Break On Through

Declan decided he'd like to send you all a message.  Here it is: #=Olp=[]\;p_.  That kid is obsessed with the computer.  Whenever he sees it, he'll zoom across the room and pop right up to where it is.  My very generous sister gave me her old iBook, and on first look Declan was in love.  He often accosts Rich's work laptop.  And by accost, I mean he rips the keys out, locks it, tries to pull the screen off, pretty much anything that could irreparably damage it.  So you can imagine his frustration when he tried the same thing with the iBook.  The keys didn't budge.  And Declan got his little nails right in there and worked feverishly.  After that, the luster seemed to have vanished and he moved on to eating my wrapping paper and trying to knock over my coffee.  

As you all know from the videos I posted about a couple of weeks ago, Dec has started walking.  We were told that as soon as a week after he started he'd be tearing through the house.  Not yet.  He's slowly becoming more proficient, but he's more likely to stop and drop than wobble and fall.  I'm telling you, that kid is just like his daddy.  It's all about calculated risk.  I'm convinced that Declan learned how to slowly lower himself to the ground before he'd risk standing for long periods of time, and mastered standing up on his own before he'd try to wobble around.  Our poor next kid will probably be like me and split its head open daily by just going for it.  

But I haven't even gotten to our latest breakthrough, or should I say break down?  The story starts out happy.  My mom and I were at lunch yesterday when Declan started saying "muh".  Now this is a big deal.  Every time we've tried to get Dec to say Mama, he stares intently and "baba" comes out.  That kid cannot get past the Bs.  But yesterday was the breakthrough!  After a few "muhs", a completely clear "Mama" came out.  Oh we cheered.  Finally!  After enduring the "Juh Juh" and "Baba", Mama was finally getting some love.  Except he seemed to be moving through the alphabet because right after Mama came the N sound.  And then it happened:  as I brought the spoon to his mouth, Declan turned his head and said "nuh".  I didn't think anything of it until there were a series of "nuhs" and they happened every time he didn't want something.  Seriously?  Is my kid learning "no" already?  So I kept testing it out.  I'd take away something he was playing with and "nuh, nuh, nuh".  Not that I'm claiming he's got "no" already, but it's the beginning.  And it makes its point.  

So, it's been a whole day, and no more "Mama".  Not even an M sound at all.  But "nuh, nuh" has stayed.  I have a feeling it's not going anywhere.  

The Patty Duke Show

I couldn't stop singing the theme song from The Patty Duke Show this weekend.  I don't think I ever watched that show, but for some reason I know some lines from the theme song: they're cousins, identical cousins through and through.  At least I think that's how it goes.  

So we spent the weekend in L.A. with the Pokaskis.  There's something so wonderful about being with people that are going through the same thing.  Although Charlie is almost two now, it wasn't long ago that he was taking his first steps, putting everything in his mouth, and falling out of the high chair.  Or maybe that one was just Declan.  

Needless to say, bringing Declan anywhere is a huge to do.  And this was no exception.  The time change messed all of us (or at least me and Declan) up from the start, and at 3:00 in L.A. it's dinner time in Kansas.  Well, I don't know if it was the sleep deprivation or just plain stupidity, but we arrived in L.A. at 2:35.  On a Friday.  Yes, L.A. is famous for its rush hours, and we were treated to a doozy.  Now, if I hadn't been half asleep myself, I might have had the foresight to bring something for Dec to eat, but if I had, it wouldn't be a story.  I'll cut to the chase because I've got a lot to cover: after an hour and a half in traffic, a good half hour of screaming, most of it from Declan, I dipped into Vladimir the driver's stash of Werther's Originals and, baby bird style, broke it up in my mouth and fed Declan little bits (none big enough to choke on, hold your horses).  Of course, he took those eagerly and calmed down.  Nothing like some good old high fructose corn syrup to save the day.

Everywhere I go, people tell me they love Declan's clothes.  Of course they do, Charlie has the cutest little boy clothes ever...and all of Declan's clothes come from Charlie.  I don't know what that kid would be wearing if it weren't for Jess who kindly sends me shipments of darling clothes every few months.  And shoes, tons of shoes.  So many shoes that I have pairs ready for the next three sizes.  Declan wears a 4.  My mom consistently pics 5.5s and takes Declan places in them.  And insists they fit.  But I digress, the point of this paragraph is that Declan gets a ton of hand me downs from Charlie.  And Jess, being practical, often buys twos of her favorite things.  

So it started the first night, when we put the boys in matching, red pajamas.  We giggled and took pictures and thought that'd be the end of it.  But then they had matching fleeces and hoodies and pants.  Pictures will come.  There's just something hilarious about kids in matching outfits.  Someday they'll be really mad, but for now, we'll just enjoy it.

Charlie was such a perfect little host.  He did cry when Declan crawled onto Jessica's lap and gave him a big, sloppy kiss, but later he returned the favor.  Kids giving kisses might just make my list of things to live for.  Right up there with hot fudge Sundaes...scratch that, so much higher.  

Declan was just enamored with Charlie right from the beginning.  He crawled after Charlie and watched him, enraptured with every wiggle, stack, and chew.  This extended to one of the highlights of the trip.  We put the boys in the tub together.  Then we gave them both Mohawks. Then we took pictures.  

I can't wait until the boys are making forts and building tents in the back yard.  Hopefully they will be buds and enjoy being together as much as we do.  I'll post pictures as soon as I get them.

Baby Steps

Well, I've been stressing a little, just a little that Declan, who was so advanced on his crawling, hadn't seemed to get the walking bug. But, just today, Declan took some steps forward in that department (yes, I do love puns). He's been really sick for the last week, so he wasn't moving at all, much less making strides forward (puns are pun). Anyhoo, these videos move me (I just can't stop).

Tis the Season

For sickness.

Declan's had a few ear infections, and once, when he was really small, he was sick for a couple of days. But nothing, nothing has been like this. We've been to the doctor twice; first, when he had a cough, and then when he had a 103 temperature. That was Wednesday. It's Friday afternoon and that kid is still so sick.

He's got those puffy eyes people get when they have horrible colds. And his cheeks are bright red. He's got diarrhea, he's been throwing up, he's got a chest cough, and some serious snot running out of his nose all the time.

Of course, I find myself always leaning toward that what-if place. What if he never gets better? What if he has a seizure from too high of a temperature and gets brain damage? Does this ever go away? I guess it's karma for me always rolling my eyes at my mom when she'd come rushing into the room whenever I so much as dropped something. She practically had convulsions if I got a paper cut. I thought she was so annoyingly over reactive. Little did I know, it's genetic. Poor Declan. I'll probably put him in a plastic bubble just to make sure.

That said, I took Declan to the park last week on one of the days it was nice. While there, we met a woman there with her 15 month old and while we were talking, Declan did a triple sow cow off the gym onto the ground. Luckily, it was covered with rubber bits and he actually kind of sprang right back up. But, man, if that had been sand...

Back to my ill son, it's 68 today, so I'm going to take him outside. I figure I should take advantage of his lethargy and put him in the stroller. Normally, he'd complain right away because he hates to be confined, but I have a feeling he'll chill out today.

So that leaves the inevitable question: is it careless to expose the masses to Declan's cold or necessary to get out of the house and into fresh air?