All about Isaac

Isaac took his first solo steps on Monday. He's only done it a couple of times since then, so I won't declare him walking just yet. Nonetheless, it's a big milestone. He's changing so quickly right now and in a few very short months will be a year old. How can this be? In the spirit of fleeting time, this post is devoted to the Little Man. [Anna, you will get your own post soon enough.] I'll probably be adding bits and pieces to this as I think of things throughout the week.

Physical Attributes: 

• Yummy
• Looks very much like his Mom at that age, down to a grin that reveals a tooth gap so large you could fit a grape in there.
• Not the burliest of boy babies, at only 19 lb 9 oz at the 9 month mark (30th percentile).
• Fair colouring, with hair that turns to fuzz at the first hint of humidity. 
• Has a cry that sounds like a baby goat.

Mental Attributes:

• Obviously very intelligent.

Emotional Attributes:

• Not a push-over. Although can be pushed over (by Anna).
• Relatively easy-going. Relative to his sister. Which is, I suppose, not saying much.
• Love-hate relationship with his high chair.
• Hate-hate relationship with his change table.
• Fear of our small rubber T. Rex. Possibly because Jon makes a roaring sound whenever Isaac gets near it.
• Cuddly.
• Ambivalent about being thrown in the air by Daddy. Mommy is also ambivalent about this.

Interests:

• Chewing socks. He loves socks. But only baby-size socks.
• Chewing his toothbrush. He has very clean teeth (and gums).
• Crawling a foot or two, then stopping to chew something. Generally a sock or a toothbrush.
• Crawling up stairs. Unless T. Rex is on the stairs.
• Putting his head down on different textures and just soaking them in.
• Getting into drawers, particularly a drawer in our bathroom. Has an affinity for a box of tampons.
• Pulling books off shelves and then paging through them.
• Investigation, locating any swallow-sized and hazardous items within his reach.
• Rolling a ball.
• Throwing aforementioned items down stairs. 

Favorites:

• Bath time!
• Pushing a shopping cart or other push toy and then banging it up and down when he hits a dead end.
• Kitchen cupboards.
• Banging the piano.
• Anna, particularly when she roars at him.
• "Walking" while yelling or blowing raspberries.
• Having Daddy bounce him on the couch pillows.
• Having his belly tickled with our head/hair.
• Bananas, blueberries, Cheerios, sweet potato, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, avocado, mango.
• Throwing the above on the ground.

That's Isaac in a nutshell, but like any baby he is greater than the sum of these parts. I'm excited to see who he will be a few months from now.

This and That

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, and frankly I can't quite remember what's happened during that time. I know that the kids finished up their course of antibiotics, and now Isaac has moved on to his next cold. Drat.

This weekend will be a busy one for us, which is likely why I'm focused on the present instead of the past. Our small group is hosting a parent-child Valentine's dance at our church, and I'm helping out with the food, among other things. So today is baking day. I'm getting re-acquainted with my camp cook book (in another life, I was thus employed) and have been making Congo Bars (a simple bar cookie with an odd name), Rice Krispie squares, and puffed wheat squares. The latter seems unknown in these parts, so I'm curious to know what the locals think. The Congo Bars are a little disappointing relative to my memory, so I've made some changes to the recipe. A little late for this batch, but whatever. Jon figures I'm making too much food, but I'd hate to run out of desserts. I know Anna could eat four of anything and she's just one kid. (Please note that I will endeavor to prevent this.)
In light of all these sweets it's a good thing that Anna is at her grandparents' house tonight. There will be bars and squares all over the available counter space by this evening, which would be a sore temptation for such a little sprout. It's a sore enough temptation for me.

Baking would have been done by now if Isaac had taken a decent nap, so of course he didn't. Nonetheless, he is napping now after being a bit of a crab this morning. He seems to be down to one short and one long nap a day. Although he's been sick so much, it's hard to tell whether this is his illness or actual development. One nap a day would be nice - we could actually go to the zoo or the children's museum or some other fun place. I guess the lost year isn't really over until that morning nap drifts off. But other than the virus, he's doing very well and deserves his own post. So I shall stop there.

The biggest news, literally, is that we actually purchased a bed this week. A soft king-size. It's not my dream mattress, but it's quite comfortable. If you will recall, this purchase was one of my goals for 2010. I was skeptical as to whether we'd actually follow through this year, but the air mattress in the guest room finally bit the dust so it seemed as good a time as any. I finally slept on it last night (odoriferous new mattress!) and am quite happy. It sure is different from our full size.

I hear Isaac whimpering. Nuts. Should have finished the squares while I had the chance.