It's been a long journey, but it doesn't feel like thirteen months. Someone once told me that "the days are long, but the weeks are short with a baby." That's absolutely true for me. I think the quote would read best as "the days are long, but the weeks and naps are short with a baby!" Ha ha. The boy is sleeping right now as I write this, so I'll try to type too loudly.
Also, please forgive any missing spaces. Shane took one good whack at the laptop and managed to knock the space bar loose. It's still attached on one end, but shifts around and doesn't always register.
What Shane Likes:
Shane loves to walk, run, and climb. The boy NEVER stops moving! If he starts to get fussy downstairs, I can drop him in front of the stairwell and he'll immediately switch into climbing mode. He will play with toys, but that's usually for no more than 5 minutes before he gets up and starts moving again. Also, Shane likes loud noises and surprises! The things that would startle most children are the things that get him giggling.
Shane's favorite games:
-"I'm Gonna Get You!" I'll start crawling around and Shane will squeal when he hears me. My son runs as quick as he can to get away from the Da-da monster! Whenever I get close, he'll start laughing and do his best to run away. He gets a beard tickle when I catch him, but he's up again and ready for another run soon after!
-Door-to-Door: Shane's learned to open doors with handles. He can't turn knobs yet (Thank God), but if either of the bedroom doors is shut upstairs Shane finds it offensive. One of his favorite games is to run from room to room opening the doors and exploring. If Da-da shuts a door behind him, Shane will quickly cease exploring to turn around and open the door. He can do this for an hour. I don't know if he can do it for longer, because I'm brain numb by that point and I want to play a different game! If I lock a door to keep Shane from opening it, he switches to unhappy mode (See "What Shane Doesn't Like").
-"Wheeeere's Shane? There he is!" Shane loves peek-a-boo. He loves to be surprised. Most of the time, this involves a blanket or hiding around a corner. In his bedroom, Shane loves to play this by running and shutting his bathroom door. I knock on the door and sometimes I can hear Shane laugh on the other side when I start calling to him. Opening the door always gets a huge smile from my boy! This is another game that Shane could play all day, but Da-da gets tired by the fifteenth time or so.
-Abuse the Cat: The title says it all. I'm worried about Ranger. The cat has no sense of self-preservation AT ALL. Zero! Zilch! Nada! I've almost killed him myself when he's laid on a step in the middle of the night. With Shane, the dumb cat likes to lounge in the middle of Shane's play area. My son then thinks it's great fun to run over and grab and fall on the cat. Ranger weights 7.5 lbs. Shane's around 27 lbs. You do the math on why that could be painful. Once Shane's on the cat (or if Ranger is on the couch), Shane loves to grab a big wad of fur or tail and start twisting and yanking. God bless his idiot soul, Ranger just sits there and takes it. He may whine, but he doesn't swat with claws or get aggressive. Shane laughs and thinks the cat is the coolest thing ever! The boy'll get pissed when I pull him away or move Ranger out of the play area, but the moron cat comes back! I'm worried that Shane will hurt Ranger or spoil his incredibly tolerant attitude. I do my best to watch out for him, but the cat just waltzes right into trouble time and time again. Recently, I've tried to teach Shane to "No grab. Pet. Pet the kitty. Pet." Shane loves this, but the moment I stop, he slugs the cat. If Ranger survives, he'll be a great playmate. If not....well, I love just about anything fried with sweet and sour sauce.
-Climbing: We have to be very careful now. If anything is in front of the couch, Shane will climb up onto it. A week ago, we had to reverse the top on our ottoman/table because Shane was pulling himself up on it and standing up. The boy sees any door or gate as a game. His goal is to somehow circumvent it so that he can go on to more dangerous and therefore more fun things. A few times, he's pushed his riding train over and tried to use it to scale things. The boy is very clever when it comes to getting his way. We've had to double and triple tie off barricades, because when going over the top fails, Shane's learned to try and pull it up so that he can crawl underneath! He's a very clever boy. Like that cat, though, he has no sense of self preservation. I've caught him by the thighs and ankles before as he tries to launch himself up and into the bathtub or climbs up something and tries to fall off the other side. Maybe he thinks he's a cat and will land feet first.
-Singing: Shane still loves it when I sing. Go figure. If he starts crying, I can launch into "London Bridge" and that normally solves the problem. He's fallen asleep to me singing after a bottle as well. I'm surprised the neighbors haven't complained.
-"Go for Ride?" Shane has a little riding train he adores! He loves to hope on and have me push him around. He's learned to tense up when I count to three and the speed boost keeps in. I've learned to keep a hand on him when the speed boost hits or he may fall off and make Mommy unhappy!
-"Outside?" Enough said. The boy would live outside if he could. It doesn't matter how cold it gets.
-"Throw it to me!" Also self-explanatory. I've been working on this one for months, but Shane throws me a ball. It's more of a forward drop, but we all had to start somewhere.
These are the main favorites, but Chewing on Whatever I'm Not Supposed To and Get My Leg Stuck Trying to Get Through the Baby Gate are some others. Shane still loooooves books as well! Mainly I'm the one who reads them, but I can ask "Book?" and he'll normally come running. TV wise, he still loves Phineas and Ferb! Kick Buttowski also has music and bright visuals, so that's another favorite.
What Shane Doesn't Like
Being told no or not getting what he wants. The tantrums have started. They're not epic or anything abnormal. No one is happy when they don't get what they want. Shane has started to express that. Throwing his head back and falling is his favorite. So far, Carrie and I have always caught or protected him, so I don't think he's learned that he could seriously clock himself doing that. He'll bang his head up and down in anger on the carpet sometimes too, but that's why we had carpet installed. When's he's older, sturdier, and wiser I'll have to let him fall on his head and learn that it's not a bright move, but Carrie and I both agree he's not ready for his first concussion at this age.
Specific things that set Shane off: locked doors, gates or doors where he knows one of us is on the other side, baby gates in general where he can see Baby Shangri-la on the other side, coming in from outside, being put down from book reading, or being pulled back from something he wants.
Overall, he's still what I would call "an easy child." Yes, he gets upset, but that's developmentally normal. I will say right here and now that I predict he's going to be a stubborn and willful little boy at some point. When he fixates on something, the kid is relentless! That may make for a more difficult time parenting, but I think it'll also make Shane have a stronger character and will when he's grown up. There's still plenty of time to prove me wrong or right.
Shane's Smile:
Everyone who meets Shane says he's the prettiest or handsomest baby they've ever seen. Let me tell you, they're right! He's only going to get cuter. Lately he's been smiling, laughing, and even cackling as he plays! It's the cutest thing. I feel a lot of paternal pride and love swell up when he's in such a good mood. Carrie feels the same way and once Shane starts laughing and smiling she'll play whatever game he wants to see it for just a little longer.
Wrap-Up
And so ends my rambling. It always takes longer to write these than I expect, and since I don't make a plan going in I hope the rambling didn't lose you. I've got dishes to do, a resume to update, and only a few minutes to do them in before Shane wakes up.
Ciao!
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