Month 25: Chili Night

Last night was perfect.

Daniel had a good day at school and was happy and playful when we picked him up. We grabbed a few nerf footballs and played at the park for a few minutes before heading home and starting dinner. I changed out of work clothes and into a comfy skirt, tank top, fluffy pink slippers and my treasured purple apron.

Dinner was roasted potato wedges, steamed broccoli and vegetarian chili... and it was a hit. There's nothing like the feeling of sitting around the dinner table together, laughing and eating, with Frank Sinatra serenading us all the while. The night got darker but our home only got cozier and happier.

Fernando devoured his plate, commenting about how amazing the chili was and he couldn't believe there wasn't any meat. Daniel absolutely blew us away with the sheer quantity of food he ate... a full bowl of chili and a plate of potato wedges, dipped in ketchup. He was very focused on his food, and kept eating long after we were done, showing off his mad spoon skills.

Last night, like after most meals involving red sauce, Daniel was transferred directly from high chair to shower, where one of us is waiting to bathe with him. After his shower, a cookie, a good teeth-brushing, and some soft pajamas, it was bedtime.

Daniel pulled all his pillows, blankets and animals on the floor and insisted we read on the ground. We laid on our bellies and read book after book... searching for the balloon in "Goodnight Gorilla" and acting out all the moves of "Fish Kisses". After turning out the lights, we laid on the pillow pile in the dark, singing "Swing Low" and "Sumo's Farm" more times than I can count.

As he grew sleepier, he became more affectionate. Feeling for my face in the dark and kissing my cheek over and over, Daniel laid his head on my head, giggling and saying "mama pillow".

3 Cans of Amy's Organic Chili = $7.00.
6 Red New Potatoes = $2.00.
2 Crowns of Broccoli = $3.00.
1 Pitcher of Iced Tea = $0.50
3 Chocolate Chip Cookies = $1.00

Chili Night with the Family... Priceless.

Month 25: New Classroom Anxiety

Daniel transitioned last week to his new room at school - "The Clapping Clams" ... and while there is always some anxiety associated with a change in his daily routine... new teacher... new friends... this transition has been worse than we expected.

We noticed some changes in his behavior at home that began the day he started in the new room...

1) He doesn't want to go to school. He puts on the brakes as we approach the door and has to be coaxed and/or left kicking and screaming. He ends up happy, but this initial resistance bugs me.

2) He has developed sleep issues... basically extreme resistance to sleeping at home. He will play for up to two hours alone in his room before he "gives in" and goes to sleep. I can't tell if he's scared to sleep or just has excess energy. Either way, it's presenting a problem as he is so exhausted each morning I have to drag him out of bed.

3) We've noticed a sharp increase in aggressive behaviors at home - with us, but also verbally towards the cats (he likes to discipline them?) and, strangely enough, towards his toys.

4) He is very sassy now with his words - the "no!" has drastically increased in the past week.

I know he's two, and undergoing a transition, but the timing is bothering me. I suppose it's a parent's perogative to investigate these kinds of changes, so I I have a conference with the teacher tomorrow see if she can explain any of this, or has any insight that might be helpful.

We shall see.

Month 24: My 2-Year-Old Son

I finally understand parenting: Just when I feel confident, in a nice little routine, and capable in my disciplinary role, life changes.

The proverbial rug gets pulled out.

Having a 2-year-old son is a whole new ballgame - a new level of energy, a new level of conversation, a new level of discipline, and a new level of "just how dirty can one kid get".

Daniel is developing independence right and left and is constantly looking for ways to exert it. He learned the phrases "this way" and "that way" and when in the car or stroller, he now feels compelled to tell us which way to go at every intersection. He knows how to get to all of his favorite parks, and loves the thrill of us taking his suggestion, and turning a specific way. On the flip side, if we pass a park without turning in, he loses his cool and bawls "thhhaaaaaaaat waaaaaaayyy peeeeease!"

The "please" battle is one we take seriously, and it's not as easy as it used to be. Somewhere along the way, Daniel acquired a bossy side and loves to order us around. It has it's place in play, but "more milk!" gets really old, really fast. Surprisingly, withholding the milk sometimes isn't always enough to encourage a polite approach. His stubborn side will kick in and he refuses to say please... he actually would prefer to NOT get milk than to stand down and be polite. Incredible.

At school it's a different story. (Aren't parents always the recipients of the testing?!) He is apparently polite and sweet at his preschool, and often acts as the classroom greeter at the end of the day, telling each parent "Bye! Have a good day!" on their way out. (When they told us this, we didn't believe it, but now he spouts "have a good day!" to everything in sight. Especially ducks.)

He has friends now, too. Not that he didn't before... but now he really knows, recognizes, asks for, and interacts really well with "his group" of comrades. Ava of course is still his preference, but he has a growing list of other buddies as well. On a side note, when we have families with kids over to the house for dinner, he used to have an atomic meltdown if I held another baby. Which was cause for concern, considering the impending adoption. That situation seems to be improving, however, and while Daniel isn't happy about me focusing on another child, he is more tolerant and apt to cooperate than before.

Perhaps my favorite part of having a 2-year-old son has been his newfound love of the dark. He runs around the house, turning off all the lights, then wants to play chase and hide and seek in the pitch black house. As you can imagine, many a bumps and bruises have happened this way, but so have hundreds of hilarious memories, shrieks of laughter, and moonlit rounds of "ring around the rosey" ("reegs"). And now when we pass through anything dark - be it highway tunnel or dimly lit hallway - Daniel's eyes get huge and with notable excitement in his voice he says... "Ooooo....daaark!! Play chase?!"

His vocabulary continues to astound me. But more than the quantity of words, I'm impressed by his ability to use them in context. Daniel forms complete sentences on a regular basis: "This is Daniel's seat" and "That is Dada's food". He will devote his full concentration to voicing a thought, even if it takes a few minutes to spit out: "The ladybug's going up the tree to see the monkey" (he still loves animal books, obviously).

The last major recent development has to do with his sleep patterns... and I am sticking to my earlier claim that Daniel IS his father in this area. He loves to stay up late and sleep in each morning: "More sleep, Mama. More sleep." We took off the front gate of his crib and it now takes a little longer for Daniel to fall asleep, as he's exploring exactly how far he's allowed to roam (not far!). I imagine this process will get a little easier once the novelty of nighttime freedom has worn off.

Wow! This turned into a novel. But while parenthood really has taken all kinds of unexpected turns, what hasn't changed is the crazy amount of love we feel for our baby boy. Stubborn and bossy though he can be, Daniel is our hearts' delight.

Month 24: Quick Trip to the Doctor

We always laugh that we'll NEVER learn when we should take Daniel to the doctor, and when he should stay home. This last trip, as you might have guessed, fell into the latter category. He is fine. Just a nasty cold.

But while we were there, we got some updated stats and answers to new questions.

Here we go...

1) Daniel weighs 33 pounds, 5 ounces. He is just over 36 inches tall. In both categories, he is finally out of the 99th percentile! (roughly 92% and 85%, respectively). Dr. Pham is sticking to his very early assessment that Daniel will be a very tall, big dude... a "big guy" :)

2) It's totally ok that Daniel has regressed in his potty training. We shouldn't force it, and need to remember that only 50% of boys are potty trained by the time they are 3.

3) Daniel's favorite habit of dragging his bedding onto the floor and sleeping there is nothing to worry about. As long as he's in his own room, he can sleep wherever he wants.

4) He doesn't need to go to the dentist yet, but we should be brushing him twice a day, not once. Oops.

5) Now that he's past 2, it's ok if he doesn't drink/eat much dairy or meat... as long as he's eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, the other categories can be very small.

That $15 co-pay might not have been necessary, but it's a pretty small price tag for peace of mind and a whole slew of answers!

Month 24: Sugar Overloads & Rocking Chairs

In spite of the turkeys he calls parents, Daniel survived to see his second birthday.

And what a day it was. Bright and early, we woke him up to make sure we had "photo opp" time before breakfast... so we set up a backdrop in the backyard and a little table with his oversized chocolate cupcake (jungle themed).

Not thinking clearly, we let him consume record amounts of frosting on an empty stomach... file that one in the 'lessons learned' categories. I have never seen a sugar high/crash quite so immediate.

Daniel blew out his own candle (ten times, as he kept making Fernando re-light it). And he really was a sport for a mini photo session. Although the promise of a giant cupcake at 8am will make most kids do anything. (He even demonstrated the "duck kiss" face I have been wanting to capture for a long time! This style of kissing has replaced all normal kissing...)

We then headed to Cracker Barrel for the traditional "day of" birthday meal with Ava & her family. On the way there, Daniel's sugar rush set in, as he mumbled to himself "pancakes... sleepy... cupcake... nigh-night..." :) We're such bad parents.

At Cracker Barrel, largely thanks to the sugar situation, he was a nightmare. He and Ava fought throughout the whole meal and only reconciled afterwards when we let them wreak havoc on the rocking chair patio outside the restaurant. Two dozen adult rocking chairs and ONE tiny one... a few tantrums ensued when we asked Daniel to share with Ava. (The "rocking chair planner" needs to consider that children usually come in multiples...)

After a hefty nap, Daniel spent the afternoon with Fernando (who took the day off to be with him) and the evening with the whole family (Daniel's Mema, Papa, TK & Quito) for a celebratory birthday dinner. He tore into his presents like a kid who knew what he was doing and relished the new books, toys and clothes. Ok, so he didn't care about the clothes, but the rest was a hit!

Happy Birthday, little man.

Month 23: Locks of Innocence

Well, we've gone and done it. We chopped off those gorgeous locks... and the youthful innocence apparently tied to them.

Days before Daniel's 2nd birthday, the haircut either triggered or coincided with some serious attitude shifts in our little angel! Hello "time outs" and attitude!

Maybe this haircut has been the hardest on me for that reason... it seems to represent the passing of the baby era, even though he's been a toddler for quite a while. His sweet long locks masked the devilishly mischevious side that was lurking in the background.

We took him to the kid's salon where he can sit in giant cars (this time, a plane), watch movies and eat candy while his hair is cut. It's not quite enough to make Daniel a haircut fan, per say, but it is enough to make him tolerate the discomfort of being sprayed down with water and poked with scissors.

This was his first experience with the "buzz buzz" clippers and it didn't go well. Good thing there were three adults and only one of him.

He looks so handsome... so grown-up. But if I could, I would glue that hair back on his head. I miss my baby.

Month 23: Apron Days

I am a working mom.

Not only have I come to terms with this lifestyle, but I enjoy the diversity of daily experiences. I enjoy being a part of the work force, and of the church where I have been employed for nearly five years. I recognize that my job is a "dream job" that could not have been better suited for my strengths and talents. Daniel's preschool is phenomenal, and his incredible development is attributed to the constant stimulation and affection he receives from the staff. Our family thrives in chaos, and honestly we love the hectic pace that comes with having two working parents.

I am (we are) blessed.

But there's a piece of me that longs for the Norman Rockwell experience. Sometimes I want to be the woman in the paintings - hair and makeup done perfectly, not a bead of sweat on her brow, serving a gorgeous dinner to her family, and always (always) wearing an apron.

For days like this, I have an apron. It's purple, with subtle brown and orange stripes. When I put it on, a sense of empowerment overtakes me. I feel more confident in my maternal instincts. I feel energized and capable. I feel perfectly suited to take care of a household full of kids. In some mysterious way, when I put on my purple apron, I feel a peace absent from my chaotic life. A long forgotten itch is scratched.

"Apron days" have become some of my favorite things. I get out of bed before anyone else is awake, put on comfy clothes, my pink houseshoes and my purple apron. I tie my hair up, and tackle the kitchen. Before long, it's sparkling clean and breakfast is cooking on the stove. Sometimes french toast, sometimes omelettes, sometimes an adventurous selection from a dusty cookbook. Watching Fernando and Daniel polish off their meal is indescribably rewarding. After preparing for lunch and dinner, I usually let myself get swept up in a whirlwind of house-cleaning. All the stereotypes I have grated against for 29 years are ironically fulfilled - against my own wishes, I find that I LIKE wearing the apron.

I want the best for Daniel. I still believe that for him, that means a balanced combination of social environment and home life. He has the best of both worlds right now - we are, without question, doing our best for him. But I will always wonder what life would have been like had I been able to wear the apron every day.

Month 23: The Spotless Mind

Parenting isn't all sunshine and daisies.

Sure, there are millions of unforgettably sweet moments. But sometimes it's tough going. Sometimes it's a maze of guilt, obligation and confusion... and any parent that tells you otherwise is lying through their teeth.

After all my "I Never Want To Forget" lists, here's the first "Things I'd Rather Forget" version. It's a risky move, but if we can't be brutally honest about our parenting experiences, we'll have no hope of teaching our kids how to one day parent their own kids. (And Lord knows I want the best for my grandkids!)

So, here goes nothing.

I'd rather forget...

- The way Daniel lets his arms go limp when he doesn't want to be picked up.
- How sometimes he doesn't want to be touched OR let go. Impossible to make a right move.
- The blank look on his face right before (or after) hitting someone. It's scary, and distant.
- The times he only (and inexplicably) wants one parent over the other. Heartbreaking.
- The awful horrible feeling that my rookie parent mistake caused Daniel physical pain. (The lightbulb... the stroller... the bathtub... I could go on.)
- His stubborness and refusal to say "sorry".
- Daniel's manipulation... I hate the feeling of being "played".
- The guilt of leaving him at daycare. Even though he's happily playing within 30 seconds, walking away is still brutal.
- The feeling that he's happier at daycare than he'd be with me, at home.
- The stranglehold worry has on my life. It's amplified in the last two years.
- The jealousy when he wants to be held by someone else.
- How when I look at a playground, I only see the potential accidents.
- When he doesn't want to be picked up OR put down.
- The sickening feeling of time slipping through my fingers.
- The full understanding of just how much I have to lose.
- The feeling of having to cool down and just walk away. That swell of anger and frustration... and that split-second of understanding what causes someone to hit their child. This could be the worst feeling in the world.
- The slippery trap of TV... and the guilt of realizing that I'm "that parent".
- Knowing I can never re-do the time that went by.

Well, there you go. Brutal honesty. I can't help but wonder how much of this changes with a second or third child, and how much of it is just part of the parenting scene. I suppose we'll find out soon enough!

Month 23: How Did We Get Here?

Holy cow, Daniel is going to be two. I have been asking myself a question that is not rhetorical at all... how did we get here?

He's a little man. He is so smart, so funny... honestly I feel like I fall in love with him all over again, each day. He is creative - he invents his own games and then makes up the rules. He is independent without being pushy. He knows what he wants, but is open to negotiation. He is affectionate without being clingy. He is considerate and kind to other kids, and protective of his friends and family. Who could ask for more? (That question, on the other hand, IS rhetorical).

As we approach the big day (Saturday!) I feel it's time for another quick "never to forget" list. Fernando, Daniel and I took a daytrip to Sedona last week, playing hookie from real life for a few blissful hours. We hiked, ate lunch, went shopping, walked the strip, and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a thoroughly delightful day in every aspect. While Daniel napped in the car, Fernando and I listened to Jorge Drexler and made this list together of the "right nows" in our life.

We love how he.....

- Lays on his stomach to read and kicks his feet in the air.
- Squints and is silly when we pull into the garage and see the CD player lights.
- Jumps over things that may or may not be too tall to jump over.
- Uses the word "too" profusely. Too bright, too hot, too late (??), too dark, etc...
- Yells "hiya" and "hike" while playing with footballs.
- Loves to be tickled and always asks for "more".
- Is obsessed with "Nano's Seat" (the stroller). Sometimes he finds it, pushes it to us, climbs in and says "Outside? ok!"
- Sees the number eight everywhere and thinks all amperstands (&) are "8s".
- Adores french toast.
- Can put away an obscene amount of food. Sometimes he eats more than I do.
- Calls pirates "pie-dits" and can sing the "no hero" part of the Larry Boy song.
- Gets bossy when we're dancing to music - he points and demonstrates what he wants us to do.
- Loves chocolate milk. The way his little voice says those words is priceless.
- Still adores his favorite animal "Zona"... although his pronunciation of her name changed again: "Sue-dah".
- Loves to help me feed the cats... "Nano help you"... "Keee Food".
- Suddenly learned to say "cheese" and smile for a camera. (Who taught him that?)
- Gets tired at the dinner table and wants to lay his head in our hands (but continue eating).
- Smiles. That smile evolves daily... it's bittersweet to see it change so quickly.
- Gives me nose kisses.
- Likes to discipline the cats. Fernando saw him telling a cat to get out of his crib: "Go kitty, go!" while pointing sternly.
- Loves to play "pi-joe" (the piano). He takes turns playing the black and white keys.
- Is terrified of the vaccum but also wants to help push it.
- Protects Ava and takes care of her. In return, she follows him around and corrects him when he's doing something wrong. (Is this a marriage in the making or what?!)
- Loves his Animal Book. He can recognize and say all kinds of crazy animals... Toucan, Wolf, Cheetah, Leopard, Peacock (key-kock!), Penguin, Meerkat, Crab, Jellyfish, Walrus, Hamster, etc!)
- Always wants to know "what happened?" to anyone and everything. His standard response: "Ah no no!" ("I don't know!")
- Loves to say "bless you" to anyone who sneezes and just to anything in general. The first time he said bless you, he continued for an hour: "bless you cars" "bless you horse" "bless you sock" "bless you eight"...
- Stops before crossing the street, and when asked if there are cars, he says "Nope!"
- Pronounces words with that sweet little voice. Moon: "moot", Ham: "hamp", Blue: "bee-you", Hot Dog: "hah cog"...

I hesitate to even publish this posting because I know the list is far from complete. I could spend days at a time documenting all the things I never want to forget.

Month 23: Touchdown!

I am not a football fan. My sweet husband has explained the game to me a half dozen times before, and while I am an intelligent person, the rules just don't stick.

Regardless of my lack of understanding of the game, I am as susceptible to Super Bowl fever as the rest of the world. This year, the Arizona Cardinals were the underdogs and came to the game with an amazing and inspirational story. After a quick trip to a friend's Super Bowl party, Fernando, Daniel and I got comfortable in our living room and watched the second half of the game.

In our pajama pants, we moved the couch aside and made a big space for tossing the nerf footballs around and making lots of noise when the game got rowdy. Daniel was very excitable, especially at touchdown time... at one particularly emotional touchdown, Fernando and I started yelling, hugging and jumping... and Daniel joined in! He was screaming "touchdown!" and running in circles and hugging us. It was possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen. For the fifteen minutes following the touchdown, he continued to celebrate.

The Cardinals lost (I still think that last call could have gone either way...) but we could not have asked for a more memorable evening.

Month 22: Potty Training Treacheries

We're slowly wading into the treacherous waters known as "potty training". Maybe "wading" is a bit too graphic a word for this particular entry, but brutally appropriate.

On his own, over the past few months, Daniel has expressed interest and understanding of the... proceedings... of using a potty.

A few times, I have found him attempting to pee standing up at a grown-up potty... which involves him pressing his stomach to the basin and peeing on the floor at the foot of the toilet. Hilarious. But certainly a product of him watching "how daddy does it". On a daily basis, Daniel notifies us when he needs a new diaper and frequently tells us right before doing #1 or #2. Additionally, we have received notes home from his preschool that he has occasionally accomplished both #1 and #2 in the potty.

All that to say, we decided to make a concerted effort at home to begin the potty training process. We went to Babies R Us and (using gift cards STILL left over from our baby shower!) purchased a nice Baby Bjorn lime green and white potty... very stylish. Daniel was excited to sit on it and quickly named it "Nano's potty". We got home, stripped his lower half and said "let's go potty!" He ran over, sat down and clapped for himself (without actually using the potty).

Success. Kind of. Because then he stood up and ran over to the new bathtub frog we also got at Babies R Us. Unfortunately, it's about the same size as the potty. Also lime green. Also brand new.

In a slow motion moment I will remember forever, Daniel threw a leg over the frog, squatted carefully, and emptied his bladder. The frog is a "bath frog" with a convenient draining system underneath in the shape of a rectangle... a perfect rectangle of pee on my bedroom carpet.

Anyway. It's progressing slowly but surely with the help of "potty snacks" we keep close by for when he sits bare-butt on the potty and counts from 1-10 and 10-1 in English and Spanish.

We've had lots of close calls (and the bathroom rug has been washed many a time) but none compare to the "Green Poop Incident" of 2009. Allow me to paint the picture for you, as graphic as it may be...

In an effort to build excitement and something of a "team spirit", I frequently use the potty at the same time as Daniel. He says "mama's potty, nano's potty". On this particular day, I had just taken off his diaper, and sat down to use the potty myself. He walked to the bathroom door, turned around, clenched his legs together and said "Uh oh! Poo Poo!" He starts walking slowly... legs still clenched together... towards his potty.

By now, I am... in the process... of using mama's potty, and Daniel is out of reach. So I start yelling for Fernando to come help us. He comes running, but too late... as he lifts Daniel by the armpits and swoops towards nano's potty, green poop starts flying everywhere. A really impressive amount, too. All over the carpet. The two of us trying desperately not to breath, and Daniel arriving at his potty in time to squeeze out two teaspoons of pee.

We collected the... treasures... and together clapped and cheered as we flushed them. I think the whole commotion scared Daniel as for the next few days he wanted nothing to do with the potty.

This next year will be an adventure, to say the least!

Month 22: Random Recollection

Excuse the cryptic title, but I can't think of a better way to explain it (I'm sure plenty of better ways exist...). "Random Recollection" has been Daniel's theme as of late. He can list off all kinds of things randomly, without them being present or even in his recent memory.

For example.

1) Prayers. Yes, he prays. Before bedtime and meals. It is one of my favorite things to watch. Daniel gets ready by folding his hands together, scrunching his face up, squinting his eyes (probably because he watches us, watching him, with "pretend" closed eyes...!) He begins his prayer with "Jesus, dadoo (thank you)..." and then he lists off a bunch of stuff, starting with the food in front of him: "dadoo... hah cog... strahbewy... hamp... shoclate milky..." and then he starts looking around the room (with eyes still squinted) for other things to thank God for. Lights. Window. Mama. Dada. Max. And THEN he looks towards the fridge for photos of other friends and family and names each one. Recently, he has incorporated requests into prayers... "mama... dada... bobby... more bobby... watch the bobby...." Bobby is his way of asking for Veggie Tales. At this point in the prayer, we just say "amen!" and move on to eating.

2) Old McDonald. Actually, Old McDonald is out of the picture. Once I sang "Mister Daniel had a farm..." it became Daniel's farm. Every time. He won't have it any other way. In fact, he runs around asking me to sing it, but as he cannot pronounce "farm" correctly, he ends up asking me (loudly, in public places) for "Nano's Fart". I kid you not. But back to the point... when we get to the "and on that farm he had a..." he lists of what is on the farm. Just an example of one of Daniel's farms: alligator, fan, ouch, cow, dada, eight, yellow, knee. It is always that random and hilarious.

3) Morning Songs. Thanks to his amazing daycare, Daniel loves singing group songs. His two favorites are "The Morning Song": Hello Daniel, how are you, can you tell me, who's sitting next to you? And so on and so forth. In the absence of a big group, he will make up who is singing. Last week, we sang through all the characters on his diaper (which he could not see). Ernie was sitting next to Cookie Monster who was next to Bert who was next to Zoe. We ended with Elmo. It was amazing that without visual cue, he recalled the whole Sesame Street gang. (His other favorite song is "The Jumping Song" but that's just because he can jump around like a maniac!)

Anyway. His little brain is developing in ways I cannot predict or understand. He's smarter than I imagined he would be at this age and honestly, that's a little scary. I want to be the mom who always has the answers... and at this rate, I'll be useless by the time he's in kindergarten. :)

Month 22: Feliz Navidad

It was a lovely Christmas... Daniel's second. We spent a few days in Flagstaff with some family and passed the time sledding, shoveling snow, watching the snow and talking about the snow. There was SO MUCH SNOW. Daniel initially refused to wear his mittens but after a quick encounter with snow and his bare hands ("ouchy! ouchy!") he amended his previous decision.

Perhaps as a result of the weather, Daniel wound up with a cold and was kind of in his own little world for a few days. He wasn't interested in unwrapping presents (but he was interested in playing with the new toys). He didn't eat all that much at mealtimes (but he was a garbage disposal when it came time for cookies and cake). He didn't sleep well in his pack and play (but he was very comfortable in Mommy & Daddy's bed). :) So maybe I indulged him a few times too many... I'm weak!

Sledding was a blast - he cried at the top of the hill, held his breath on the way down, and at the bottom begged for "more! more!" It was bitingly cold outside however and the sledding excursion didn't last all that long. At those temperatures, curled up on the couch by the fire was a much more appealing option.

The days after Christmas were spent in Phoenix, taking advantage of the gorgeous weather. Daniel was feeling better, so we spent quite a bit of time at local parks, just messing around. The rest of the time we worked on the house - moving our current guest room furniture to new locations to make room for Daniel's new bedroom. The goal is to move him in by his 2nd birthday to leave plenty of adjustment time before baby #2 arrives!

We're trying to narrow down decor ideas for his new room... right now it's between "space station" and "new york city park". Any ideas?

Month 22: Randomness

I have decided... THIS is my favorite stage. I think I have said that every day for the past (nearly) two years... but this really is my favorite. Daniel is more fun than I imagined in my pre-child wildest dreams.

I never want to forget...

- His fascination with snowmen ("No-bet").

- How he says "too hot" for everything remotely warm.

- How quickly he learns and absorbs new words. It's easy to teach him! He loves his zoo books, so the recent new words have been "ostrich" "walrus" "seal" "dolphin". Pretty amazing for a 1-year-old.

- His love of the game "airplane"! He now lays on his back and plays airplane with his stuffed animals and toys.

- His mastery of possessive pronouns... mama's shoes! dada's bed!

- How whenever he's excited about anything (approximately every two minutes) he inhales sharply, makes an "oh" with his mouth, and opens his eyes really wide.

- He loves colors - and knows them so well. The only one he cannot pronounce well is green... it comes out "reegee".

- How he counts from 1 to 10 in English AND Spanish... and for a while, he would skip the "2" in both languages. Instead of saying "zero" he says "oval". Walking through Wal-mart is now so much fun - they have giant numbers hanging everywhere. Daniel calls them out as we roll by.

- When he wants to be picked up, he says "Uppy" plus the person's name. "Uppy TK! Uppy TK!"

- His obsession with books. Obsession. We just bring books with us wherever we go and he's happy. He requests them by name at night, and we can use them as leverage. ("Daniel, if you brush your teeth nicely we can go read 'Fish Kisses'!")

- How he impresses everyone in a ten mile radius with his charm and cuteness! When people were stressed out in the stores before Christmas, he beamed and said "hi!" to everyone and (quite literally) spread goodwill toward men and Christmas cheer. No kidding.

- How he is not interested in opening presents at all. Once the gift is unwrapped, it's a different story.

- How he takes our hand, pulls us somewhere and says 'show me' when he wants to play with us.

- He is going green at home. He runs around behind us, turning off all the light switches. He can only reach high enough to turn lights off, not on! We are having to use lamps instead.

- His beloved rhino stuffed toy named Zona is now "Zoona" (instead of Nano).

- A little whistle/lisp has creeped into his speech on words with the letter "s". Cars = Carsh. Gussy = Gushy. Bus = Bush. It's cute... I hope it's not permanent.

- Every time (with zero exceptions) we are in the car, he inexplicably takes off his left shoe.

- He has mastered animal noises, except that quite a few say exactly the same thing (roar!). Bears... Monsters... Dinosaurs... Tigers... Lions... and occasionally Zebras. :)

It's harder and harder to leave him. Be it daycare, at Fernando's parents, or with a babysitter. The time is going so quickly - the seconds aren't sticking around like they used to. Daniel doesn't want to leave us and this makes it all the more difficult. When we do have to leave him for a while, the absolute best 30 seconds of the day are when we come to pick him up.... "Maaaa maaaaa!!!!! Daaaaa daaaaa!!!!!" and the tackling-bear hug that ensues.

There's so much more to say... but I'll save it for another post :)

Month 22: Snuggle Bug

I know, I know. That title is devastatingly sappy. But lately, I cannot seem to stop myself from hugging, kissing, tickling and just snuggling with Daniel. He is changing so quickly that suddenly it doesn't feel like long before his independence will overwhelm his need for physical affection.

Last night, Fernando had to work until (very) late. I was exhausted and planning to head to bed early, and Daniel was equally as tired. I put him in the crib after lots of books and songs, and he was drifting off to sleep quickly. I headed to my room to get ready for bed but was interrupted by a sudden yelping type of cry - I ran back to the nursery. Daniel was sitting up, blankie and Diego the turtle in hand, reaching for me. This isn't uncommon, but last night felt different. I hugged him while he stood in his crib, leaning on me. We swayed together in a hug for quite a while, and every time I attempted to walk away, he began crying inconsolably. He was lonely.

Throwing caution (and my "Babywise" book) to the wind, I scooped him up and carted him off to my room. We hit the lights and crawled under the sheets. Daniel didn't try to sit up or leave the bed once - he just laid on his back, eyes wide in the dark, watching the fan. He would occasionally lean his forehead onto mine, look into my eyes and whisper loudly, "Hi!" I wrapped an arm around him, and as I fell asleep, he stroked my arm with his tiny sweet fingers.

At nearly 1 am, I woke up next to my son. He was in a deep sleep, and I moved him back to the crib so that Fernando would have room in the bed when he got home. (I'm so thoughtful!) :) But I think Daniel would have done fine sleeping in a grown up bed for the remainder of the night. Maybe it's time to start transitioning him out of the crib.

I love the feeling of his tiny warm body nestled next to mine. I don't regret the decision to have him sleep in his own crib, but I do relish the exceptions!

Month 21: A Texas Thanksgiving

Family vacations are the best. It's not so much about doing things together as just being together... 24/7 of being with Daniel and watching him learn, grow, eat, breathe and sleep. We love it.

This year, for Thanksgiving, we made our annual trip to Texas to spend the week with family. It was eventful, so I think I'll drop in a photo for each day of the trip (as selecting just one will be completely impossible). :)

Day 1: Sunday. We left after work, and ate dinner at the airport. Daniel didn't sleep a wink on the flight, but Veggie Tales saved the day. Every time he looked out the window of the plane, he said "peeshies!" (fishies) I guess he thought we were in an aquarium...? :)

Day 2: Relaxing day on the farm at his Gramma & Tex's house (these are my parents' preferred names for themselves. Daniel can't pronounce them so instead they are "Qua-Qua and Tekky"... I hope they stick...!) Right away, Daniel acclimated to having a dog around, and was royally spoiled by all the new toys and attention. We visited my grandfather (Daniel's great-grandfather) in the hospital, and Daniel loved the wheelchair joy rides on his lap. He called him "Grampa" immediately and was very physically affectionate with him - hugs and kisses. Needless to say, it was a special time for all of us. Grampa is an amazing man and I hope that he and Daniel have many future memories together. And I think Grampa enjoyed having him around... there's nothing like a little "toddler therapy"!

Day 3: Awaking bright and early, Daniel ate breakfast and wanted to go "outside"! It was bitingly cold, but he didn't seem to notice, even after his hands had turned to ice. He ran through the yard and field, stopping to notice flowers and big rocks. He rode in the golf carts and watched the "choo choo" trains go by. He is officially a farm boy. (He learned the word ladybug too: "lalaladybuggie!") This photo is us attempting to get Daniel to smile for a "Dear Ethiopia" photo. We were (obviously) unsuccessful and now we just have a lovely "Where's Nano?" photo to show for our efforts. Oh well.

Day 4: His cousin Lucas (18 mo) arrived and even though the boys weren't too sure of each other right away, they ended up playing really well. Early in the morning (around 4 am) Daniel woke up crying. We were too tired to think and just pulled him into bed with us (something we NEVER do) and he snuggled with us for quite a while. After tossing and turning, he finally crawled on top of me and passed out! I never knew being someone's body pillow could be so much fun. I relished every moment of cuddle time. Before dinner, we headed to the pasture to visit the cows. Turns out that to a toddler, they are pretty scary up close - and apparently the cows feel the same way about toddlers! At dinner we had our family's traditional Thanksgiving meal: Chinese food! It's something we've done since I was a kid, and we will continue it (with pleasure!) throughout our kids' lifetime.

Day 5: Thanksgiving Day! It was memorable, to say the least. We had four generations around a very large make-shift table. The food was amazing, the conversation diverse and the memories irreplaceable. Before the meal, we took the boys out to the pasture to visit the cows again. They were a little braver (both the cows and the toddlers) and we enjoyed more than a few photo opportunities. After eating, we celebrated Christmas early (since we wouldn't all be together for Christmas) and opened an abundant pile of gifts! The boys got piles of new books and toys, and we each got some special gifts - clothing, gift cards (our favorite!) and even donations to our adoption. Grampa busted out the harmonica and played for a quite a while, and everyone kicked back and enjoyed conversation with each other. Grampa regaled us with war stories, his trips to high places, jokes and sweet memories of Gramma. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Day 6: On our last day in Texas, Daniel became more than a little possessive of us around Lucas. They played well together, but when we were nearby, he staked his territory. I was reading a book to Lucas, and Daniel ran over, pulled Lucas out of my lap, climbed into my lap, wrapped his arms and legs around me and with a disdainful look towards his cousin, declared me "Nano's Mama!" After tearful goodbyes at the airport, we boarded our flight home. Fernando's laptop battery died with 90 minutes still to go in the flight, and after a brief panic at the lack of Veggie Tales, we made due with lots of books and snacks. It's amazing to me that even when we think he's being too loud or rambunctious, we get compliments from other people on his excellent behavior.

Now we're home again, and truthfully, we're pretty happy about it. Our bed has never felt better, and it's so nice to have Daniel in his own room again! Now, it's time to get ready for Christmas....!

Month 20: Ninjas and the New President

Halloween passed in a blur with work, church and family events. It was fun, and probably the last Halloween Daniel will have no recollection of whatsoever.

I grew up dressing up each and every year for Halloween - there are photos (cute and incriminating alike) of me and my sister in every costume imaginable... cowgirls... square dancers... clowns... ballerinas... jazz cats (?!)... and even one memorable year when I went as Laura Ingalls Wilder (just when you thought I couldn't be a bigger nerd...!)

But Fernando did not grow up dressing up for Halloween, so for him, this has been a more recently-adopted tradition. Consequently, he always goes a little nuts every October, gathering multiple costumes so each family member has a choice for the big night. This year Daniel could have been a) a pirate (complete with handheld hook and eye patch), b) Harry Potter (glasses, cape and all) or c) a Ninja. Option "c" won out, as the Ninja outfit was a one piece suit without removable accessories (he is still a one-year-old, after all). The Ninja headpiece was out of the question, so he was a Ninja with huge crazy hair (it was "crazy hair day" at the preschool) and a black eye (complements of a preschool slide accident earlier in the week). I think it made him look tougher. :)

Earlier in the day, we attended a "Harvest Party" at Daniel's preschool, and were able to hang out with Daniel for some activities and a really interesting look into what he does in his classroom. What did we learn? 1) Daniel is a teacher's pet already. He loves to be picked to answer questions to do activities, and sits eagerly on the edge of his seat with his gaze fixed on his teacher (Ms. Cynthia). 2) Daniel does better when his parents are NOT in the classroom with him. He assumed that our presence meant it was time to go home... oops!) 3) Daniel is completely blessed to have teachers that challenge him and engage the students in organized play and learning, engaging them well above a 1-year-old level.

After the party, we shifted gears and got ready for Halloween night. Fernando dressed up as a pirate (he looks great in dreds!) and I was a biker chic with a tattoo shirt and black Harley doo-rag (thank you, Pastor Lee). After our church's Halloween Tailgate, we headed home for a pumpkin pie gathering. Fernando's parents stole the show as Fred & Wilma Flintstone - I couldn't breathe through my laughter when I first saw them. Fernando's sisters were a 1940's movie star (Keila) and a Greek goddess (Raquel). We were a pretty handsome bunch.

Regarding the other part of my post title, Daniel is learning to pronounce the name of our new President Elect. I said, "Daniel, say Obama!" Daniel said... "Mama?" I said, "No honey, say Obama!" And now (every single time) he says "Buh-lah-buh-lah-buh-lah-ma-ma!"

Precious. We need to capture that on video before he learns to say it correctly!

Month 20: All Grown Up

It's true - he's practically grown up. Every day I find myself wondering where my baby went.

I also find myself clinging to some of the rituals and traditions that he probably should have outgrown by now in a vain attempt to stop the hands of the clock. (For example, his nightly sippy cup of warm milk on my lap while we read and sing and cuddle). But I don't care - I'm holding on to this as long as he'll let me.

He now eats a piece of pizza by himself - I don't have to cut it into pieces. (In fact, he won't eat it if I help too much). Same with a sandwich. He doesn't need lids on his cups anymore, and he goes down the big boy slides at the park alone. Heck - he runs up the playground stairs alone too. He gets things from the pantry or fridge if I ask him to, and he climbs into the van on his own. His vocabulary is large enough for him to make specific requests, ask questions, and answer our questions. He's extremely logical and understands sequential instruction.

One of our good friends is expecting the birth of her second child at any moment. Yesterday, someone told her to brace herself for one of the biggest shocks of having a second baby: The moment your first born walks into the hospital room and you realize just how grown up they really are. There's something in me that simply isn't willing to admit that Daniel isn't a baby anymore.

Fernando and I still sneak into his room every night to turn the fan and the lamp off before we head to bed. And every night, we gaze into the crib (which he's too big for!) and wonder where the time went. Our whispered conversation is the same each night...

Me: "Honey, he's huge."
Fernando: "I know... he takes up the whole crib!"
Me: "He used to be so tiny."
Fernando: "His head is enormous!"
Me: "What happened to our baby!?"
Fernando: "I don't want him to grow up anymore. I wish time would stop."
Me: "Me too."

It's the paradox of life, that it goes by the fastest just when you wish it wouldn't.

Month 19: Racing to Keep Up

Warning: Sappy and potentially boring updates ahead. Proceed only if you a)love Daniel, b)are excruciatingly bored at work, or c)don't want to feel guilty when I ask you later if you read my latest post.

I hope I never forget how he...

- Gallops around the room when he gets bored with running or walking.
- Can't say "larry" and instead tongue wrestles with the word "lally".
- Screams "hi!" at everyone he passes, scaring innocent grocery-shoppers half to death.
- Says "okay" like Forrest Gump (oh-kye).
- Feels heavy and light at the same time riding on my hip. I never imagined that a kid on my hip would make me feel so complete.
- Usually (very dramatically) spits out the first bite of anything new, but likes it once he gives it a second try.
- Wrinkles his face into bizarre expressions when his nose is stuffy, trying to get relief from the sinus pressure.
- Shows up in the kitchen with his blankie and Zona when he's ready to sleep.
- Still calls ice-cream "cake".
- Will nearly repeat the entire alphabet, one letter at a time.
- Can't stand it if soapy bubbles from a bubble bath get stuck on his hands.
- Still loves to be read to, but now likes to read the book again by himself after we've read it once.
- Can sing a huge part of the Veggie Tales theme song, even words he doesn't know yet("broccoli", "aisle", etc.)
- Plays Duck Duck, Goose by tapping us on the head and saying "duck" until we say "goose" - then we all stand up, scream, spin in a circle, and sit back down.
- Learned the word "boogie" and now notifies us whenever he has one.
- Picks purple flowers off the bush in the front yard and brings them to me.
- Likes to take his shirt half way off and leave the neck hole around his head. He runs around the house laughing hysterically like this.
- Knows the difference between "mommy shoes" and "dada shoes".
- Responds well to "if/then" logic, especially when the "then" refers to Veggie Tales or Cookies.
- Loves his routines and gets frustrated if we don't abide by them.
- Calls all kids "babies", even if they're 5 or 6 years old.
- Loves playing "airplane" on the living room floor.
- Can eat an entire Subway 6 inch sandwich by himself - without us cutting it up!

His favorite game of late was invented to occupy him on the changing table during diaper changes and after baths. He covers his head with either a towel, a shirt or his hands and I say "Where's Daniel? I don't know - I don't see him! But I see his..." and I start to name off body parts, touching them as I go. As soon as I start, he sticks his feet in the air (with his eyes covered) and when I say "I see his..." he yells "toes! feet!" After a while, he pulls the towel off his face and yells "boo!" and we start all over. This game seriously occupies him for a long time - more than enough time for a diaper change. It's a LIFE SAVER.

Stay tuned for more of the wonderful and wonderfully tiny updates!

Month 19: Vanilla Wafer Breakdown

At 7:14 a.m. this morning, we officially entered a new phase: The Tantrum Phase. Otherwise known as the defiance-and-parental-testing phase.

Daniel woke up in a great mood, shouting "hi!" at the invisible bunnies and lizards outside the bedroom window. All was calm for about 30 minutes, until I handed him two vanilla wafers for a quick (albeit nutritionally lacking) breakfast snack. He accidentally dropped a wafer on the floor, and stepped on it. I lovingly removed his foot from the cracker, took it away and explained that we cannot step on our food. I tried to give him a replacement, but the breakdown had already begun. Screams of anger and a refusal to accept the new cookie. "No! No!"

I put the cookie on a table within reach, and returned to the dining room table where I was sitting. About 30 seconds later, I realized that I was being watched. Daniel had the new cookie, and was standing across the room, waiting for me to look at him. Our eyes locked and without even blinking, Daniel dropped the cookie and stepped on it.

Firmer this time, I told him "no thank you", and took the cookie away again. The breakdown ensued. Tears, screams, anger ... running to dada for help (mercifully, dada maintained our unified front and didn't give in).

Round three. I returned to my seat, only to feel the gaze of one very angry 19-month-old boring holes in my head. I looked up, met Daniel's gaze, and watched him very deliberately throw his remaining cookie on the ground. Then, in an amazing display of balance and defiance, he maintained eye contact WHILE lifting his leg, holding it over the cookie in a silent threat to step on it again. Incredible.

This time I had reached my limit - all cookies were taken away (read: pried out of little clenched sweaty fingers) and the massive tantrum that ensued was ignored. Ten minutes later, once all involved had calmed down, Daniel was given an alternative snack: dried cranberries.

Sure that we had survived this first bought of tantrums, I sat back down at the table to resume my work. Not 30 seconds later, I once again felt the "I'm being watched" sensation. I looked up and saw my son, staring me down with one big cranberry pinched between his chubby fingers.

It fell to the floor in slow motion.

How long does this phase last, exactly?

Month 19: Music to My Ears

Daniel’s love of music is growing and he’s slowly but surely beginning to sing along to some favorite songs. He has always been a dancer, and I’m happy to see the singing catching up a little.

In his quirky little way, he now sings along with a few of the songs we play frequently at home – bits and pieces, anyway. The main one right now is the Veggie Tales Theme Song. He also likes “Break From the Status Quo” which Fernando wrote for a kids’ series at church. Daniel love beat-boxing and tries to mimic any songs with a very percussive sound or an actual beat-boxing section.

Daniel was sick a few weeks ago, and when his congestion kept him awake throughout the night, we sang to him and rocked him back to sleep. He became used to this tradition and it’s officially part of the nightly routine. After brushing his teeth, he asks for the “Seat!” and expects all kinds of singing and cuddling. He asks for his favorite songs by name: Itsy Bitsy Spider (“Izzy”), Row Row Row Your Boat (“Boat”), the Alphabet (“A-B”), and more.

I love singing all of them, but two tug at my heart strings more than the others. The first, “Down in the Meadow”, is a song my late grandmother sang to us at bathtime growing up. Hearing Daniel ask for it and sing the “choo!” part in his sweet little voice keep her memory alive. The other tear jerker is “I Like Your Eyes”, a song sung by Ms Piggy on Jim Henson’s Christmas Muppet Special, and sung to my sister and I by my mother.

Until recently, Daniel didn’t have the patience for this somewhat long, slow song. But the past few nights, he has been mesmerized by it, and begs for it over and over. He points to his nose and says “Nose! Nose!” until I sing it again. If I start any other song, his cries of “Nose! Nose!” grow louder until I oblige and indulge his wishes. He has learned all the body parts named in that song (eyes, nose, hand, ear, foot, toe, etc.) and sings them along with me, holding the notes out way too long ("eeeeeeeyyyyeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss!").

It truly is the most precious thing I have ever heard.

Month 19: Ouch!

Sometime before our San Diego vacation, Daniel learned the word “ouch”. (Adorably, it actually sounds more like “outz”.) After a bump or a fall, he stands up, touches his head (or arm, foot, leg, etc) and says “outz!” and runs for one of us to kiss it and say “all better”.

His cute little ritual, however, has become something of an obsession. Apparently Daniel wants the “all better” kisses so badly that he began inventing “ouches”. He’ll either pretend to get an ouch, or actually give himself an injury to get the kiss!

The first time we noticed this (extremely odd) behavior was in Flagstaff, at our aunt and uncle’s house. Daniel accidentally knocked his head on a wall corner and came running for his “outz” kiss. After receiving one, he stood there with his “give me a minute, I’m processing” face on. With a look of triumph, he ran back to the same spot and banged his head into it again. Hard.

It still happens every few days – he’ll grab a toy and smack himself on the head over and over, declaring "outz!" after each one. We’re chalking it up to his mastery of “cause and effect” and not a permanent self-destructive state. Either way, he gets lots of love and kisses whether wounded or not!

(Ironically, the "outz" face featured in this photo came not from a self-inflicted or even accidental injury. Instead, his lady love Ava had just whacked him upside the head!)

Month 19: The Little Things

The little things I hope I never forget…

- Daniel helping me fold the laundry, then throwing my pink undies over his shoulder like a purse, waving "bye-bye" and blowing me a kiss before walking away.

- After his recent mastery of the word “yellow”, Daniel became convinced that the sky was yellow. I sat down and read him a farm book featuring big blue skies… Me: “Daniel, look at the blue sky!” Daniel: “Yellow sky!” Me: “Daniel, the sky is blue!” Daniel: “Yellow!” Me: Giving up and closing the book. Daniel: “Bye-bye, yellow sky!”

- His (really good) Ray Charles impression, first discovered at a family lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. That soulful sax just does something to the little man!

- How he’s adding a “y” to everything… all of a sudden “snack” became “snacky snacky” (which sounds more like “nacky nacky!”), duck became “duckey” and “max” became “mackey”.

- How when I was sick, he crawled into my lap in the recliner, and watched an entire Veggie Tales cuddled up with me. (This NEVER happens!)

- Animal noises are becoming old hat for Daniel. He does an excellent pig noise, a very realistic cow noise (thank you Fernando) and instead of “bah bah” for sheep and lamps, he does this ridiculous Beavis & Butthead laugh, convinced it’s the right noise.

- Goodnight Moon is nightly ritual now, and he delights himself in finding the mouse. (Otherwise known as the “mousey mousey”).

- I love cooking dinner at night, and having Daniel hang out in the kitchen. He pulls out all of our place mats, arranging them usually in a big circle. He then pulls out each of the big mixing bowls, a few plastic pitcher, then stacks and unstacks the bowls, occasionally wearing one as a hat, and encouraging me to do the same. When he’s finally had enough of entertaining himself, he wedges himself between my legs and whatever counter I’m facing, stretches both arms up and says “up, mama!” As I am unable to resist those big brown eyes, he ends up on my hip, observing what’s left of preparing dinner.

- He now prays before each meal, repeating after us, “Thank you God – Amen!”

- Every day, he leans out his crib and searches the side yard for rabbits, calling “money money?” with his little arms up as if to say, “where’s the bunny?” He looks for lizards too: “tu tu? tu tu?” If he doesn't see any bunnies or lizards, he says "ni-night... bye-bye money, bye-bye tu tu!"

- His dancing techniques are expanding, and he’ll pretty much imitate any moves we do. He especially loves dancing with Fernando to “popcorn”, one of the Crazy Frog remixes.

- His latest favorite book was a gift from his cousin Lucas: “I Love You, Stinky Face!” He wants it read repeatedly, and follows along with all the details, learning new words each time through.

Every day I find myself wishing I had a video camera on auto-record all the time. It's the little interactions, the little glances, the small yet hilarious expressions that I wish I could capture and preserve forever. The little things ARE the big things.

Month 18: Five Words

Daniel astounds me. As a parent, I imagine it's fairly standard to think that your child is smart, advanced, and pretty much perfect. Recently, I have been attributing my "genius child" thoughts to my genetic bias as Daniel's mom. You can imagine how gratifying it was, therefore, to hear our doctor reiterate the same sentiments. We had a wonderful 18-month visit, where we discovered that Daniel is (once again) "off the charts" on height and weight. She literally turned her laptop around and showed me where Daniel plotted...off the charts. (At least he's proportional!)

The best part of the visit was when she asked us, "So, can Daniel say approximately 5 - 10 words?" And we laughed outloud. I told her that his vocabulary now included roughly 30 -40 words, and when she looked doubtful, I said, "Daniel, what color are your shoes?" "Yellow." Her jaw dropped (literally).

Later at dinner, worried that I had overestimated his word count, we started naming off the words he knows. It was way past incredible. So, just for the record, here's the list (in no particular order). These are the words he knows, can pronounce reasonably well, understand, and use in context:

ball. kick. go. run. walk. rock (rockeeey). tree. sky. car. yellow. blue. purple. dino. puppy. max (cat). uva (grape). cheese. aqua. juice. milk. please. more. eat. cookie (cooo-key). cake. cracker. oats. hot dog (hah cog). bath. splash. watch. one. two. three. key. book. moon. mouse. bear. mush. bunny (moneeey). star. seat. hot. cold. baby. block. face. play. down. up. dirty. poo poo. pee pee. diaper. elmo. blankie (main-key). nose. eye. circle. ear. hair. teeth. belly. wash. hug. boat. movie. bob. TV. turtle. bird. fish. snack. shoe. yes. no. yeah. bite. papa. feet. peach. um. ba ba. iced tea. apple. banana. mine. thank you (da-doo). god. amen. ni-night. ava (abu). hi. hello (hallo). bye bye. bible. duck (duckey). that. daniel. dada. mama. mommy. soap. open. close. outside. ouch.

If I'm counting right, that's 108! More evolve daily, and I'm sure that list is far from complete, but it's a pretty good measure of Daniel's vocabulary at this point. He really is my little genius child!

Month 18: My Heart

We are on our second family vacation to San Diego - this year, we're with our friends and their one year old daughter (Ava, Daniel's lady love).

Tonight, Daniel crashed early - today was a big day for him - his first real day at the beach. (Last year, it was cold and he was sick, so it didn't count!) Today he and Ava played in the sand for hours (you can only imagine the places we had to clean later to get all the sand out!)

He's growing more physically affectionate every day, something I have been hoping for for a long time. He now enjoys resting his head on our shoulder when he's sleepy, and giving spontaneous hugs. Sometimes Fernando and I sit on the floor, a few yards apart, and Daniel runs back and forth, throwing himself into our arms for "mama hug" and "dada hug".

Tonight we heard him and Ava giggling on the couch while watching Veggie Tales. We peeked around the corner and witnesses the cutest event in history. No exaggeration. They were leaning on each other, back and forth, to rest their heads while they watched the movie. All of a sudden, Daniel leaned really far and wound up with his head in her lap. He just laid there, watching the movie, and Ava giggled furiously and put her hand on his head. It lasted only a few minutes (Ava began protesting) but it was adorable.

At 6:30, he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and I put him down for the night. As usual, I rocked him on my shoulder, singing quietly and patting his back. He went right down, but awoke an hour later with a cry. I went in to check on him, and he wanted "up up up". After a few more songs I realized he just wasn't ready to be alone. So I tried something that has never worked before - I laid down with him. He was curled up on my shoulder, with one leg over my stomach, and he didn't move a muscle... just laid there quietly, hugging me tightly. We laid there for a good twenty minutes - singing quietly, him snuggling in even more...

I don't think my heart has ever hurt that badly. This love is the most bittersweet emotion I have experienced - pure joy and pure ache at the same time.

Month 17: Danielle

Ok, I admit it. I would love a daughter. Don't misunderstand me - I adore having a son. It's light years more fun than I ever imagined it would be. And there's nothing more special than a Mommy/Son relationship. But a few events this week illuminated my growing desire for a daughter.

Event #1: Our trip to Michael's. Daniel and I had a few free hours to share, just the two of us. So we ran a few errands and ended up at Michael's Arts & Crafts, wandering down the dress up aisle. (Poor judgement on my part, I know). The pink items were simply too tempting, and before I knew what had happened, Daniel had on neon pink star sunglasses, a pink feather boa and was waving around a fairy princess wand. (To be fair, he didn't seem exactly thrilled...)

Event #2: Dress up time with Mommy! We were doing laundry and hanging up clothes in the closet. Daniel somehow (mysteriously) ended up wearing my green belt wrapped (twice) around his waist, my white loafers, my favorite hat and my tiny orange purse. This time, he had a ball. Lesson learned however, and instead of scarring my son for life, I think we'll just look forward to the adoption of our daughter!

We took our first trip to Goodnight Pediatrics on Friday, as Daniel's cold turned into a respiratory issue that made it extremely difficult for him to breathe (read: wheezing like he was dying). Once we arrived, they confirmed that his oxygen levels were very low, and gave him steroids and two breathing treatments on the spot. At first he resisted the machines (loud and awkward) but by the end of the second treatment, he sat very still while we read to him (loudly).

Once we were home, we continued giving him treatments every few hours as instructed, and allowed him to watch Veggie Tales. He now runs for his red pillow, sits down, reaches for the machine, holds his own gas mask on for the complete treatment (approximately 20 minutes). He is statue still the entire time - it is beyond precious. We aren't sure if he has learned that breathing is easier with the mask, or if he really just loves Veggie Tales that much.

The staff at the Urgent Care said they'd rather not call it asthma at this age, but instead called it Acute Respiratory Disease. Childhood asthma runs in both sides of our families, so I wouldn't be surprised if he does end up with the full blown thing. For now, we know to give him treatments whenever the wheezing starts, and to keep an eye on him when he has a cold.

One last thing I was going to share ... last week, I opened the garage door and was carrying Daniel to the van. I took a deep breath of outside air and said "good morning world!" Daniel, through his oh-so-cool aviator glasses looked up at the sky and said "hi!" This has become a daily ritual now, along with his nightly "bye bye..." as we walk inside.

His enthusiasm for life is contagious - I have never had more fun than living through a one year old!

Month 17: Perfection on Legs

This week was deadline week at work. My largest annual project - a magazine publication (which I adore) - keeps me at the office for 15-18 hour days. I love the project, but I don't love the time away from my family - from Daniel.

He changed so much this week while I was gone. New words, new motions, new games, new everything. My heart hurts for what I missed, and as melodramatic as that sounds, it couldn't be truer.

He is so smart - so incredibly smart. Handsome. Hilarious (what an incredible sense of humor). He's brave and adventurous. Silly and sweet. He is so much more than I expected.

His new word of the day (as of this morning) is "potty". What's funny is that he pronounces it perfectly - carefully - almost with a British accent. "Pah-tee". It's strange to hear perfect pronunciation because all of his other words are far from perfect. The other new and perfect word: "elmo". I was changing his diaper, handed him a fresh diaper, and he says "elmo ... cookie". I look on the diaper and low and behold, there's Elmo and Cookie Monster right there on the diaper. Monster still sounds like "mommer" but we're working on it.

He has fallen in love with showers. He'll even help us strip off all of his clothes just so he can join us in the shower. He loves splashing, and playing with the bowls and nesting cups we keep in there for him. This picture was taken right before a shower began... those sweet little cheeks are so perfect.

He's going to be an amazing brother. Last week we had friends over for dinner. Their little girl (younger than Daniel) was sitting on the floor when Daniel noticed her and walked over. We halfway expecting him to be too rough with her. Instead he walked over, bent down and said "hi..." in that sweet voice of his. He then sat down, got on all fours, crawled over until his nose was almost touching her nose, and kept saying "hi... hi... hi" - waiting for a response. Every time he handed her a toy, she dropped it, and he picked it up and gave it to her again. And again. With endless patience.

I love playing with him physically - tickling - wrestling - hugging - chasing. Fernando constantly encourages me to just relax, get silly, and throw inhibitions to the wind (which is great advice while playing with a toddler!) Sometimes I lay on my stomach and it only takes Daniel a few seconds to notice. He runs over, climbs on my back, plops down, grabs my shirt for balance and yells "Go!" And Mommy-Horsey takes off. He shrieks with joy as we gallop through the house, stopping at every mirror, as nothing delights him more than the sight of himself on Mommy-Horsey.

This morning, he discovered my belly button. (He discovered his last month, with the help of Daddy. He also discovered other parts - if you say "where is your pee-pee?" or "where is your penis?" he will bend all the way forward to see past his belly, and reach up and poke it! Totally hilarious). But I digress. This morning, I was laying down and with one hand he pulled my shirt up over my belly button and with the other he jabbed his finger into my belly button. He loved the reaction he got, and loves getting tickled in return.

He. Is. Too. Perfect. For. Words.