Shay Dockery: May 2012

-I've outgrown my infant carseat. Ok, well, I've almost outgrown my infant carseat. My height is about an inch short of the maximum height, but my weight is a full five pounds short! And Mommy found a good deal on a convertible seat and I needed a new forward facing stroller anyhow for the March and for taking Wriggie-doggie for walks, so long-story-short, I have a new carseat. And stroller. At first, I didn't like the new carseat, but now I realize that the 'wings' to protect my head are great for taking naps! Except I often get woken up when Mommy has to transfer me to the stroller so we can run errands
-Facing forward in the stroller is SO much more interesting than sitting in the carseat. Don't get me wrong, I loved looking and talking to Mommy when we were walking or out and about, but I get to see other people, other kids, dogs, cars, everything when I'm facing out! I smile and "talk" for most of the walks with Wrigley
-I can't stand hats! Mommy had to buy me a special extended sunshade for the stroller since I snatch the hat off of my head as soon as she puts it there, even though the sun gets in my eyes
-Skill mastered: getting down from a standing position! I can complete my cruising route now because I can get down from standing at the sofa and then crawl over the TV cabinet and start all over. I can also cruise along the walls and cabinets in the kitchen. Most pieces of furniture. The beds. Wrigley. Well, almost. He tends to move out of the way and I fall
-Speaking of cruising, I can hold a toy in each hand while cruising. And can bend down to pick one up if I accidentally drop it, and then continue on my way
-Standing on my own without holding on to something makes me very nervous. I will stand and play all day but have to at least be leaning on something for support or holding on with at least one hand. Mommy tries to get me to practice walking while holding onto only one of my hands, which I can do, but which I do not like! I shake my head "no" at her furiously, but she just says, "Yes, yes, yes. You can do it." I'll have to keep practicing because I don't think I'm ready to let go just yet
-I'm a full-fledged hands-and-knees crawler now. We aren't exactly sure when that happened though. I can also bring toys along with me while I'm crawling, and then pull them up on top of the sofa or ottoman so I can play while standing up. And I can sit on my knees and play. I'm also really close to being able to get in a sitting position by myself from being on my hands and knees
-The consensus is that my first word was "dada." Most of the time it sounds like "da-dee" though, which of course Daddy loves! I blurt it out almost every day when he gets home from work as I crawl over to him for a hug. I also scream and squeal and stand on my tippy-toes if Wrigley gets to him first and I have to wait to get my kisses! Daddy takes me upstairs with him every day and I sit on the bed with Wrigley while he changes out of his work clothes
-I also say "baba" for 'bottle.' At first it was hard to tell if it was just a coincidence since I say "babababa" a lot in general. But then I started screaming it as I crawled into the kitchen while Mommy was making them in the morning, or whimpering it as she was carrying me to the sofa with them in her hands at night
-I can also say "mama." That one is usually reserved for after waking up from a nap, being hungry, having a dirty diaper, or getting hurt
-I can climb legs. It comes in handy when Mommy is taking her time with my morning bottle. I can hang on her leg and say, "mamamama..." and it seems to get her moving!
-Sometimes I wear outfits sized nine months! The pant legs have to be rolled up and they sag a little bit in the bottom, but still. Nine months! Although, I am wearing a lot of things sized three months too. My six month pajamas are almost too short, but the nine month pajamas have at least an extra three inches at the bottom!
-I can wave. And I know that if Mommy says, "Say hi!" that I should wave, without her showing me what to do. The baby in the mirror waves back at me too!
-I can give a high five
-I can use my finger to flip my own lip to make sounds
-I can clap. And I know that if Mommy starts to sing, "If You're Happy and You Know It" that I should clap...and smile...and then reduce into a fit of giggles! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuGJFnoSDKI&list=UUqOv7hGPhuklWOov0F9UC4w&index=3&feature=plcp
-When Mommy sits me in the high chair and says, "Hands up!" I know to move my hands and arms over my head so she can attach the tray
-Mommy and Daddy stopped by the park one day while we were walking and I got to ride down the slide on both of their laps for the first time
-I'm a big fan of "big boy" food and have started to shake my head "no" at bottles. I still like my bottles in the morning and at night, but during the day, give me real food! Mommy peeled a pear one time and handed the whole thing to me! What fun! I got it everywhere, but wanted to do it myself, so it's the price I had to pay. ---Some of my favorite foods to eat are: bananas, eggs, cut up sandwiches and quesadillas, any type of fruit, yogurt
-Some of my favorite foods to smash to smithereens are: sweet potatoes, avocados, cereal bars, mandarin oranges, lasagna http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvRE-5Sv45A&list=UUqOv7hGPhuklWOov0F9UC4w&index=2&feature=plcp
-Some of my favorite foods to mush around in my mouth and then spit out the skins are: peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, lima beans, and soy beans. Mommy still isn't sure how I manage to do that! Wrigley has caught on to the fact that these "skins" are usually thrown overboard and tends to hover under my highchair at mealtimes
-I'm having issues with green veggies again. It's the texture, not the taste. Most green veggies have a skin or are stringy. Mommy mixes pureed green veggies in my eggs. No problem. She mixes them in my fruit smoothie. No problem. She even takes the skins off the peas sometimes and I'll eat the mush inside no problem! Although she's not too fond of peeling peas before I eat them. It was more of an experiment really!
-Mommy and Daddy have ants in the house now because I am such a messy eater! And they know it's from me because the only place in the house where they show up is within three feet of my highchair! Even with sweeping and vacuuming and wiping AND Wrigley cleaning up after me, I still manage to fling enough food everywhere so that even the tiniest of creatures don't go hungry. I'm just looking out for the bugs!
-If Mommy gives me food off of her spoon or fork, I will eat it! And if Mommy and Daddy are eating something, I want to try it. I will crawl over to them and stand there until they give me a taste. I learned that from Wrigley!
-I am practicing feeding myself with a spoon too, but it is harder than it looks! Cue more bugs!
-I can drink from a straw. Mommy makes me fruit and yogurt smoothies for a treat sometimes. Yum! Mommy leaves a sippy cup of water around so I can help myself to a drink while I'm playing and I do!
-One word: Bubbles!!! I am so fascinated by them. So much so that I repeated "buh-bo" three times for Mommy!
-I'm very upset about this thing Mommy and Daddy call "babyproofing." I feel as though as soon as I discover something interesting they take it away from me. Climbed the stairs! Gate. Got on top of the fireplace! Gate. Figured out how to open cabinets and eat candles! Locks. Discovered toilets and toilet paper! Doors closed. Fingers would fit perfectly in electrical outlets! Covers. Sigh...
-I can unroll toilet paper and put it in the toilet. I can also flush the toilet. See comment above about babyproofing
-Mommy stood me against the bathtub one night while she was getting the bath ready, and I peed all over the floor. When I discovered the toilets, Mommy and Daddy explained to me that one day I will go potty in them, but that I would stand up to do it. I figured I was in the bathroom, I could see the toilet, I was standing, and I had to go! So I figured that's what I was supposed to do. Mommy just shook her head at me. For good measure, I did it again when I got out of the bath too!
-My fangs have completely grown in now, with no sign of my two top center teeth. My other center bottom tooth is coming in as well. Total teeth count: 4
-I have a thing for the buckles on my new stroller. I'm trying to figure out how they fit together so I can plan an escape one day and run to the playground that we pass everyday on our walks! But until I learn to walk, I'm content to stand at the stroller and play with and eat the buckles
-With my one year 'adjusted' birthday right around the corner, lots of things are changing. Less bottles, less nursing, more real food, and fewer naps (but sometimes longer). I kind of have a schedule, but it really depends on when I get up (5:30 vs. 8:00!), how much I eat, when I nap, how long I nap, what is going on around me, and generally what sort of mood I am in
-I discovered that Mommy keeps my extra pacifiers on the back of my crib, so I often wake up from my nap, put one back in my mouth, and then grab one with each hand. But I have to leave them all in my crib now, unless we are on a road trip and I am screaming. Mommy's rules.
-I've gone on several more playdates and thank goodness I haven't contracted any more childhood diseases! I'm getting better at playing with other children. No climbing on them. No biting them. No hitting them. Yes sharing toys with them. I got this
-One of my new favorite games is Pull-all-of-my-books-off-of-the-shelf-as-soon-as-Mommy-puts-them-away-and-then-don't-even-play-with-them. She usually just leaves them spread out all over the floor after that, so it's not much of a game anymore. But it is nice to have them all around because I will often crawl over and start 'reading' them by myself now. I especially like the books whose cover is a little bit bigger than the pages so I can get my tiny thumb under it and open it up!
-Did you know there is such a thing as 'under'?? I can lay on the floor and press my face against the wood and see my toys that went under the sofa or the green cabinet! Amazing! And when Mommy goes potty and closes the door so I can't get to the doggie dish, I can put my little fingers under the door and put my face down on the tile to look under the door for her!
-I love to try to steal Mommy's cell phone off of the arm of the sofa! I giggle like mad when I get caught because I know I'm not supposed to have it (some of the buttons on the phone don't work anymore because I've drooled on them!). I like to play games like this that make me laugh, like spitting out the same piece of fruit over and over again. Mommy pretends like it's a big deal, which makes me laugh even harder!
-I still like to help out with the laundry. Apparently, Wrigley does too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvgPgUcMVdY&list=UUqOv7hGPhuklWOov0F9UC4w&index=1&feature=plcp
-Bonus Wrigley video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U-EXVJ1D04&feature=youtu.be