A year and a half

Since the last time I wrote, we moved out of our apartment of 10 years, lived in a hotel for 6 weeks, and moved into our new home. It was kind of hell. Also, while we were adjusting to living in a hotel, Beast Boy was teething: two molars. Why?!? And when we moved into the house and we were still adjusting to a new place, two more molars popped in. Double why?!? Yep, hell. But all that explains my absence.

In the meantime, the Beast learned to walk, says all kinds of new words, and has all kinds of new expert skills. We've got some catching up to do interwebs.

Skillz:

Scooter riding

Level: expert

We bought him this scooter for his birthday in May and from that time until he learned to walk, it was glued to his behind. He would ask to get on it, and (rarely) ask to get off. He never did figure out how to get on and off by himself, but all the better.

Walking

Level: intermediate

In July he took his first steps solo. He practiced for about an hour walking back and forth between TC and me. And after that he decided that he wasn't interested for at least another month. In August while we were living in a hotel he started practicing again, walking between the two queen beds in our room, walking from a bed to me or TC, or walking from TC to me. And then, on Labor Day weekend he decided that walking was his thing. 

Although he's been walking for a few months now I peg him at intermediate because he still hasn't figured out how to pull himself up, and can't do stairs. Having never crawled, he's no good on his belly. 

Confidence on the stairs? It's all an act for the camera.

Walking in socks on a slippery wood floor is no problem for this guy. Kind of.

Dancing

Level: super expert

Take a look for yourself (upside down for some reason).

He's got the booty shaking, arm moving and shoulder shimmying down. Whenever and wherever he hears a beat, he gets down. Church hymns? No problem; there's dancing to be had (gogo arms, usually). Elevator music in the store? Let's do this.

Spinning stuff

Level: expert

This kid loves anything that spins. While we were homeless we spent a lot of time at Home Depot, because where else do you go when you're desperate for your home to be finished. I handed the kid a caster while we were there to entertain him, and quickly learned my mistake when I realized we wouldn't be able to leave without it. So, I stood in line to buy it. But it wouldn't scan, and the cashier was impatient so she told us to take it, free of charge. Did she aid and abet us in shoplifting? Perhaps. But the kid was in hog heaven. The caster was his favorite toy for months and months.

He sniffs out all things that spin or have the potential for spinning. 

First day with his caster.

A new use of the scooter: spinning the wheels. Hours of entertainment.

Watching the washing machine, cuz it spins.

TC taught BB to spin balls, and now everything spherical he sees he has to spin. 

Waiting for a tire change at Costco he found that spinning the wheels on the flatbeds was his thing.

Steering wheel cart at Lowes? Umm... YES!

In October he was obsessed with pumpkins. In December it was ornaments. All because they are spherical. My produce drawer is no longer mine. No fruit is safe from his grasp. No balloon is left un-pointed out and un-begged for.

Posing for the camera

Level: expert

Beast Boy has discovered the art of posing. If you point a camera at him, he will most likely pose.

Cleaning & Organizing

level: beginner with the passion of an expert

This child loves "cleaning." I have a hard time sweeping when he's around because he demands to use the broom. I give him a smaller broom that we have, and he uses that for 35 seconds before he demands the one I'm using. So I give him the one I'm using and he demands the smaller one that I am now using. Fickle, this one.

If I mop, he wants to use the mop. If I'm wiping down the cabinets, he wants to wipe them down too. If I'm vacuuming he wants to "vacuum" too using his toy lawn mower. 

He also loves to put things away in drawers. It's fairly often that I find a ball or a toy car in my underwear drawer. Or a book in the drawer with my pots. He's organized. If only I understood his organization.

Using a sign as a broom.

Organizing our belongings in the hotel.

Helping us pack and organize before the move.

Riding escalators

Level: intermediate

Obsessions

Spheres

Level: borderline psychosis

This kid is obsessed with all things "ball." The third or fourth word he learned to say, he points out every ball he sees. AT&T logo: ball. Globe: ball. Pumpkin: ball. Orange: edible ball. He loves walking into Target thanks to their giant red balls. 

(sidenote: I am actually an 11 year old in an adult body and every time I use the word "balls" in a sentence I chuckle; because I'm a child.)

Now that's he's figured out that at Harmon's and Sprouts he can get a balloon, he asks for every balloon he sees. 

Mom Tip: (this is probably the only good mothering idea I'll ever have, so I've got to share it) I keep balloons in my purse, so when he really REALLY needs a balloon and I'm not willing to spend a few dollars on one, I can inflate one on the spot. 

I have a photo, which I will not post because I'm saving it to embarrass him with later, of the Beast Boy in the tub surrounded by no less than 10 balls, a full sized basketball and a beach ball among them. 

A pumpkin ball.

Dogs

Level: psychosis

BB loves dogs. LOVES them. If he sees a dog, he excited says/yells "Yeah" and points and whimpers until I acknowledge that I also see the dog. In his world, dogs do not bark; they whimper. Sometimes they pant. 

Our neighbors have a dog that BB is over the moon for. Complete and utter love. And they are nice enough to stop to let our little Beast pet and pat and pant at the dog. Their dog, luckily, is patient and tolerant of Max's squeals of delight and "gentle" pats. 

He has a plush dog we picked up at Ikea, and is obsessed with it. He asks us to wrap the dog in his blanket and offers his dog food, his lovey to suck on, and drinks. He is soft and loving with his dog, and even seems remorseful when he throws the dog in a tantrum. 

It was love at first sight for these two.

Wherever Beast Boy is, Dogatello Verpoochie is not far behind.

Speech

Hi [hī]: a greeting of arrival

Bye [bahy]: a greeting of departure

Yeah [yah]: affirmative; also a call for attention or help

Papá [paBAH]: father, progenitor

Mamá [baBAH]: mother

Ball [Bah]: any object which is spherical in nature

Car [Cah]: a vehicle

Cookie [gooGEE]: a sweet treat made with butter, flour and sugar

Coke [CōCAH]: a carbonated drink made with high fructose corn syrup

Lolo [wōwō]: his friend Harlow

No [nah]: a negative used to express dissent or refusal

Don't [dah]: a negative used to express extreme dissent or refusal

Auto [ah u to]: a vehicle

Upa [boopBAH]: please pick me up

Down [dahn]: please put me down

Boo [doo]: an exclamation meant to surprise or startle someone 

Wee [wee]: an exclamation denoting delight, especially in the car when TC takes sharp turns

Whoa [woh]: an interjection used to express interest

Wow [wow]: an exclamation of wonder or pleasure, especially used around Christmas lights

Ooh [oo]: used to express amazement; frequently used

Uhoh [uhoh]: used to indicate concern or chagrin, especially when something falls to the floor; used several times per hour

Actions

Gives kisses: always accompanied by "MWAH"

Blows kisses: "MWAH" accompanied by a hand at his mouth

Waves bye

Wags his finger to indicate displeasure

Gives bones/knuckles

Gives high fives

Plays peek a boo/doo by covering at least one eye and then uncovering it while exclaiming "DOO!"

Checks his wrist to see what time it is (it's always "besito" time in our house, meaning it's time for a kiss attack)

Folds his arms for prayer (for three seconds before he is playing with something)

One year!

I can't believe we kept this baby alive and relatively happy for one whole year. I remember worrying when we brought him home from the hospital that I wouldn't be able to keep him alive, that I would forget to feed him, or change his diaper, or help him sleep. But I soon realized that this model of baby is the enhanced model, with an advanced alert system that notifies parents and anyone within .25 miles of his needs. Loudly, and determinedly. 

At any rate, we celebrated the Beast's birthday at the end of May. I'm a bit late in recording the joyous  celebration of the anniversary of his birth.


This is a picture of TC with BB. BB was mesmerized by the flame (future pyro?).

After snapping this picture of BB, I happened to scan some photos of TC, and this is what I found:

Yep. That's TC in the blue overalls on his first birthday. His lovely mom is holding him up. If there was any doubt that BB and TC share DNA, I think these photos dash those doubts into tiny tiny pieces.

Dashed.

New skills:

Standing.

May was the month that the Beast discovered standing. His friend and secret crush Kairisti taught him he could stand up while holding her hand, and it was all over from there. All he wanted to do from that point on was stand with help (much to the pain of my back). 

Dancing.

This kid discovered that when one hears a beat, one must move their body. He twists from the waist while he swings his arms.

Drinking from a straw.
We've been hoping he'd learn this skill for a while. Now his life of enjoying Slurpees and Big Gulps can begin.

Firsts:

Riding in his new carseat

Being able to see out the window? Priceless.

Pretty much the best thing ever.

Eating grass/Being licked in the face by a dog.

This one is a twofer. The kid was having a bad day, and I was having a bad day, so we went for a walk. We walked to Memory Grove and sat on the grass. Beast Boy grabbed a handful of grass and tasted it. He also tasted dried leaves and other lawn paraphernalia. It was non-awesome for me. Also, while tasting grass a rather large, unleashed dog bounded our way, and before I could effectively scoop him up to safety, said dog licked the Beast in the face. The Beast was bewildered and unsure of an appropriate reaction.

Me? Eat grass? Why I never!

Finally met a creature more slobbery than he.

Selfie.

Words:

Yeah. 

This kid discovered the word, "Yeah." And he often uses it in context. 

Me: "Hey, do you work out?"

BB: "Yeah."

Me: "Would you like to eat yogurt?"

BB: "Yeah."

Me: "Are you the cutest ever?"

BB: "Yeah."

Yight.

Also said several times in context before he began to refuse to say it. 

Me: "Where's the light?"

BB: Pointing at the light. "Yight."

Favorite Activities:

Playing with Dad. 

No further explanation needed.

I still sew sometimes! Vintage Simplicity 6063

Way back in November 2010, back when I used to blog, I found a bunch of great vintage patterns at a thrift store (Deseret Industries). When I saw this pattern, Simplicity 6063 from 1965, I knew I needed it, even if I had no idea if I'd ever even have a little boy of my own. I'm glad I invested that whole dollar, because this pattern is the shiz!

I just fell in love with the overall shorts.

Well fast forward three plus years to now. I wanted my Beast Boy to have something special to wear for Easter, plus he has outgrown all of his church clothes, so he needed something new anyway. I imagined little overall shorts in blue and white seersucker, with a white button down shirt. And then I remembered that I had this pattern.

It sewed up really easily. Because the seersucker is kind of thin, I lined it all with white cotton. That actually eliminated the need for facings, which made the whole thing come together a lot easier. The pattern called for a zipper on the overalls, which I skipped. I knew these would be roomy on the kid, so I figured he'd get in and out without a zipper just fine.

I used white cotton for the shirt, and made the short sleeved version. I didn't use any interfacing on the shirt. I figured it's supposed to be soft and pliable for a baby to be comfortable in, so I skipped it. I absolutely love the cuffed sleeves!

The pattern is a size 2 for toddlers, and my boy is 11 months, but two things to note: 1. Beast Boy is giant. 2. The overalls are still a bit big on him. The shirt however is a bit short (like wouldn't be suitable to wear with pants because the bottom of his belly would show).

This is the best photo I have of the overalls. A bit long, but roomy enough to be comfortable, and he will be able to wear them for a few months. And you gotta love his socks that have fallen down around his chubby ankles. Sigh.

 To complete the outfit, I found these shoes at Payless ($7), white dress socks at Kohls ($1.80), and a newsboy cap on super clearance at Gap (less than $3). So all in all, the outfit cost around $15.

11 months!

This little goofball is 11 months old. This is what he's up to.

Likes:
Happy, Pharrell Williams
Reading [1]
Yogurt
Toast
Ice cream
Spoons [2]
Flowers [3]

[1] An avid reader, BB prefers to spend his time in intellectual pursuits...

[1] Reading books that answer existential questions, like "Where IS baby's belly button?" Where, indeed.

[2] Spooning

[2] More spoons

[3] The only thing he will be "soft" with are flowers. Mom's cheeks, Dad's face, Mom's hair, Dad's eyes... Those do not require softness. But flowers on the other hand... 

[3] Flowers!

Dislikes:
The blender, vacuum, drills, saws, hammers, hair dryers, anything loud
Our construction site [4]
Being told "No" or anything in a firm voice
Quinoa
Sprouts Farmer's Market (despite the balloon) [5]
Having his hair towel dried [6]
Mom taking a shower (it's a hard knock life for this boy)

[4] The hope is that he will enjoy the house once it's complete. For now, it's pretty much torture to be there.

[5] It's unclear why Sprouts Farmer's Market is the bane of his existence. Is it that he's surrounded by "natural" foods? Is it the ridiculous prices on all things not produce? We may never know.

[6] And don't use a blow dryer either.

New skills:
Rolling over (This one is more new-found than new. Learned how to roll over around 5 months, decided he didn't like it, and refused to do it. Now he's discovered it again and is all about it.) [7]
Drinking his bottle vertically [8]
Growling while happy. [9] Growling while angry.
Cheesy smile [10]
Pointing at lights

[7] Rolling rolling rolling...

[7], [8] This combines two new skills: rolling over and drinking vertically.  

[8] If you suck out all the air, you can drink in any position you want. Convenient when you're on the go like this baby.

[9] So happy to figure out growling.

[10] Excuse the toast on his face (see "Likes"). 

Expert Skills:
Getting really, really angry. The 2% of the time that he's not happy, he's raging mad. Red faced, yelling, grunting, growling kicking, pounding of fists... 30 inches of epic fury. [11]
Shoe removal [12]
Going to sleep! [13]
Lounging [14]

[11] This is BB 98% of the time...

[11] Happy even when tired...

[11] Happy even when in the dreaded carseat.

[12] It's an art, nay a craft. Now you see a shoe on his foot, now you don't. Sometimes he uses his hands for removal, sometimes he uses nothing but his feet. And sometimes, on the rare occasion, he removes a shoe with nothing but the foot it's on.

[13] Asleep in the carseat, asleep at church, asleep in the stroller, asleep in his bed. This Beast figured out how to sleep, and figured out that sleeping is awesome. His mother was beginning to wonder if he was really her child. Now, with his love of sleep confirmed, she is certain he belongs to her.

[14] Lounging on the couch...

[14] Lounging with Dad...

[14] Lounging in a restaurant...

[14] Lounging on the floor... Also with his newfound love of lounging, his mother is even more certain they share DNA.

Curiosities:
The way different materials feel against his teeth
Teething gel
Finger painting with yogurt all over the table, chair, wall...


Favorite Toys:
Easy button [15]
Anything he can bite [16]

[15] Click. That was easy.

[16] Biting's my favorite.

New sounds: 
Bbl bbl bbl
Lalul lalul
Dee DEE DEE!
Dah!

Firsts: 
Ride on a swing [17]
Taste of gelato [18]

[17] Wee!

[17] Still fun a few days later.

[18] Lemon gelato with Dad.

Best friends:
Dad [19]
Mom [20]
William [21]
Clara [22]

[19] Dad had to travel for work without Beast Boy, and it was sad indeed. The only saving grace for this little boy was FaceTime. Being able to hear and see Dad, and babble to him was the highlight of each day.

[20] Sometimes Mom loves too much.

[21] Sometimes, Beast Boy may love too much. Hereditary?

[21], [22] Baby buddies William and Clara

Stats:
Weight: 22 lbs
Height: 30 inches
Teeth: 8