Michael is Fourteen Months Old!

Let me say that just because Michael's monthly update is being delivered in a much more timely manner than Emma's latest one that is not an indication of him being my favourite. Even though he does like me more than she does. And not by just a little bit.





So. Month 14, eh?

I guess I'll start by the riveting news that Michael FINALLY got his 9th tooth in yesterday. I mean, he's had the first 8 for so long, I just kinda forgot that he would be getting more. Anyhow, for the book that remains blank, it's the bottom left, four spaces over from the centre. Huh? I mean, he's got the centre four, and then, on the left, there's a space, and next to that is the new tooth. You with me?

Oh... also as of Sept. 14, he is weighing in at 23 lbs., while Emma is a less-than-hefty 27. At this rate, she better smarten up and start being nice to him or he's gonna absolutely pummel her.



What else?

Here he is, being the little bugger that we've come to know, love, and be very frightened of:



I've concluded that since a live-in nanny is not in the budget, at least not this month, the TV is a viable alternative. Michael, however, disagrees. For this I should be thrilled... I have perhaps the only kid on the planet with zero attention span for a single television show. Emma, on the other hand, could sit in front of the thing all day long. And if I were a nicer mother, perhaps I'd allow it.



The big problem I'm having right now, and have been having for the past, ohhhh.... fourteen months now, is the lack of reading going on between Michael and, well, everyone else. You see, we have tons and tons of books. Board books, soft books, touch and feel books, lift the flap books.. you name it, we have it. Emma loved them. Michael? He just wants to grab the book out of my hand and hit me over the head with it. Yes, really. I suppose I better hope for that sports schlorship, huh.

On the brighter side, he can be ridiculously affectionate - to me, to Jeff, to Bubbie, to Alexandria... to everyone except those who try to poke his eyes out (literally). To those, he pulls their hair. And slaps their faces. Oh. Well, he kinda sorta does that to everyone. Although lately he's gotten really into hugging Emma. It's too cute - first thing this morning, she woke up and came out of her room, Michael was right there to greet her with a hug. Of course, she pushed him off of her, and he fell to the floor.



He taught himself to play peek-a-boo! And now, loves doing it... Will stand behind the sofa, and pop up & down everytime you say it. Ditto rooms & doors. Huh? Like, if I'm in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet or something, he'll run back & forth from the hallway into the doorway view everytime I say peek-a-boo!



Peek-A-Boo! from doublea on Vimeo.

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Friday August 24 - Got his big boy bed! Anyone want to buy a crib? It's very nice, Emma loved it. Michael has never spent more than 3 hours in it. And I'd dare to say that in the past 14 months, it has been a sum total of no more than 18 hours. The mattress is included. Local pick-up only.

Really. We had to buy it cuz we were having a house guest and we out of a guest room. I told you the story when Emma kicked our last house guest out of her room, right? Anyhow, since Michael doesn't sleep in his crib, and eventually he was going to need a big boy bed, there seemed no better time than the present to make the big purchase. Yippee! More Aeroplan Miles! Perhaps you can tell me, all of you with more than one child... How do you "ferberize" one child when the other is in the room right next door? Hate to tell you, but the screaming kinda sorta annoyed Emma. And so... I gave up. Besides, I quite like sleeping with the little guy.

Yeah, yeah... the walls are bare. I know. I'll get around to hanging pictures soon. It's kinda low on my priority list considering we really only go in his room to pick out his clothing for the day.



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At some point this month, early on I believe, Michael said his first 'real' word! Other than Mamama and Dadada. He now says "Hi!" What an awesome first word! So totally friendly... and so totally cute. I know I'm biased, but c'mon... check him out and I dare you to tell me otherwise.



Hi! from doublea on Vimeo.

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Sept 6 - said Emma. Actually he said "Mmmmma" and normally I may have just thought it was a lazy man's "mamama", but he was saying it repeatedly while chasing her, so... I'm just sayin'....

Sept 10 - got first big boy shoes. He has wide feet. Why am I not surprised?

Sept 11 - Said "Daddy" - clear as clear could be. Good thing I was there to hear it, cuz if Jeff had just told me, I dunno if I'd have believed him.

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He wakes me up every morning by sticking his finger right up my nostril. It's not only pleasant, but often quite helpful.

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He gets a real kick out of slapping my stomach fat & watching it jiggle. But then, so do I. (Okay, not really... but let's pretend...)

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I think I may invite his toothbrush to his next birthday party, he likes it so much.

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One of his latest loves is pushing buttons... and the big bonus is the buttons I'm referring to are not mine. Rather, the ones that make the fan turn on, and then go super-duper fast, the one on the alarm system thing at the front door that beep - and so long as he doesn't press the red one, we're good, the one for elevators, and the one to open doors). He also loves pressing light switches, pulling electrical cords out of their outlets, trying to put electrical cords back in their outlets, shoving USB cables into the front of my hard-drive's USB cable slots, shoving electrical cords into the front of my hard-drive's USB cable slots... If there is a hole, he'll find something to put in it. Oh... get your mind out of the gutter! Little guy is only 14 months old!

Check this out... Here is Michael figuring out how to break through the gate:



Untitled from doublea on Vimeo.

A couple days ago he off the vent cover on one of the floor vents, fell in, and gashed his foot something fierce. Being the second child, I waited till the next afternoon to take him to the E.R. ("He's fine.") Turns out, he would have needed two stitches, but cuz I waited they just taped him up and sent us on our way. And look.. he is fine.

And on the same line of sticking things into holes, lately MickNew has also been into sticking his fingers down his throat. I think he tries to see how far he can get before he gags. Nice, huh? So far he has yet to barf - say for the time we were at the restaurant on Centre Island, sitting on the patio, and he leaned over and puked on the floor... but otherwise...

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Uhhh... he also seems to have taken a shine to Emma's Dora blow-up doll.

M: "Hellloooo Dora!"
D: squeak





Have I mentioned that Emma is really into flying these days? And when I say flying, I mean when she runs, she flaps her arms as though she's a bird. Now... since Michael's only other friend is Baby Zachary, and he's only 11 months old and not that mobile, Emma is one of Michael's biggest influences. That said, it's her that he looks to for a lot of stuff. Like running. Yup - he's one kid that's hard to gay up, yet we managed.

In short, this month, Michael:

-dumped all the dirt from the bedroom plant
-ran head first into the corner on our hallway wall, and now I actually think his forehead may be forever dented
-tore all the foam off Jeff's big, expensive speaker
-used the toilet bowl brush to scrub the hallway floors
-used the toilet bowl water to wash his toothbrush
-sat in my parent's dog's waterbowl during Rosh Hashanah dinner

Ahhhh.... boys.