr said this was normal when they become mobile (and boy, is he mobile and active! Crawling fast everywhere, standing, pulling up, and cruising!), but it still worries me that he is not staying on his curve. He only gained 1 lb. 4 oz. in 3 months, after gaining about 2 lbs. a month before that! I am hoping he'll start gaining better again now that he is eating more solid food! The poor baby also had to have a blood test for anemia, and we found out he IS anemic, so we have to give him iron 3 times a day for a month, then get him retested. I haven't been brave enough to start with that yet! But if this is anemic Kyle, I'd hate to see him not anemic...the main sign of anemia is supposed to be lethargy or lack of energy, and he seems to have enough energy for three babies!
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