Baby Trashes Bar

Joanna has finally chosen walking as her preferred mode of transportation. She's hilarious to watch, teetering and tottering down the hallway. It reminds me of the video, "Baby Trashes Bar in Las Palmas." If you've never seen the video, you have to. It's an oldie but a goodie. Even if you have seen it, it'll still get a good laugh out of you.

Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cds7lSHawAw

Joanna Prefers to Crawl

Joanna took her first real walking steps on Valentine's Day, shortly after she turned 15 months old. She'd scooted on her feet a bit before that day, but it was the first time she walked two or more real steps. At 16 months old, walking is still not her preferred mode of transportation. Jo prefers to crawl.

We've been slacking on getting video of Jo's first few steps. Finally, the other day, she walked a bit when I was filming her. I told my husband now we have real proof that she can walk but chooses not to. Jo will walk when we bribe her. She'll also walk as a sort of parlor trick. She lifts her hands up in the air and takes a couple steps before looking back at us for applause and cheering.

Oliver was a late walker, too. He took his first steps around his first birthday, but he wouldn't walk around until he was 16 months old. I don't really mind, and, in some ways, it makes my life easier. There are few falls and worries when your little one is crawling around. Still, it also is a little off-putting to see some 11, 12, and 13 month olds walking circles around Jo!

Here are a few of Joanna's steps on film. Funny stuff.
                       

First Fallen Leaves

We took a walk to the creek on Friday and played with the first fallen leaves of the almost-fall season.

Oliver enjoyed crunching the leaves in his hands.

Joanna enjoyed examining the leaves and didn't even try to eat them (she's growing up!).

I sure love these kids.

Oliver found some whirlybirds and enjoyed watching them spin to the ground.

Spring

About a mile north of our house is a Starbucks right at our main reservoir. We can stop for a cup of coffee and take a stroll, and I love it.

Today was the first time Oliver walked around the whole thing himself. It's a mile around, and he usually wants to be held near the end. I was so proud of him for walking the entire thing. He's such a big boy!

Walking On His Own

Oliver is finally over his cold. After being mostly cooped up in the house for a week and a half, I decided we needed to get out and about. I took him to the mall so he could run and climb in the play area. When we arrived, I opted not to use the stroller. Instead, I told Oliver, "We're at the mall. I'm going to carry you through the parking lot to the mall, and then you're going to walk. You're going to walk in the mall with me. OK? You're going to walk, and we're not going to cry."

I carried Oliver through the parking lot to the mall's entrance. I put him down, and he started to walk with me... to the Panera bathrooms. Not this again! I decided to have another talk with Oliver and I asked him, "Do you need to use the potty?" He said yes. I said, "OK, we're going to go use the potty, but we're only going to use it one time, OK?" So, we went and used the bathroom. On the way out, Oliver froze when he saw all the large groups of people sitting around. He asked me to pick him up. I told him that I'd carry him to the mall, but then he was going to walk all by himself. I walked him through Panera to the empty mall. I set Oliver down, and he happily walked with me! I was ecstatic.

We walked all the way to the play area. I took off our shoes, and he started climbing and playing. After about five minutes, he walked back to his shoes and asked me to put them on by saying, "Shoes?" I told him the shoes were for when we go home. Oliver ran and climbed through one tunnel and then went back to his shoes. Then he waved and said, "Bye." I asked him if he wanted to go home, and he said yes. Then he gave me my shoes, too. What the heck? A ten minute drive for five minutes of play? I wasn't going to force him. I put our shoes on, and Oliver waved to the playground as we left. On the way out, he tripped and stumbled. A lady was walking the mall and saw and kind of laughed (not in a mean way). Oliver was so embarrassed. He buried his head into my legs and said, "Up!" I picked him up but didn't walk. I held him for a bit until the lady passed.

I put him down, and he happily walked with me all the way back to Panera. When we were there, he wanted to go back to the bathroom. I reminded him that we were all done there. I asked him if he'd like a split a scone with me, and he said yes. There was no one waiting in line behind us, so I let him give the lady the credit card. We ate our scone together, and when we were done, he walked with me to the mall doors. He wanted to be carried once we got outside, so I did. I carried him halfway to the car, and then I gave him the car keys and set him down. We walked the rest of the way to the car together.

I was so, so proud of Oliver and kept telling him so. I told him what a good boy he was walking all by himself, and I told him he helped Mommy so much. It really does make me feel good, and a little less nervous for when our little one arrives. Oliver is the sweetest little boy, but it can just be physically challenging to take him anywhere since he likes to be held and carried so much. Also, I feel like a much better mom now that I'm setting boundaries in public and sticking to them. I have to admit, though, that I'm nervous for the future and all the future tantrums that he's sure to have as we continue to move into the Terrible Twos.

Walking, Discipline, and Mean People

Teaching Oliver to walk in public is the same thing as learning to discipline for me. It's very, very hard for me to be assertive in public, and I'd rather just do what's easiest. Does he want up? Fine. Does he want to use the potty just so he can wash his hands? Fine. Whatever, it doesn't matter.

That attitude has worked until now. Over the past few weeks, taking Oliver out in public has been a nightmare. I am miserable the entire time and just want to get home where things are normal. In public places, he wants to go to the bathroom over and over and over and over. When I finally tell him no, he starts to cry and then asks for, "Up." After I pick him up and set him down, he tries to run to the bathroom again. If I try to be firm and tell him no, it leads to tantrums. He starts crawling (of all the bizarre things to do), and it's very challenging for me.

As I stated in my blog yesterday, Andrew and I want to work on teaching Oliver to walk in public. We don't go out much, and we don't walk far (the grocery store is probably the most walking we do with Oliver), so we feel that it's an obtainable goal. At the very least, we don't want to have to carry him everywhere when he's two.

I've had anxiety about trying to discipline Oliver in public. I don't know why. I'm afraid of looking like a bad mom or something. I'm not an assertive person, and I'm not comfortable with, say, letting Oliver cry or putting him in timeout in a public place. I went on a few forums for parents and got some support from other parents with toddlers this age. Armed with information and support, I felt slightly more confident.

Today, I started dinner at 4pm. As soon as I finished chopping all the vegetables I needed, I realized I didn't have coconut milk. We had to go to the store for one item. I decided that one item is the perfect time to teach Oliver to walk. Before we left for the store, I sat Oliver down and I said, "Oliver, we're going to the store! We're going to the store, and you're going to walk. We just need to buy one item, and then we'll go home."

When we got to the store, I repeated the same message to him. I carried him through the parking lot and set him down inside. I was happily surprised when he took my hand and started walking. We made it about twenty feet when he stopped and looked up at me and said, "Up."

I said, "No, we're going to walk." Oliver sat down on the floor, and I felt certain there was going to be a tantrum. He asked me to pick him up again, and I said, "Remember, Oliver, we're here to get one item, and you're going to walk." And, so, he started crawling. It was 4pm, and the store was fairly busy. Still, I was glad he was moving on his own and not insisting that I carry him. So, I followed him for a bit as he crawled. I tried to stand him up once, but he tucked his knees up and wouldn't. So, I let him crawl all the way to the aisle we needed. When we were almost there, an older man (about sixty) stopped to let me know that this probably wasn't the best place to let him crawl around. On the one hand, I knew where he was coming from. On the other hand, where *is* the best place for me to be firm about not picking up my son in public? Should it be a restaurant? Where? At some point, at some place, parents have to teach their kids to behave.

Once Oliver and I got to the aisle we needed, I had an idea. I reached into my purse and gave him the Safeway card. He loves the Safeway card, and I thought holding it might motivate him to walk. It worked. At the end of the aisle, he thought about crawling. I said to him, "Look, Oliver! There's the checkout! Do you want to scan the card in all by yourself?" He got very excited and took my hand and walked all the way to the checkout.

There were only two lanes open. One was express, and one was regular. The regular lane was very long. Usually, I go through the regular lane anyway because things can just take longer with kids. This time, though, I didn't want to press my luck and make Oliver stand for a long time waiting. We had one item, so I decided to go to express.

There was only one couple ahead of us. They were about 60ish in age. The man could have been the same man I ran into earlier, but I'm not sure. I was really focused on Oliver, so I didn't pay attention. Anyway, this couple took a very long time to check out. They stood there, browsing the candy for a while and each chose an item. They got up there, and they didn't have a Safeway card. Long story short, it took about five minutes. Oliver was eager to scan in his Safeway card, but he was very, very patient. He looked at the candy a bit (he doesn't know what they are), and I told him it was looking and not for touching. He listened and didn't touch. He stayed right by me and was so, so good. In my proud mama brain, I thought, "I bet the people behind me are impressed with how well-behaved my son is being." As it turns out, that must not have been the case.

The couple finally got through the line, and then the register lady decided to take her time setting up her desk area, prepping her register tape for the next few changes. Oliver and I go to Safeway all the time, and this lady is always slow. By this time, there are about five people behind us. It's OK, though. I was a little rude and said to Oliver, "You're being such a good boy and being so patient. You'll be able to scan your card once she scans our item." I think she got the clue because she scanned in the coconut milk. I lifted Oliver up and used his hand to scan the Safeway card in. Then, I scanned in my credit card. Oliver took it. I said to him firmly, "No, Oliver, that's mine," and I took it from him and put it in my purse. I stood up to grab the coconut milk and receipt, and the lady behind me shoved into me to get me out of the way.

I was so offended. Oliver and I probably took all of 30 seconds to check out. The old couple took forever; the register lady took forever. Everyone took forever except us. As I stated already, though, I'm not very assertive. I didn't have the courage to say anything, but tears sprang to my eyes. It's silly, I know, but it was my first time trying to be consistent and strong-willed with Oliver in public. All things considered, he did a very good job. We honestly didn't take a long time at check-out. I wouldn't do that.

I left feeling deflated. We went to the grocery store for one item, and two people treated us poorly. I just wonder how these people think parents are going to teach their children to behave him public if they never have a chance to practice in public. As Oliver's mother, I felt proud. I'd stood my ground, and Oliver got through an entire trip to the grocery store without being carried and without sitting in a cart. We did it without tantrums, too. As an adult in this world, I felt humiliated and ashamed. People clearly gave us the message that we were in the way and unwelcome. I wonder, then, if they want me to just keep my child in a cart or stroller everywhere I go. Better to keep him out of the way than teach him how to behave? If so, they'd better not be the same people who scoff at parents who do this. In the end, I really do have two choices. I can teach my son how to behave in public. It will require him practicing and messing up sometimes. He might step in front of people or slow us down. Or, I can just keep him out of everyone's way, and when he's seven, he still won't know how to behave in public.

Walking Like It's No Big Thing

Oliver has turned into a pro walker. He officially walks everywhere and almost never crawls. He doesn't stumble, and he's starting to "toddle" less and less. He walks straight ahead and with confidence. Since he's started walking, he almost never falls, and if he does, it's just on his butt.

In the end, I think it was a good thing Oliver took so long to start walking. It hasn't ended in mischief like every person in the world told me it would. Every time I'd tell someone that he still wasn't walking, they'd say, "Be glad! It changes everything." The only thing Oliver's walking has changed is that he walks instead of crawls, so he can wander places (like the store and the sidewalk) that he couldn't before. He's much happier, and he's showing a little more independence from us.

Hurray for walking!

Next up: running. Although he's been walking for weeks now, he still hasn't started running. A few times, he's picked up his pace, but no running yet. Soon!

A Walk in the Store

Andrew and I took Oliver with us to the grocery store this morning. He's been walking almost exclusively lately, so we decided to let him walk through the store with us. When we arrived, we grabbed a small cart and set him on the floor. Oliver had no idea what to do and just stood there for a couple minutes, looking around. We coaxed him into taking a step, and he broke out in a large smile.

Oliver toddled quickly through the produce area, excited about his new freedom. A few times, he tried to go down an aisle on his own, but we were able to quickly redirect him. He was so happy! Andrew would walk down an aisle and pop out at him, making him squeal in delight!

As long as I go during a slow time, maybe around 11am, I should be able to take Oliver and let him walk in the store. It'll teach him how to walk for longer periods and to stay with me.

Oliver = 15 Months

For Oliver's 15-month "birthday," he decided to start walking! He's not walking very far, but he's repeatedly walked about 3 feet or so before going back to a crawl. He's doing this over and over, and I'm so excited to see him starting to walk!

It was a bit chillier today (55 degrees), but since tomorrow is supposed to snow, we decided to hit up the park anyway.

Oliver the Crawler

I never walked until fifteen months old. My sister never walked until fifteen months old. So, when Oliver took his first steps two months ago, I was surprised and delighted.

...but he still won't walk around! Every night before bed, we have "walking practice." Andrew and I start out sitting about six feet apart from each other, and Oliver walks back and forth between us. We slowly scoot farther and father from each other until we're about twelve feet apart. Oliver smiles with pride as he walks, and we cheer him when he makes it.

He's very cautious, though. The moment he starts to teeter, he sits down. He has yet to fall! What baby walks for two months and doesn't fall? A very cautious one.

Apart from his walking practice, he rarely takes steps throughout the day without holding onto something. If he's standing at a chair, I'll say, "Hey, Oliver, can you walk to me?" He'll turn, think about it, and then crawl to me. Every once in a while, he'll take a few shuffled steps, but that's it.

I talked to a mom at the park yesterday, and she suggested that Oliver just needs to be around other kids his age who start to walk. It's true that he's rarely around other kids, much less kids who are just starting to walk. At the park, there were a few toddlers shuffling about, and Oliver enjoyed watching them. I was amazed when he pulled to a stand and tried to take a step (he sat back down after a step because he was unsteady on the wood chips). Maybe she's right! She told me to take Oliver to the Cherry Creek Mall when it's cold out because there are tons of kids at the free play area there. What a great idea!

In the meantime, I feel a little left out when kids who are a lot younger than Oliver start walking around. When Oliver was nine months and just starting to crawl, our friend Murphy (two weeks older than Oliver) started to walk. Once she took her first steps, she was walking around all the time! Then, just before Oliver took his first steps, our friend Isabella (two months younger than Oliver) started to walk. A few weeks ago, our neighbor Owen (Nearly four months younger than Oliver) started to walk short distances. Now, our friend Logan (over four months younger than Oliver) is walking around!

I know I shouldn't compare kids, but it's so hard not to. I have my Ollie Bear who I adore, and I'm really looking forward to seeing him walk around the house. Of course, he'll walk at some point, but I'm really anxious for that moment to arrive. Meanwhile, parents keep telling me, "Be careful what you wish for! Life changes so much when they start walking!" Well, I'm ready for that change!

Our Son's Bipedal!

Oliver took his first steps! Recently, he's started making a big production out of letting go while standing. It's adorable. He'll hold onto his push-walker and then let go and wave his arms while we cheer.

Today, Andrew was on the couch, and Oliver was standing at the coffee table. He turned to Andrew and took a single step to reach him! At first, Andrew wasn't sure what to think, but when Oliver did it again, he called me over. I was so excited! Oliver didn't want to do it again; he wanted to crawl into my lap. So, I stood him up in front of me, facing me. I slowly let go, and he shuffled his feet forward twice to reach me. Amazing!

This day is already marked in his baby book because Oliver has officially taken his first steps. Go, Oliver!

Bald Eagles?

Andrew and I took Oliver for a walk along Bear Creek today. We headed west along the path. Suddenly, I heard a bird of prey shriek! I've never heard anything like it in person before. I started peeking through the trees, trying to locate the source of the sound. Suddenly, I saw a huge bird (probably a six foot wing span). We get a lot of hawks and owls around our home, but this raptor seemed so big.

At first, Andrew wasn't as excited as me to see the bird. He strolled along with Oliver as I ran along the trees. I came to a break in the trees, and I saw the bird fly and drop its prey. The prey was pretty large; I'd guess it to be a prairie dog. Anyway, just then, another bird flew below and caught the dropped prey! It was so neat to see. Then, something very unexpected happened. The first bird changed direction, and I saw its head. I only saw it for a moment, but I could swear it was a white head contrasting against its dark body. A bald eagle!

I yelled back to Andrew, "Andrew, they're bald eagles!" He didn't believe me. We spent the rest of the walk trying to locate them again, to no avail. The more we discussed my bald eagle sighting, the less certain I became. After all, I only saw it for a moment. Still, I wasn't expecting to see a bald eagle, so it wasn't wishful thinking. I consulted the internet and learned a few things. First, as of 2008, there were 51 bald eagle pairs in Colorado. That's right... pairs. That's what I saw. Second, they're almost always found near bodies of water, especially reservoirs. The creek here does have fish, but more importantly, we're about half a mile from two reservoirs. Now, the last bit of information I found tends to disprove my bald eagle sighting claim. Apparently, they typically migrate to Colorado around the end of October. It is early September.

I'll tell you what, though. This lady is going to be keeping her eyes peeled and her camera ready!

Pictured: Oliver & Andrew during our walk and some prairie dogs we spotted along Kipling

Scooting Along the Table

Oliver has just started to scoot along the table as he stands. It takes him a while, but he'll get from one end to the other. Come to think of it, so far, he's only shuffled along to the right. Ah, well, at least he's getting mobile!