Michael is Twelve Months Old!

...or, Happy Belated Birthday, Little Guy!

Can we just say that I waited until his one-year-doctor appointment before publishing his recap? Y'know... for accuracy.

And since we're on the subject, it looks like my little guy is developing normally. Makes eye-contact, starting to walk, babbles nonstop. All is well.

And when the doctor gave him his shots? He didn't cry. I mean, he dropped his bottle after the first one, out of surprise, but that was it. And then the second one? Nothing.
A: (to the doctor) Uhh, he gets pummeled on a regular basis by his sister.
D: Yeah, second kids are usually a pretty hardy bunch.



For the books, he weighed in at a very average 22.5 lbs, and it 30.5" tall. Slightly above average. What's up with me and my "tall" kids?
(Emma, by the way, is a whopping 28 lbs - fully dressed.)

Okay, now that that's out of the way...

Where to begin? God, I don't know... Seriously, my not-so-little MickNew DOESN'T STOP. Like, NEVA EVA. The kid is always moving. And me? I'm not so into moving. At least, NOT ALL THE F'IN TIME. Sometimes just sitting is nice. But no. Michael doesn't think so. I don't get how he is a product of Jeff & myself, cuz really? We're people that enjoy sitting. And sometimes even together. (Oh really.. who am I kidding?!)



This month, probably closer to the beginning of the month, he has starting pointing to where he wants to go. Apparently this is a good thing, and a sign of no autism. We'll keep out fingers crossed till after his shots settle in. (About that... it's kinda freaking me out, all these kids, mostly boys, who are totally fine, meeting all their milestones right on que, and then they have their vaccinations, and whammo! Autism. But like, how can you just NOT vaccinate your kids? At least if you want them to go to school? And homeschooling? Notsomuch. But thanks.)

Here he is, chatting up the older ladies:



Okay, while I thought he'd be a fully independent walker by now, rather than just a speed crawler, the big BIG news is that he did take his first two independent steps on the 8th, the day of his birthday bash. And since then, he's been trying to conquer the quest, one step at a time. (God, I'm gay. No, not really. Not that there's anything wrong with that...) Anyhow, as of today, July 15th, he's probably done up to about 10 solo steps. And no, the video camera never happens to be next to me when it's happening. (And by the time I get it, he's long since fallen down. And then just lost interest entirely.)

One totally impressive thing he's managed to do since he can't walk? Protect his knees while crawling. Seriously. Check it out:



Crab Crawler from doublea and Vimeo.

He puts everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, in his mouth. Dirt, hair brushes, magnets, flowers, chalk,... Pretty much anything except the fine meals I labour over. I mean, he hates chocolate and bread. HUH??? Who hates chocolate & bread??? Still big on his list? Peaches, bananas, Cheerios, eggs, and bacon (but just to suck on. Kinda like a bacon-sicle). I gave him a bite of Emma's grilled cheese sandwich and I thought he was going to hurl on me. WTF?

He also gets into EVERYTHING. Things would wouldn't think he'd care about, or even notice. But I guess that's cuz he's a boy. I also guess I'm going to be using that expressing alot over the next 30 years. Or however long it is that kids stay at home these days.



Little Trouble from doublea and Vimeo.

The kid is a talking, particularly on the phone! As soon as I get on, he's all over me trying to grab it. And will actually hold it up and babble away to the person on the other end. How annoying is THAT?! (Don't worry - the only people I make suffer through it is BB and Jeff.)

Also, too cute is his love - or at least understanding - or the remote control. Should the TV be off, or not playing Baby Einstein, he'll grab the remote (that's a converter for you older folk), and wave it wildly in front of the TV. Again, something I would really like to get on video... But, fortunately for you, you'll just have to read about it for the time being.

And now, for the all important dates:

June 24 - has started bopping his head along with music - or my singing. God help him, cuz if you know me... well, except for Jeff & Emma, you likely have not ever heard me sing. For good reason.

June 24 - still not going down the stairs on his own, but did try to WALK down on the 22nd. How very scary.

June 24 - confirmed that he loves swimming. Instinctively kicks his little feet when on his stomach, and can hold onto the side of the pool all by himself

June 25 - has decided that he can indeed WALK down the stairs on his own. He has zero interest in learning to go down like normal kids, on his stomach. Nope. He's doing the walking thing. So, in a few months, weeks, days?, when you read the post with a picture of him with a full leg cast, rest assured it won't be because a case of ice-tea fell on him.



Luke Stair Walker from doublea and Vimeo.

July 1 - or sometime around there - he has started shaking his head "NO" when he wants to say, well, no. This is usually when I'm trying to shovel more yogurt down his mouth. Why? Cuz he used to love yogurt. So I bought the Costco-size crate of it. And now? He doesn't like yogurt anymore. But it's going to expire soon... So eat the damn yogurt bud.



July 8 - has acquired this glass shattering screech. Oh. My. Fucking. God. I didn't know my face could contort in the shapes it has since he's mastered this new vocal capacity. Like really. You think Mariah Carey has range? She's got nothing on him. And me? My face is apparently more elastic than Jim Carey's.