Charmander

I have a friend, Trisha, whose son is one month older than Declan. I love seeing what Frankie's doing, because it gives me an idea of what is coming. In the early months, this was especially neat. Frankie would smile and I'd hope that Declan would smile soon. I saw Frankie going crazy in the jumparoo when Declan could care less, and I was so excited to see Declan interact like that.

This week, Jessica and Charlie came to visit. Charlie is 11 months older than Declan, and the last time they saw each other, Declan was only four weeks old. This time, although it wasn't an instant brotherhood, the boys were more aware of one another, and since both are big personalities, I got to see what's coming.

First of all, Charlie is adorable. He's funny and charming, and if Declan does half of the hilarious things Charlie's come up with, we're in for a lot of fun in the next few months. Jess has told me stories, but nothing, nothing compares to the real experience. From the moment they walked through the door, I could tell that the little baby I'd seen so many times before was all but gone. Jess had gotten Charlie Sonic, fastened the bib, ripped the chicken nuggets into Charlie-friendly pieces, and...with one sweep of his arm, Charlie pushed half onto the floor. Unsatisfied with his progress, he quickly swept the rest of it off his tray. Needless to say, Scooter had a new best friend.

With dinner over, and Charlie out of his seat, I got to see the true show. All of a sudden, I heard a little humming, and then a 1 1/2 year old booty shake, and then, the finale, some New Kids on the Block "You Got the Right Stuff, Babaaay" leg kicks (you know what I'd talking about, don't pretend you didn't go to the concert). Let me tell you, I've never seen a toddler dance, but without fail, when music came on, Charlie started the dance. I loved it! Over the next couple of days, I found myself trying to coax Declan into just a slight sway. The boy band moves could wait. I'm not picky. I just have a feeling that a small part of my soul could be fulfilled if Declan would dance. You all know how I love to dance. But Rich, not so much. He'll do two things: slow dance and the robot. And his robot involves just one arm moving back and forth. It might sway all of my fears about having only boys if at least one of them would dance around the living room with me.

Here's the New Kids' video. Charlie's dance is right at the 1:20 mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuHgBCxCRgo

I'll keep you updated on Declan's Dance Card. So far, 0. But I have not yet lost hope.

Jess and I went to The Legends (fail!), Nordstrom Cafe (double fail!), birthday dinner with my mom at our favorite restaurant (I don't think we're allowed back), and the McDonald's play room (had to change a poopy diaper on the floor, but no one saw...pass!). I don't ever go to McDonald's because they don't have food I eat, but I have a feeling I'll be trying out their whole menu of coffee items. It's two blocks away from my house. Crap.

That's what's wonderful about having another mom to do stuff with, she's been there before, if not currently sharing the same experiences, and it's less embarrassing when you have someone with you who understands. It's also great to see that even though Charlie wasn't a great sleeper when he was Declan's age, he's figured it out now. He's able to take pretty long naps, even though, like Declan, he was a cat napper. He survived his MMR vaccine, and there's no trace of autism. Just like hanging out with Trisha excites me for what's to come, being with Jessica shows me that there's a light at the end of our tunnel. I think Jess would argue that there are other tunnels and other issues, and I know that's coming too. Right now, I'm just desperately hoping for the day when I can sleep 10 hours in a row. Hell, right now I'd take 6.

The Tooth Fairy Cometh

Last week, Declan cut two teeth. I knew there was something wrong on Monday when, during a routine grocery store outing, Declan screamed so loud that people shopping in other aisles recoiled from us when we came around the corner. We were grocery store lepers.

Lo and behold, after many fake-outs, I felt Declan's first tooth when we got home. Now, because nothing can ever be the easy option, we had one of those weeks. He didn't want to nap, he was fussy all the time, and for the last few nights, he's been up for a solid two hours in the middle of the night. Two nights ago he woke up every half hour. This is where the mommy instinct comes in. Where Rich was done with D's shenanigans, I just knew there was something wrong. The next morning, the second tooth had appeared.

Of course the only thing that will work is Motrin. Last week, I found myself counting the minutes until I could give it to him again. He takes the biggest dose because of his size and before I knew it, the whole bottle was gone. Then I started worrying that I was "that mom", the one who drugs her kids instead of giving them the love and tenderness that they deserve...but, the thing is, it works. Last week, Declan wouldn't nap without it. I'd get him asleep in my arms, but the moment I laid him down in his crib he'd wake up hysterical.

I'm from the "do what you've got to do" mommy school. I think judging someone because their kid still takes a pacifier or sleeps in their bed or drinks formula or is held all the time is completely worthless. I save judgement for the big things, like whether they have cute clothes or not. Or whether they have the right brand of stroller. That's a big one.


On another note, Declan is now a proficient crawler and has been delighting in traveling where he wants to go and exploring every corner of a room. Mostly, he gravitates toward all the spaces he should avoid, and really wants to chew on every electrical cord he can find. Now, every time I leave a room, I imagine that I'll walk in and his hair will be on end with smoke coming out of his ears. Maybe that should be his halloween costume...I already bought a dinosaur though. Darn.

He's already pulling up on everything I can get ahold of, which makes me worry that walking is not far around the corner. Rich walked at 9 months, and I think we'll have a repeat performance with Declan.

Declan has been laughing more. I'm desperately trying to get a video, but whenever I turn it on, Declan turns to look at me with an "oh really" face and abruptly stops all merriment. He's onto my tricks. He also loves his B's. Buh, buh, buh means so many things. It means mommy, toy, hungry, and pretty much everything else. It's really endearing when he looks at me with intense concentration and says "buh, buh". I don't think this one will be satisfied until he can do and say exactly what he wants. Wonder where he gets that from...