Next month is August, which means Isaac’s first birthday is just around the corner. Which means this is my last pre-waddler post about my little babe! You know where I find comfort when I feel like he’s growing too fast? THE GRAY CHAIR.
We’ve hit peak best of times / worst of times with Buddy. He can be so delightfully silly these days as he tries out new sounds and and gestures and facial expressions. He had us rolling at the dinner table last week as he worked on his fake laugh, his head thrown back and his eyes squinted shut while he yukked it up like a little ham. If you say “Yaaaaay!â€, he immediately claps his hands together and he’s made his own sign language version of “all done†after mealtime, waving both his arms back and forth like crazy.
But oh, when he’s in a mood…take away a pencil he grabbed when we inadvertently left it laying around or set him down when he wants to be held and he will throw a fit. Diaper changes are the current bane of my parenting duties. There’s kicking (by Isaac) and wrangling (by me) and yelling (by both of us). There were a handful of times I had only gotten as far as getting the diaper off and getting his bum wiped before he broke loose, cheeks to the wind, but a couple of unfortunate puddles on the floor have put a halt to nakey-time. Diaper-time, though, with the belly out and proud? I’m all for it!
We made it off the waitlist of our preferred daycare this month and so we said goodbye to his old school and the teachers that had already come to love him in the space of just a few weeks. I know it’s the right move for our family, but man, we’d just gotten to a zero-tears drop off routine, where he’d dive out of my arms in the morning and wave good bye to me as I headed off to work. He was really happy there.
But here we go, Isaac! New space, new teachers, new friends – it’ll be great.
He has laid down his beloved light saber and lately can’t resist anything with wheels. Trains, cars, trucks – he holds the toy tight in one hand and scoots along the floor while his legs struggle to keep up with whatever he’s wheeling.
He’s hungrier than ever and it sometimes feel like I’m tossing food into a bottomless pit at dinnertime. He loves cheese and salami and will scarf down peas if in the right mood, but berries are his all-time fave. The smile on his face when he sucks down a big juicy blackberry is 100% worth the mess it makes.
We’re hitting a pretty major mama phase – Isaac is generally friendly to whoever wants to give him some love, but when I’m around, baby boy is all over me. Hanging onto my legs when I’m in the kitchen, climbing into my lap when I’m sitting on the floor, bee-lining toward me the minute I walk in the door and impatiently whining mamamamammmmmaaaaaa while I take off my shoes – God forbid I need to use the bathroom before picking him up. It’s a lot. Too much, sometimes.
But most the time, I can’t help but keep my hands off him, either.
Hair woes! I mentioned how challenging diaper changes can be, so you can imagine how hard it is for me to get this boy to sit still for a hair trim. Eventually though, his wisps start sweeping into his eyes and the little tufts over his ears become unruly and I can’t take it anymore.
And…gah! I mean, I don’t mind a tousled look, but there’s some volume here that seems not quite right. I’m at a loss.
I sure do love that naptime mohawk, though.
He’s still all about the piano…
And loves a good game of hide and seek.
Sister pics! These two spent a lot of time together this month, with Juliette off of school and Isaac home sick a handful of days. There have been times when he’s been cranky and she’s sauntered off to her room in need of a break, but really, I’m stunned in the very best way by Juliette’s incessant desire to play with her baby bro. She’s constantly asking if she can check on him at nap time to see if he’s awake and insists on being the one to go in and get him the minute we hear him squawk. When he reaches up to her and then leans his head on her shoulder as she scoops him up, she gushes and gushes, “Oh BUDDY. Could you be any sweeter?!”
Juliette, could you be any sweeter?
A match made in heaven, these two.
And on the rare occasion Isaac lays still long enough for Juliette to cuddle him…I’m butter.
Whew…eleven months. I’m so glad I have these photos of my happy-go-lucky boy to flip through at the end of the day – they’re a reminder that even on the days I feel depleted, exhausted by the extreme attachment and the constant redirecting, there were moments that Isaac’s infectious smile made my heart swell.
So, what else you got up your sleeve, kiddo?
