2020
Stories of Declan in California, just before we moved to Vermont
Corona Update
People (very important people) have been asking us for a quick update on how Declan, Laura and I are doing so I thought I'd write a post about our life currently.
Strangely, some of our daily routine hasn't changed at all. We've been 'sheltering-in-place' for quite a few months as we help Declan learn to throw food on the floor, grab at the cat with sharp little finger nails and bang his big head on things that you'd normally not consider to be dangerous, like door frames. He split his tiny lip. Blood came out. We were shocked and teary eyed.
It's the limitations now that are directly inconvenient. We don't go out for pizza at Centro, we go to the park. We don't drive to mall and not buy anything, we go to the park. We don't wander through the Chip and Joanna section at Target looking for plastic flowers that can go in tall glass vases - we go to the park instead. And now at the park you can't climb on the playground equipment.
So there's that. We sit and walk on the big grass field even though there's a sign that it's supposed to be closed. No one believes that sign, especially dog owners.
In Declan News
The boy is getting punchy to walk. He's launched into our arms a couple of times, getting in two or three steps with poor coordination and a big butt thump down on the floor. But you can see it in him...that desire to terrorize us and our cats with greater speed. He's all smiles while he does this.
We're in the middle of sleep training. He's been crying his little heart out as we keep him in his crib. He so very much wants to be picked up, cuddled back to sleep and whispered to, but we have change up the scenario. We're not getting enough uninterrupted sleep and that's bad for everyone. So we're on night two of five and hopefully all will go well.
He's been great during the day, after all the tears, and is sleeping longer than ever.
Declan has graduated to eating a large number of items with his own fingers: waffles, blueberries, bananas and more. He had pancakes yesterday and, if there was an Olympic event for pancake eating, I'd recommend we put him into the training program. Such focus...such intensity...such delicious sweet maple-ness. It's fun to watch him.
Leafy Life
We spend time in the back yard removing invasive English Ivy when he's up for it...
Crawl It All
He's getting pretty fast on his hands and knees, and standing on his own is the new thing, by pulling himself up on our living room furniture.
Declan is growing into a big boy
He now roams the house on hands and knees. He has declared himself 'king baby' and owns all that he can touch. He cries when I take his hands away from something. The tears are hard to both believe and resist. When he wakes, he is usually excited to see us and begin wreaking havoc at our earliest convenience.
Jen Visit!
Declan likes Jen, a lot...
She came out for a week and while she was here Declan did his first crawl, ate green beans and fell asleep on her before he went to bed.
That's not much, but it's something...the kind of something that Jen brings out in our lovely boy Declan.
Sleep Sack
Declan now sleeps on his side, on his tummy, and on his back. His sleep sack is his official blanket, and all of this new found freedom has kept us up at night. But contradicting my previous post, he can't seem to find a spot he likes! He shifts and wriggles, flipping his head from side to side and cries out, hoping for the sweet curtain of slumber to come back and whisk him off to 'la-la land'.
Baby Carriers
It's been a challenge carrying Declan as he gets older. He's pretty chunky, and likes to twist out of being held in our arms while shopping at stores or walking the neighborhood. He doesn't much care for long bouts of just sitting in a stroller, so we went to REI for a solution - a back-pack that can help us all go the distance. We found a highly rated one on sale, luckily! We go on our first hike by the ocean later today.
Big Bite, Buddy
We can't show you the newest change, but believe us when we say that it's real. Declan got his lower teeth in and one of two upper teeth.
They are sharp.
He bit a hole in a balloon ball we bought for him (it's called a 'Wubble'). Now it loses air...boo hoo.
Declan regularly eats with us, now. We serve him two breakfasts and a dinner, and often affectionately refer to him as the 'angry badger'. He huffs and puffs and squeals when food doesn't arrive at a pace he feels is appropriate.
He has also been going through a bit of a sleep regression, but in good news, he's now rolling around his crib and resettling himself nicely (except for when he crawls into a corner and can't figure out a way to get out). After 8 months of sleeping on his back, he is getting a chance to sleep on his side and his tummy, and loving it.
We have really been enjoying his boyish spirit, snuggling before a nap, and late mornings in bed.
Things are going great!