2/12/2016

The Callum Chronicle #13

Filed under: — Aprille @ 3:42 pm

My sweet Callum-a-zoo,

Happy thirteen months, sweetie!  It’s been a really big month for you.  At your one-year well-child checkup, I was mildly concerned, because one of the developmental questions was whether you could say a word or two.  You hadn’t said any yet, and while I wasn’t super worried, your speech (or lack thereof) was on my radar.

As is so often the case, my worrying was unfounded.  About a week after your appointment, you took off, literally and figuratively.  You can walk short-to-medium distances now—we stopped counting at 14 steps, but I bet you can do even more.  You save your best walking for your brothers.  You squeal as you walk toward either one of them, your arms up in the air.  You love to collapse into a big hug at the end.  They’re about as proud of you as you are of yourself.

Best of all, you said your first consistent word:  mama.  I’ve been waiting eight years for a baby to have mama as his first word, and my last baby came through for me.  I suspect that your dad knew how much it would mean to me and coached you in that area, but I’m not complaining.

You also say up when you want to be picked up, buh for brother, Do for Tobin, and Muh for Miles.  You say ah duh and do the ASL sign for “all done” when you’re finished eating or doing anything else.  I’m not completely sure whether you’ve said dada yet or not, but it’ll come.  You definitely get excited when I hold you up to the window so you can see him walking home from the bus stop.  You have fully embraced the “pew pew stinky feet” game, and you always prompt me with an ooooooh for the second foot (“Oooooh, so niiiiice”).

You’re active and full of mischief these days.  You love to explore the bathroom, unraveling toilet paper and upending garbage cans.  Today we went out for lunch, and you were playing with some crayons.  Time after time, you held one up near your mouth, looked at me, and waited for me to tell you not to eat it.  I don’t think it ever went into your mouth, so I guess you’re getting the point.  You even did some coloring.  Tobin was pretty thrilled about that.

You’re a great eater for the time being.  You are now at the stage where you can eat pretty much whatever your dad and I have at meals, minus anything really spicy.  You’ve enjoyed pork chops, green beans, oranges, rice, bread, crackers, apples, chicken, pizza, and all kinds of other things.  Your brothers love to share ice cream with you.  You’ve also gotten really good at drinking from a straw.  I bought you a special cup that has a toddler-friendly straw built into it, and you grab onto that thing and suck like a little Hoover.  It’s a good skill to have.

I was re-reading your very first Callum Chronicle yesterday.  We’ve certainly come a long way since those challenging first weeks.  Now we just deal with the daily struggles of life with three smart, energetic, emotional, sometimes frustrating boys.  Our days of having an infant are done, and while I miss your tiny little self, this last month has been really great.  Watching you clear these developmental hurdles is so rewarding.  I love watching you smile and laugh and communicate in all the ways you know.  One of my favorite of your quirks is the way you dance to any music you hear, or even anything rhythmic.  I often pump breastmilk to donate to babies in need, and the sounds of the pump are enough to get you moving.  You dance when anyone is singing under his or her breath, at Family Folk Machine rehearsals, and when Miles practices piano.  I love that you feel so much joy you just have to wiggle it out.

Spring is coming, my little love, and you’re going to tear the playground up.  Before that, though, you’ll get to experience your first plane trip and first dip in the ocean.  That’s still a ways out, but you can bet it’s going to be well-documented.  I went through boxes of your brothers’ old clothes last night, and I’m looking forward to putting your chubby little legs into some shorts and watching you toddle on the sand.

We’ll stay bundled up for the time being, though, because there’s an Arctic blast headed our way.  I’ll keep you warm if you keep me warm.

Love,

Mama

Defying expectations

Filed under: — Aprille @ 2:22 pm

Tobin was checking out the Valentine’s Day treats he got at school.

T:  I like Smarties as much as the next kid, but…I love them.

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