FirstBike

Jonah has truly mastered his balance bike and has become a bit of a trickster.  He loves to take tight corners and go over speed bumps wherever he can find them.  He rides to kid's club, the library, church, and even all the way to school (once)!

Today our neighbor gave Jonah his boys' old 16" two-wheeler and Jonah could ride it without training wheels right away!  He was pretty nervous and could barely touch the ground, so starting and stopping need some work, but he certainly had the balance down pat.  Way to go Jonah!

Who's the toddler?

I hate that I keep looking over and wondering who that kid is toddling through the house, playing by himself, and being so awfully good!  The squeaky wheel definitely gets the grease in this house (hmm... Jonah!)  Elliott is so self-sufficient.  He plays quietly, stacking blocks to knock down and rebuild, trying hard to fit puzzle pieces, and driving trains over bridges and through tunnels.  Some of these skills I hardly knew he had until I started taking a moment to watch him play.  And I can leave him in his crib, high chair, or stroller and he makes not a peep to let me know he's done or wants to come out.

His development seems to be passing right under my nose, as I keep looking for the "milestones" of walking and talking.  Well, he is finally walking with some confidence and will choose to walk instead of crawl in most cases.  And he is trying to talk, but most of the sounds are incomprehensible and frustrating for him when I don't understand.  It's hard to say he really has any words in his vocabulary, since I haven't even heard "Mama" in a while.  But he knows what he wants, and is happy to shake his head "NO" with great emphasis at almost every suggestion!

Speed!

Elliott loves speed!  (I would say he's a daredevil, except walking seemed to scare him a little.)  We were out riding bikes, and he loved to race Jonah on his Big Bobby Car.  Thanks to PopPop for the tip to add a tow rope!  It was still a lot of work to keep him moving sufficiently quickly to garnish a smile.  When we did stop for a rest, he got off and climbed on the scooter!  Jonah reluctantly gave Elliott a turn, and he thought he was hot stuff cruising down the street!  I hope I haven't set an unreasonable expectation for my 15month-old that he can ride the scooter at will...

Scooter

Jonah has such mastery of his scooter, he now rides it all the way to kids' club (downtown)!  Yes, I still take the double stroller so we have a back-up when he inevitably can't make it home again, but it is still quite impressive.  He took his first spill today going down the hill to the playground at a speed he couldn't quite control.  I was so proud when he got right back up and kept going!  (after a few tears, hugs and healing Mommy kisses)  He later developed a red scratch mark on this face and side, so he must have hit harder than I realized.  Fortunately his helmet did its work - I do recall seeing it bounce off the ground!

Up up up!

Who knew Elliott could climb a ladder so well?  He's suddenly shown great interest and ability to climb the 2-step stool in the kitchen so he can help at the counter.  I still like to be right there to catch him off-balance, so my ability to cook has decreased with his help, but I'm still proud of him ambition!  Today we were playing in the yard, and he climbed the 4 or 5 steps up the slide pretty independently!  We're well away from letting him negotiate without a spotter and help reorienting him at the top so he doesn't faceplant at the bottom of the slide, but he seems to excel at the climbing!

The Hotel

I'm not sure what Jonah expected after describing the hotel as a building with lots of bedrooms for everyone in the family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.), but he loved it.  (It helped that the hotel was yellow.)  He loved exploring the game room, lounge, pool, ice skating rink, tower, etc. until he owned the place and would show us how to get around.

Jonah's first ice skating attempt went about as can be expected.  Holding onto a chair, with Mommy holding both him and the chair to keep both from flying, he made it a couple steps before telling me he was all done.  We had a lot of fun riding the chair around the ice, and he eventually gave ice skating another try, holding both my and PopPop's hands, while proudly shouting "I'm doing it!" to his adoring spectator (Grandmama) as if he had mastered the sport.

Elliott wasn't a big fan of the pool, but wasn't quite as fussy as I had feared.  (He has been screaming at bath time for a while now, to the point where we didn't take a bath for a couple weeks!)  As long as he could hold his new Minions ball (from Aunt Pamela) he was content - though not exactly happy about the whole thing.  Jonah, on the other hand, bravely swam with a noodle "all by himself" with such surety he would be across the pool on his own before I noticed!  Good thing there were two of us to chase the two boys, and Aunt Pamela and Uncle Ryan for back up!

And he's off!

Elliott did it!  He got up on all fours and crawled forward!  So far he had only nudged slowly backwards by repeatedly pushing up into cobra.  He never quite mastered an intentional scoot or army crawl.  I guess he wanted to master the proper form.  It is so amazing to watch the concentration as he thinks about moving each arm and leg.  And you can tell he's reached his destination by the plop down to his tummy, as if to say, "I have arrived!"  He's so proud, and so am I!

At least!

Finally, at seven months old, Elliott has decided that he will sit on his own!  And roll tummy-to-back and back-to-tummy.  AND scoot backwards.  All that progress was made in the course of one day visiting his big cousins.  They attribute it to the "magic crawling rug".  I need to get one of those!

1.  Elliott has been choosing not to sit.  He'd much rather push back to a reclined position and chill out supine.  Couldn't care less about trying for more than a few seconds, or less if he isn't restricted from lying down.  Yet, when we put a ball down in front of him today, he was more than happy to sit and play with it with both hands and both feet!  As if he could have done this all along, there just wasn't enough incentive in the books, teethers, take-alongs, electronics, blocks, stuffed animals, towers, cars, etc. I had been giving him.

2.  Really, I think Elliott has been rolling for a couple weeks now, but not very prolifically.  He would rather fuss when he's done with tummy time, and if I don't help him roll over, he just falls asleep in place on his tummy.  He doesn't seem to realize that he can fix it himself!  I have noticed that he will roll over at night, but in the morning he always seems in the same spot I put him when he went to bed, (he rolls onto his side to sleep).  But from the vantage of a bed right beside his, I would awake to find him in a new position all night long - and back where he started by morning!  Stealthy.  And here I thought he would be fine without a confined crib, since he doesn't move around much at night anyway!

3.  The scooting thing is also new in that it is intentional.  Elliott has made some progress before in translational movement, but always as an accident of repeatedly lifting up to cobra.  This time, he seemed to understand that he was making himself move and got very upset when a couch or ottoman snuck up from behind to halt his progress.  Such freedom!

Wheee!

Elliott was hanging out in the Beco while I pushed Jonah in a swing at the park.  The mom next to me was trying to convince her toddler to get out of the swing by telling him that it was for babies and that the baby wanted a turn.  (She was indicating Elliott.)  I totally get it and didn't object.  I'll use almost any excuse to get Jonah off the baby swing and either use a "big boy" swing or do any other activity that requires more of his energy than mine.  But then the toddler leaves in a great upheaval over the trauma and it occurs to me - why not give Elliott a turn?  So in he goes and I gave him some gentle pushes.  Elliott wan't thrilled like the other (slightly older) infants, but he didn't complain either.  He looked completely nonchalant, like he was one of the cool kids.

Want to Ride Bikes Together?

Jonah received a new bike for Elliott's Baptism!  This trike is a lot larger than his fold-and-go, and he looks like such a big kid riding it.  He's really mastered the pedals and can even pedal himself up the (slight) hill on our street!

Now if only he can figure out how to maneuver backwards.  Jonah had an idea of exactly where to park his bike.  It was very frustrating to turn the bike 180deg and move it 1ft immediately to the left.

Surprise!

I love to be surprised by the new things Jonah can do!  Today he sat in the "big boy" swing and pumped his legs correctly.  Then it was my turn and he pushed me in the swing!

After swinging, Jonah did a somersault in the grass!  He thought I should do one, too.  I don't remember it being quite so painful!  Ow.

1-Second Neck Exercise

Elliott has very little interest in doing a "cobra", or even picking up his head, during tummy time.  It seems lying and sucking his thumb has become a comfortable place to be.  I finally found a trick, which is to lay him looking to the right.  He picks up his head, turns to the left, and lies back down where his thumb of choice is readily accessible.  End of exercise.  This is a little troublesome, since friends and cousins born around the same time have been doing a cobra for over a month now.  All in his own time... and who can blame him with a noggin measuring in the 99th percentile?

Thumb Sucking Extraordinaire!

Elliott has mastered the art of sucking his thumb - always the left thumb.  And unlike the fist, which can be upsetting when it doesn't produce milk, Elliott is perfectly content to suck away, sometimes even while sleeping!

Gourmet Fist!

Elliott found his hands!  He makes little batting motions at hanging toys - intentionally, albeit rather clumsily.  Even better, he now enjoys sucking on his fists, at least until something with milk comes along.

2 Year Update

Now that Jonah is 2, I thought it time to (try) record the things he is doing now:

Language:
Jonah's communication has just exploded, and I long ago stopped trying to track all his new words.  He's up to sentences, such as:

• Mommy and Daddy all done working
• I come, too!
• Mama hold this one ("this one" is a Jonah-ism for "this")

Jonah can sing the ABC song with 90% accuracy and recognize a dozen letters by sight, though he knows them by word association, so "A" is airplane, "D" is Daddy, etc.

Jonah can count to 10, and everything thereafter is 13.  When left on his own, he will keep going instead of stopping when he runs out of items to count.

Sings "ABC", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "Twinkle, Twinkle", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Baa Baa Black Sheep", "Old McDonald" and others.

Gross Motor:

Jonah can actually get off the ground when he jumps!  He climbs the playground by himself, but only occasionally does the slide.  (And holds Mommy's hand for the tall twirly slide.)  He loves anything sport, so any objects become bats and balls inside or outside.  He has some success with throwing a ball up and hitting it with a bat.  He can also throw a ball with some accuracy, though catching is still a challenge.  He can shoot a basket on the highest setting, which is just above his reach.  He loves to run, and scoots on his tricycle with his feet or sometimes tries the pedals with assistance.  He's not much of a climber, but has figured out to move the ottoman or stool where he wants so he can reach up high.

Fine Motor:

Jonah has mastered peg / shape puzzles and has them complete in a flash.  Can use a fork, but usually prefers not to.  He tries to use the side of his fork to cut food the way Mommy and Daddy do.  Brushes his own teeth, and likes to unscrew the toothpaste cap on his own.  Has a lot of trouble taking off his clothes or even socks, but we're working on it!  Loves to build with Duplos and make long trains.  Favorite craft involves gluing beads.  Hates to have paint on his hands.

Potty Training:

We have begun in earnest!  Jonah finally associates sitting on the potty with doing his business, which is a huge accomplishment.  As a reward, we sing a very boisterous song and let him play on the iPad.  Gifts of books and toys had no effect and he rejected any sort of candy treat!

Food:

Jonah is a fan of starches.  He devours multiple servings of rice, noodles and breads.  He also eats his meats and veggies, but sometimes as a trade for more of his favorites.  Jonah also loves fruits, cheese, and beans of any color/variety.  Skip the squash and potatoes.  He drinks only milk and water.  We've tried juices and strawberry/chocolate milk, but he doesn't like either.  Tries, then spits out any type of dessert, candy or sweet.

Inventing Sports

Jonah loves playing sports.  We went to two birthday parties and he spent the entirety of both playing baseball, soccer and basketball!  I was quite impressed by his boldness to walk onto a basketball court to pick up a ball and start "dribbling"... in the middle of a bunch of adults shooting hoops!  Fortunately, the adults were extremely toddler-conscience and made a game of defending any little people who stepped onto the court.  Or they stopped to help Jonah dribble or shoot.  Jonah even got a few of them to throw the wiffle ball for him to bat - and made contact a few times!

Jonah doesn't stop at regulation - kid-sized versions of - sanctioned sports.  Anything involving a ball and stick will do.  He invents new games all the time at home with whatever he can find: a golf ball and stick, a paint stirrer and small plastic ball, a colander and basketball.  If he can hit with it, he will!

Jonah on Water Safety

I had lots of fun splashing and kicking in the pool until Mommy decided it was time for me to practicing floating.  She seems to think that the slogan "back is best" embroidered on my sleep sack extends to the water.  Here's a fact: 10 out of 10 toddlers drown when abandoned by their Mommy in a pool.  No amount of floating is going save a kid from starving to death at the next snack time.  I also didn't want my precious locks to get wet so I grabbed at whatever I could, including Mommy's ears.  I couldn't help but notice that Mommy was keeping her head safely above water level.  No one wants cold, wet hair in the sub-freezing winter temperatures.

I took my own approach to pool safety by directing Mommy over to the ladder.  There I practiced climbing out of the pool, which is a far more useful survival technique.  Once successfully on solid ground I turned and saw Mommy hold out her arms, as if I could just step off the ledge and walk to her over the water.  Absent of any miracle, I had to climb down and sit on the top rung of the ladder where I could reach her.  But only after inspecting the Jonah-sized clock on the pool deck.

Skip to My Lou?

While I was cooking, Jonah came through the kitchen doing this very strange walk.  He took big steps, but always with his straight right leg out front, hitting the ground hard like a military goose step.  We thought he was saying "step, step, step" until I realized he was trying to skip!  I started singing "Skip to My Lou" and he just went nuts with giggles and "skipping" around the room.  I love it when he teaches me what he is learning at school.

Playtime!

I love watching how Jonah plays with toys in ways we might consider "outside the box".  For example, he helps water the Christmas tree with the gas can from his lawnmower (shaped a little like my watering can) and stocks his pirate ship with food from the Playmobil farm (a bag of potatoes and barrel of some unidentified substance).

Recently, Jonah has begun building towers out of his stacking/nesting blocks.  He reaches to put blocks at the top of towers as tall as he is before knocking them down again!  He also had success with a couple of his chunky and peg puzzle pieces.

In athletic pursuits, Jonah has been enjoying his new basketball hoop.  It came just in time, as he and Daddy had taken to throwing things into the recycling bins.  He can slam dunk, but enjoys bringing the ball to watch Daddy score from downtown.  They both yell "score!" after a basket.  Jonah also tries to dribble, throwing the ball to the ground, picking it up and repeating.  He sometimes attempts for the forward pass, but the motion usually lands the ball behind him.  We practice with beanbags, but after a couple tries, he resorts to placing the beanbags in the bucket.  As in basketball, his accuracy is much better if the object never leaves his hand until it reaches the target.

Spoon Feeding

We retired Jonah's pureed baby food after what seemed like a week, when he decided he only wanted finger foods he could feed himself.  Well, now that Jonah is mastering use of his spoon, I pulled some leftovers from the cabinet and let him go to town while I made lunch.  He is so proud when he manages to maneuver a large bite into his mouth.  He did so well that by the time lunch was ready, his bowl was nearly empty!