Words - 15 months

Roo,

Your speech is picking up now. You saw Cat (--At), Hot (--Ot), Bubba, Daddy, Momma, bath and are mimicking just about every word we say. You insist on feeding yourself with your spoon already and do a relatively good job with thick liquids like applesauce, soup, cottage cheese. So far you are left-handed.

You’ll wave bye-bye and will say “hi” when someone says it to you. You are doing this funny thing when I ask if you’re hungry or thirsty. You’ll growl. Like a grunt/growl and it’s to the point where if you are hungry/thirsty you’ll do that to basically tell me.

Surprises are fun to watch because you do the mouth-wide-open like a “gasp” but you’ll do it when you know something is going to sound funny or at a expected surprise. Speed is nothing – you are running everywhere now and will even go down/up stairs and steps with total grace. You will go to grab my hand if it’s there but if it’s not you seem to make it up/down.

BALL is your favorite word right now and love the basketball. You’ll walk around and throw it down – anything round (eggs, tomato, grapes, apples) are balls. You just cut your 10th tooth - top right molar. Strawberry-blonde is what your hair color is and very curly in the back. After the bath is when it's at it's peak "curlieness".

Tooth #9

Roo,

I know, another nickname? Yes. I honestly don't think we ever had this many nicknames with Maysen. But you don't seem to mind and come willingly (sometimes) when you're called by various names.

You cracked the surface with your 9th tooth yesterday. It's your top-left molar. You have been cranky and throwing your fingers in your mouth. A couple weeks ago I noticed a bruise back there so figured it was on it's way. You have bruised your gums a couple of times when teething.

Your new word is "Ball". You even say the "L" of ball. And you LOVE balls. Right now you love picking up and tossing the ball, even a full-sized basketball. You'll do this for hours. It makes you happy.

You still dance whenever you hear music. Even a whistle. You have started doing a whistle-like sound of your own. It's like this singing but the pitch goes up and down erratically really fast. And you're starting to be really ornery to your brother. Don't get me wrong, he's had it coming to him! But if you're mad at him you'll go behind him and pull his hair, or scratch him and yell. It's kind of quite funny ... Shh ... don't tell.

14 months

We got home from your 2nd real trip to the beach on Sunday. You had a great time and showed us another thing you are fearless of and that is the water waves. You kept walking straight for them, oblivious to their strength. Bubba actually got caught in a wave and I had to save him from it, getting knocked in the water too. It was frightening for a mom to come that close to danger with her babies. Luckily daddy had you. We rented Isabella Cottage and stayed 4 days.

While we were there you enjoyed "peek-a-boo" with your brother in their cabinet. You'd crash the door open and just giggle when Bubba got pretend-scared. You loved it!!

You are doing great things now. You almost demand to hold the spoon yourself and you want to feed yourself. Today you actually picked up cottage cheese on your spoon and fed yourself almost the whole bowl. Then today you also said "Ball". Your first real word. I mean, for awhile now you'd say "Momomomomoma" when you'd be mad or upset. Or you say Dada at random. But I said "get your ball" and you did and came back and looked right at me, trying really hard and said "Ba - l". So fun to watch. You have such control over this wooden duck you have to push and you push it just right to where it stands up and walks. I always say "quack, quack, quack" and you try to mimic me. You understand "dog" and will say "da!" for dog, and you have started to correlate Bubba = Maysen and are saying Bubba for Mase's name. So fun.

You have figured out "nose, eyes, forehead" because while at the cottage you bumped my nose with your finger for a certain sound, and so on for the various other body parts. So smart!!

Before we left town we took you guys to the Devil's Lake park. What a playground they have! Of course you just wanted to get wet and you did! You had a great time.

Right now you're walking with this big boodah belly. You stick it out and puff your chest out while you walk like you're hot stuff. Bubba will chase you and you just try to run so fast into my (safe) arms and you get so excited.

We love you, little Roo.

almost 14 months ..

You’re not a talker yet. I can say “Where’s the dog?” and you’ll look for her. Or I’ll say “Where’d Bubba go?” and you’ll look for him but that’s it. You will say MOMMMMOMMM if you’re mad and you want me. That’s the other time you say it. You really don’t call me or dad by name. You don’t even say “Dada” much. You’re very quiet and you suppose we know what you are thinking. You do this funny thing where you will stick your arms at your sides, but stiff and moved behind you a bit. Then you’ll poke your neck out and really just give someone/something the what-for spitting and talking as fast as you can. “Oh really!?” is all we can muster out.

Tantrums are what you like to throw lately. If you’re not getting something in the manner you think you should be getting it, you will stiffen your body and let one loose. You’ll even scratch me – then look at me like “did that get an effect?” Bubba has been hard on you lately. He knocks you down, pushes you over, rolls over you. The other night he even said he was trying to wash your hair and by the time I got there you had two balls of bubbles on your eyes … you were screaming your head off. I am sure that one day Maysen will be running to me telling how much you’re beating HIM up. His times coming and paybacks are a you-know-what.

One of your favorite things right now is dancing. If you hear music (from a book, TV, radio, me singing) you’ll start rocking your head side to side. Then you move to waving your hands out to your sides like you’re trying to fly. You make this noise like you’re trying to sing with the music. Then after a few minutes of that, you’ll find me, grin and come running – wanting me to pick you up and dance too. You are quite the mommy’s boy. When I go on my walk at night you miss me and cry until I come home. I love that – because you’re mommy’s “baby boy”. My red-curly-haired, 8 toothed tiger.

We’re taking Maysen out tomorrow. I think he misses being the only child so you’re going to go stay with Grandma. I think she’s looking forward to having some Griffin-Alone time. So, it works out for everyone! We will miss you though, and just tonight Maysen started talking about everything he has yet to teach you llllliiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkkke, “riding bikes with the kids, potty’ing in the toilet, putting on his clothes right, drinking out of a big boy cup, building a super-fast train…” so he has a big job coming up. Before too long you boys will be sharing Maysen’s room, bunk beds intact as the flashlight and big brother talk continues. You are lucky boys.

And I’m a lucky mommy ….

12 month check

You had your 12 month check last week. Of course you're right on target and we had nothing really to talk about. We did talk about how your skull is asymmetrical, probably from being held on one side too long. There is a small bulge in the back of your head on the left side. She said it was very subtle, and really it is. You can only notice it if your hair is wet. I guess we won't buzz cut your hair .. Haha. You also got FIVE shots today. That always makes mom sad, but if it keeps you healthy that's all that matters. Poor little piggy legs though :( Your stats are:iou

Height: 30 inches (50%)
Weight: 21lb 10 oz (25%)

You have just recently got your 8th tooth in. Its your bottom right tooth that just popped through about 10 days ago. You've also started dancing - or at least responding to music. You'll start swinging your arms around, clapping, bouncing, and going "huh-huh-huh" noises kind of like mimicing singing.

Tonight you also learned to stand up by yourself. Up until now you've always crawled to an object and pull yourself up on that and then start walking again. Tonight, Maysen knocked you down and you crawled over to the cabinet but before you got there, you put your arms out and pulled up with your legs -- and stood up on your own! No more crutch!

Your new kick is that you try and put things into my mouth at bathtime. You'll put a fishie foam pad in my mouth then try and take it out with yours. You get so excited when you do! And I love to watch you do new things ...

Happy 1st Birthday, Griffin

Dear Wooze,

Happy 1st birthday, my little boy. Your daddy and I were talking about how much has gone by in the last year. You've had a very big 2008. It started with you getting sick for the first time. Boy was that a doozy! Dad was right as he whispered "Come on .. you're my little Trooper" as you were fighting your last and worse seizure. You had to be recessitated but you trooped right through it and battled your way out of your illness, with the help of many prayers, doctors, and nurses (including Joan, pictured below). I have such admiration for you and you are only 1 year old.

You have had many favorites, including your swing, which was your first love, really. We discovered early that you also loved to eat - eating early and lots! You still love everything and will start to fuss when you see someone eating something that you're not a part of.

Your brother has been a bit rough on you this year, but we can already tell you'll be holding your own soon with him. If he upsets you now, you will actually go after him. Well, you whine first and if that doesn't get you far, you'll yell at him, then maybe even go to hit him. I wonder how many ER trips we'll be having over the years to come ...

This year you went from being brand new, to holding your head up, then holding your body up with sitting, then standing, and you are now cruising around like you've been doing this for the longest time. You crawled at around 6 months ... walked around 10 months.

You went camping for the first time with Grandma Jo and Grandpa Dave. We went to Sweet Home, OR and fished, camped, and had a fire.


You've had a few boo-boos along the way - most came from your excursion from crawling to walking. The picture above you dropped Bubba's Leapster onto your face, slicing the top of your left eye open. It was minor and you were over it very soon ...

You had your first Christmas this year, too. You didn't care about opening presents, so Bubba got to open most of those. All you cared about was what was inside and most of the time, all you cared about was the box it came in. Your new loves around this time of year have been the remote and phones. You'll hold anything that resembles a phone up to your year and yell something inaudible but we're sure you think you know what you are saying!

And the year closed out with your first birthday. You were surrounded by family as we sung Happy Birthday (you weren't sure what in the heck was happening!). Aunt Jessica made your Snowman cake which you devoured. You liked the balloons especially this bee one.

It has been one year filled with expansion, adjustments, firsts, trials, excitement, fear, worry, laughs, smiles, claps, and more emotions than I can fit on here. You are very loved and we are so happy you joined our family ... making it feel that much more complete.

First Snow!

You experienced your first snow today. It was supposed to come a day or two ago, but at least it came. I dressed you up snuggly and then put on a pair of big pajamas to keep your feet warm and to keep you somewhat dry. It worked!

I didn't think to put socks on your hands and before we knew it you were screaming bloody murder because your hands hurt. Poor things were so red!!

We warmed them up and before too long you were back outside enjoying the mysterious white powder!