Sorry, I'm New

Ah, Weather!

2010-03-09T13:46:00.003-05:00

We've spent so much time outside in the past week, it's like a whole other world.

We went to the playground...

...where Adam went on the swings.

And we went for a walk, where Adam pushed the stroller himself.

It's been so much fun!

Capping off Last Week: Sunday Brunch

2010-03-02T15:40:00.002-05:00

So on Sunday, we went to brunch with Jo and Tom at Johnny D's. They have a jazz brunch, so there were two guys playing low-key music on stage, and we sat right next to them.

Right. Beside. The guitars.

Seriously, I have never seen him so quiet for so long. I didn't see his face for the whole meal. I had to reach around him to put food in his mouth. He just watched and watched and watched. It was amazing.

And when they took a break? Well, we were also right next to the waiter's station, which had its own appeal. Oh, and Jolene was wearing her red zebra striped shoes.

This was what he did during the set breaks. Crazy boy.

Word Explosion

2010-03-01T10:16:00.003-05:00

Just a general update, for posterity: Adam's all about the talking these days. He'll repeat a lot of words when we offer them, and do a good job with the sounds. There are a bunch of words he uses on his own, a bunch more that he seems to remember and understand when prompted.

So let's see. Everyone who knows him knows that he's got guitar. With a lot of help, he'll add the "g" sound at the end. Also solid: iPod, Swiffer (yes, he's brand-loyal), shovel, ball, phone, fan, up, tractor. Just today he's been using "broom." (He likes to be chased around by the broom and the swiffer--both at the same time, not just one or the other, OR ELSE.)

He says "guh" reliably for milk (sometimes confusing it with water, since they go in the same cup--maybe it means cup? I don't think so, though--I think it's the "k" sound in milk, but sounds like a "g." That's just a guess, though.)

And he has other words he's good at. Bucket, banana, socks, shoes, pumpkin, cat, dog, car. These are all things he imitates really well, and can identify when you say the word, and maybe I've heard him use it on his own a couple of times. There might be more!

I always tell Brenda that I don't mind comparing him to Oliver (her cat) because really, all her comparisons are true--the same things entertain them, the same things make them nervous, the same things about them inconvenience us. Right now she has the advantage, because she can shut Oliver in a crate if she needs to. But the better Adam gets at talking, the more advantage I gain!

Oh, and why I'm posting this today? After calling Mike Dada for ages, last night he officially can say Mama. Praise be, I'm no longer Bubba. I have arrived.

Addendum: I forgot about bubbles. And pepper, and pen--all spontaneous. What else did I forget? So many!

Our Week In Review

2010-02-28T12:08:00.000-05:00

So this week, we made quite a few little trips to kill some time. We went to the mall to walk around, and Adam steered the mechanical race car. (No quarters were inserted.)

And we went to the library in Malden and made some friends, played with some blocks, etc.

Spent some time there admiring his guitar shirt, which he LOVES. (A great gift from the Goldstein/Chesnulevich gang)

This post is filling up with photos--Sunday to come!

An Accumulation of Cute Photos

2010-02-23T08:12:00.003-05:00

I think we've all learned that Adam likes books--even mine.

He also loves his bucket. I mean, OUR bucket, the ice bucket, which is loud when you play with it and dinged up when you bang the lid on the side of it. But who can get between a boy and his ice bucket?

And finally, for Marsha, this year's pinup pose--Sexy Fireman II: Hey Babe, How You Doin'?

It helps that he's not wearing any pants.

That Baby Ate My Eggs!

2010-02-21T09:37:00.004-05:00

I made five (5) eggs this morning for breakfast, figuring we could share. Adam could probably polish off two or two and a half of them, right?

I got like three bites. The kid is a hoover.

And Marsha will be so proud: he did most of it all by himself.

Without even the usual nudge to put it in his mouth. More evidence:

Found the Camera!

2010-02-16T09:03:00.002-05:00

You've all been missing the photos, I know, but I had lost the camera. But I've found it now! Everything is okay!

This is Adam in the snow today.

More posts forthcoming, now that I'm re-cameraed. Some older photos, some non-photo info. Sorry about the backlog!

Blowing Kisses

2010-02-10T10:29:00.003-05:00

Adam's on the stairs with my mom, and I'm at the table. I blew him a kiss, and he blew me one back.

Guitar Visit

2010-02-09T09:27:00.002-05:00

Stephanie was here this weekend! And luckily she brought her camera, since I had misplaced ours. She got to play a ukulele--and did it wonderfully, I might add. She also got to help Sock Monkey play the ukulele.

Adam likes Sock Monkey.

And he dances....

...and he looks great in the shirt Krista and Mike gave him for Christmas!

A Walk With Nana

2010-02-02T13:56:00.004-05:00

Adam and Nana went for a little walk around the block today. He seems to be feeling a little bit better--slightly less runny nose, much less moaning and groaning. And he had a great time outside!

He thought about wandering off into the sunset...

...but instead showed off his new shoes.

Seriously?

2010-01-31T19:35:00.001-05:00

Adam went to bed about 20 minutes ago. The monitor has been silent since then. A moment ago, out of nowhere -- "Ah-tah. Ah-tah. Ah-tah?" Then more silence.

Is everyone who talks in their sleep this one-track?

Ah-tah!

2010-01-29T20:36:00.000-05:00

Videos Again!

2010-01-28T12:41:00.004-05:00

Eating....

....and playing....

At Play

2010-01-26T12:29:00.005-05:00

We went to Together in Motion again today. It's tricky, because to get there before the rush involves missing his morning nap. Maybe we'll go later next time, so we can stay longer. I have to say, though, that he seemed to have a blast before he passed out.

He loved the fans stored in the corner as much as any of the toys.

And the parachute! We got under and it was a tent. He sat on top and it was like splashing. It was great.

I also got a lot of great videos. Here's just one great sample.

It's An Ever-Lovin' Freak Out!

2010-01-21T20:22:00.003-05:00

No idea why he did this--he was just having fun. We thought you might enjoy our little crazy monkey.

January 21!

2010-01-21T12:51:00.001-05:00

Plus a big shout-out to Gramps!

On the Train

2010-01-20T22:20:00.002-05:00

Some dramatic closeups.

Next time: a sillyboy video.

Catchup Day!

2010-01-17T17:14:00.004-05:00

Since "ah-TAH" is one of Adam's favorite words, and Mike's guitar is by far his favorite thing, we got him his own little ukulele. He loves it--strums it, asks for it, sits there idly with the guitar in his lap. A big success, Adam's guitar.

Also, I imagine everyone's noticed this, but do you see how tall he is? Seriously, I remember when he had to start being slightly careful because when he stood up under the table, his head might bump the edge a little bit. Now he has to bend over to get under there. It seems like this shouldn't shock me so much, but it really does.

As for today, it was pretty nice out, so we took Adam for a ride in his wagon. On pavement, those wheels are really loud! He seemed to enjoy the ride, though his fingers were cold by the time we got home.

Also, he kept slumping down in the back, Low Rider style, till he was practically laying down. We kept having to prop him back up. He didn't seem to mind at all, though.

That's the round-up of a fairly uneventful couple of days. Hopefully there will be more to photograph soon! I hope we'll be able to go swimming next weekend--that should be good for some photos.

Dapper Man

2010-01-13T16:22:00.002-05:00

I just had to share how handsome he looks in his bear sweater. And how messy the living room is, but most of you knew that already. Carry on.

Adam Walking

2010-01-10T17:38:00.002-05:00

Here's some video from a few days ago of Adam getting up and walking around. He does this all the time now.

First Snow!

2010-01-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

Of course, it's not his FIRST snow, since it's his second winter. But it's his first playing outside snow.

Maybe ten whole minutes! I bought him some boots just so we could do this. They're galoshes, which will do for now. They're too big, and he didn't have snow pants, so he wore three pairs of pants and two pairs of socks, and we kept his boots on and his legs warm.

And his hands in the mittens that came with his jacket.

Mike wrote his name in the snow on the grill, and then we played "snow splashing," which he liked, but not as much as real splashes.

Christmas at the Farm

2010-01-02T15:39:00.001-05:00

We dressed Adam appropriately for a farmer's Christmas, in the shirt that Dylan picked out for him and his overalls.

We had a great time, and Adam got a new picnic table just his size.

He also got a push toy that plays the ABCs. He loves that quite a bit.

And of course, he got to jingle the wind chimes in the living room, one of his favorite hobbies in the world.

Together In Motion

2009-12-30T19:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Adam and I went on a play date at Together In Motion, which is kind of an indoor playground. It's got huge, soft blocks for climbing on and sliding down, and balls and padded floors and dozens of little kids roaming around.

He must have been inspired, because he's been walking all over the place today. I think we've reached critical mass there, too. Oh, and he knows the word "cat," we learned at the Chesnulevich house.

Today's photos later, but this kid is just amazing.

Critical Mass of Words

2009-12-29T16:37:00.003-05:00

Till recently, I wasn't convinced that Adam had specific words. I mean, sure, he says something that sounds like "up" when he wants to get up, and something like "appa" when he wants an apple. But he makes those noises a lot. He says "Dada" pretty often, but not always directed at Mike. "Mama" means "I'm unhappy--someone make this discomfort go away!"

But this weekend--especially yesterday and today--I've been convinced. So here's a list of words that I'm convinced he uses almost exclusively on purpose.

ah-tah = guitar
vuh-vuh = bubbles
up = up (as in, I'd like to go up now--upstairs, into your arms, toward that lovely ceiling fan of yours, whatever)
bah or ah-bah = ball
da-duh = Santa (as distinct from Dada, which is slightly different. Santa specifically my stuffed Santa, and sometimes Fozzie the Bear in a red hat, for some reason)
Arf = the name of the stuffed dog in his crib. Also the name of Gentleman Dan, the Yale bulldog in the living room. Applies to no other dogs.

And the occasional Dada for Mike.

So I guess I can no longer claim that Adam doesn't speak English.

So, what convinced us? Well, last night we got home from New York, and I sat down in the rocking chair in the living room. Adam climbed eagerly into my lap, only to lean aggressively over my shoulder and grope desperately for Mike's guitar, shouting "ah-tah! ah-tah!"

He'd used the word before, but never so clearly or deliberately or with NO instigation at all. In response, we let him try his hand at it, with some close supervision. And he was really pretty gentle, and got some good sounds out of it.

Musician in training!

Gorgeous Weather

2009-12-27T16:01:00.003-05:00

So nothing major or special happened today, but we got some good photos of it.

First, a morning apple. He asked for it quite nicely, pointing and using the word, then ate almost none of it.

Next, fan boy!

Then we went to the playground, because it was so nice out. Adam went on the swings...

...but what he loved today was the slide. He really, REALLY didn't want to stop going down the slide.

I'm glad we got to enjoy the weather; it was beautiful. Steph had to leave this afternoon, and we'll miss her, but we had a great visit. I hope the weather for everyone's driving isn't too bad tomorrow!