Michael's Development Blog

Okay, I guess the milestones should be first. About a week and a half ago Michael pooped in his toilet before bath...that was pretty cool. He's been using it for potty for months, and sometimes tries for poop, but this was his first success. We got some pull-up diapers just in case, I'm sure it'll still be a couple months but as soon as he's telling us he needs to use the toilet we'll be potty training. Yesterday morning  we heard Michael over the monitor for a minute, but he got quiet just before we got up to get him. I'm drifting off to sleep and Rachel says, "he's either fallen back asleep or is getting into trouble..." And we're both thinking about him getting his diaper off and making a mess but it's been a while so we both just drift a bit hoping he went back to sleep. Not one minute later Michael walks into our room... He's not supposed to be able to get out of his crib, what are we supposed to do now?!?! He's not old ...

Michael bit me (again...) today and when I was taking him out of time out and giving him a hug he patted me on the back. I had to struggle to remain stern as I was reminding him why he was in time out because it was so cute. He also started rolling around the living room today just randomly. Sometimes with his puppy, sometimes just rolling around. What a goofball.

The last few weeks have been a flurry of words. Yesterday Michael identified his first (as far as I know) color when he pointed at his spoon during dinner and said "red." Then he pointed at his seat and said "red." Sooooo many other new words I can't even begin to list them off. "Poop" is still his favorite though with "Pee" coming a close second. He has finally started saying "please" too. Teddy, pocket (that's an older one), shoes, socks, toes, knees, elbow, arm...ah, I just can't remember when I need to record them. Oh! We watched a Nature video on beavers so he says beaver now: "beado" :) He woke up with terrible diaper rash this morning, so bad he was walking like a cowboy who's been in the saddle for 48 hours :(

Michael loved his first ball game. He got a bit antsy but we had enough folks there to juggle him around with Darrius, Raven, and Allison, Grandpa, and Grandpa's friend Tony. The Mariners won 14-6.  He enjoyed "shaking" to the songs, pointing out every plane that went past, and waving and saying hi to everyone he saw with food.  Michael also got to swing a bat at the kids section and thought the escalator was super cool. Michael smiled for the camera for the first time today too...we had just never asked him before. It's a VERY goofy, scrunchy-face smile that he knows full well is going to make everybody laugh. He's also fist-bumping and high-fiving like a pro (high-fives have been around for a few months but the fist bumping he picked up real quick just this week...just had to show him what to do). We went to the Blackberry festival in Bremerton yesterday with Ben, and Michael had a great time, had some fair food, and got to dance to some live music.  He tried ...

While Michael seems to have an interest in books as fascinating objects, so far the concept of sitting still long enough to enjoy any more than a couple pages is completely foreign to him. Yesterday Anton caught Michael flipping through one of his books with farm animals in it and Michael's attention was held long enough to chat about the animals. Michael picked up mooing like a cow and neighing like a horse. His neigh is a bit growly so his horse sounds a bit scary but hilarious at the same time. A few days ago Michael made it through (more or less) his first full-length feature film: Zootopia. He enjoyed it but even that action couldn't keep him totally focused for that long.

Friday was our zoo trip. Grandpa P, Michael, and I (Anton/Dad) met at the Woodland Park zoo where we'd briefly meet up with the Leshs, John, Nicole, Josephine, and Jeanette as well as John's sister and brother in law. Michael wasn't as obsessed with the animals as I thought he'd be, he was more interested than last time for sure but he ended up being more intrigued by the people and other kids especially. There was just a lot more activity there I suppose. We saw some wolves that Michael howled at and some bears. Michael climbed around in a little cave there for quite a while...I really need to get his climbing wall set up. We saw a bunch of other things but he particularly liked the bird house and the giraffe which a few patrons were getting to feed. The penguins also held his fascination for quite some time, especially while they were getting fed. Unfortunately the butterfly tent was only open to members so we missed them, Michael would have enjoyed that I think. Af...

So we've had Michael's toilet in the bathroom for a bit now and I've been sitting him on it before his bath just for familiarization. Over the past couple of weeks he started to be getting the idea so I started giving him bubbles in his bath whenever he peed in his toilet. Now, for the past few days, he doesn't want me to hold him on the toilet and he visibly tries to use it so I think, once the words start coming, potty training (knock on wood) shouldn't be too challenging. He's just got to be able to tell us when he needs to go and it's off to the races. I'm excited. He has been saying "bubble" for the past few days, largely associated with his expectation for getting them in his bath now that he at least tries to use the toilet every time he takes a bath...I was only giving him bubbles when he actually peed but it got so obvious that he was trying that I didn't want to effectively punish him just because he was all dried up... :P He...

Grandma and Grandpa came over from Port Angeles to baby-sit Michael while Rachel and Anton attended one of Allison's concerts in the Seattle area.  We decided to go out for a late lunch, with Rachel and Anton leaving for the concert directly from the restaurant.  Michael was slightly concerned after arriving home when mom and dad weren't there.  He asked several times about "mama" and "dada" and was determined to climb back into his care seat.  So… grandma and grandpa decided to go for a stroll outside.  Michael got his shoes and socks for us to put on and out we went for a grand adventure.  Rachel had previously told us that they sometimes walk to the first corner, so we figured it would probably be a short trip.  We were wrong.  Mr. Michael set off down the driveway, where he immediately spotted a bunny that needed checking out.  After the bunny hopped into the bushes, we continued out to Woodchuck Lane, where we ventured only a short dista...

While Jen was generously watching Michael as Anton was at class and Rachel was on a business trip, she says that he almost said the word flower. He at least tried and there was some recognizable patterns in there. Michael also hit his hand into the door that same night and started crying. I picked him up and amongst his cries he snorted and instantly began to laugh. Maybe you had to be there but it was hilarious. He put a sock on his hand this morning and is just running around with it...and now he's trying to put a rock he found on the floor into his belly button. I should just turn this into a live blog :P Oh, just so that I can remember this years from now: Michael has enjoyed running through my legs as I look through them but he's getting taller. About a week ago he ran full steam and clothes-lined himself on my butt. Didn't even attempt to duck. He just laughed it off and continued about his business. Michael peed in his toilet for the second time last night j...

We all had a great time with Evan and Amy Leonetti today. They are on a vacation around Washington and were able to swing in for some fun. Michael had a blast. Evan got the first quality, intentional high-five I've seen Michael give anybody. As Evan and Amy were leaving Michael went around and gave them hugs after we asked him to. Yesterday Mom taught Michael how to dance with his hands so now he's got a nifty little pseudo-jazzhands thing going on. Michael is pulling his hair out again...right around the cowlick area so it really looks like he's got a male pattern baldness thing going on. I guess I'm going to have to shave his head again.

Michael is off in Port Angeles this weekend with Mommy, Grandma, and Grandpa while Daddy is in Bremerton working which gives me time and internet to update things and write a little here. I upload all of his pictures and videos as well as update the website when I'm at work because our home wifi is so slow and has a low cap (satellite is better than nothing...but not by much). A couple weeks ago Michael was cutting his six front upper teeth all at the same time. He was quite miserable with a fever and not much sleep. He seems to be getting over that until the next wave of teeth comes in. He likes to use his teeth...where he used to just pop a snack in his mouth and down it he'll hold it and bite it in half now. Michael has begun climbing on everything. He goes from the floor to the chair to the top of the poker table in about 5 seconds. He's been having a blast helping Mommy and Daddy garden in the great weather we've been having...though we tend to keep him out t...

It's impossible to keep up with Michael's development. 2-3 weeks ago he finally cut two more teeth for a total of 4. He's now got all four front teeth poking through which is great for maximizing the pain when he bites my toe. Many more teeth seem to be lurking. He's handling it all pretty well, he's been a bit more grumpy than usual but considering he's got bones stabbing through his jaw I can't really hold it against him :P He has started to respond to requests. Every morning he goes straight for the remote controls even though he knows he's not supposed to play with them. This morning I was able to tell him to "put them back" from the kitchen and he did! ...even the second and third times! It's been really hot and Michael has been loving playing with the hoses and sprinklers in the lawn :)  Still waiting for more words from him. "More" seems to dominate our conversations but he understands so much. When he starts...

Yesterday was Michael's first day at Little Doves Daycare and he seems to have had a pretty good time. He'll be going three days a week while Anton is taking classes at Tacoma Community College. He didn't take a nap because there was too much new stuff going on and he didn't eat much lunch it sounds like...gotta figure out what they're giving him because usually he puts it away like there's no tomorrow.

A few days ago Michael started walking backwards. He goes until he bumps into something. Just earlier this evening he started spinning in circles making himself dizzy. He had been running in small circles earlier to the same effect but then he just started spinning :) Oh and he parroted a note we were humming while trying to get him to sing along with us too, that was pretty awesome. I can't wait for him to start talking.

With LOTS of urging and guidance Michael fed himself using a spoon yesterday. He was extremely proud of himself but won't be flying solo for some time yet I think. Michael ripped the stuffing out of his little lion yesterday. Rebekkah had the wonderful idea to mount the head on his wall and label it as "Michael's First Kill." I think I might have to do that. Went to daily Mass for the second time today and Michael makes it through no problem. My only challenge is to keep him talking and laughing, he doesn't seem to get upset except when I keep him from wandering wherever he wants.

Yesterday Michael enjoyed his first sushi with his Mom and Dad. He even seemed to like the spicy tuna Rachel had and didn't turn up his nose at the ginger either. Today we went to help Allison move her stuff into the place she and Darius are moving into. Michael had a great time and on the way home we did about 3 circuits of the ferry making every single person smile along the way. Michael enjoyed every minute :)

Texts from Rachel today:

The first tooth has finally broken through the gum barrier. This is a very small step for tooth-kind, but a giant leap forward into a whole new realm of energy consumption for tooth-kind. We are all very excited. Michael seems to be handling it very well thus far, no unusual fussiness...knock on wood.

He screams until we get it cleaned out of the tub...sad and hilarious all at the same time

Of course we're also clapping along with the audience after songs too so that's cool

Michael's wake-up cry was a little different this morning so I got in quicker without getting breakfast ready and everything. I was greeted by a sight that shall haunt me until I can thoroughly embarrass Michael with the photos... Michael had removed his PJs and diaper and thrown them out of his crib. Michael and his crib were smeared with a thick layer of fecal matter. I didn't even stop to take a picture, I grabbed Michael and as...gingerly as possible carried him to the bathtub for his first, second, and third baths of the day. The water was cold by the time we were done so the last bath was a quick one. Fortunately he was happy to sit in his pen and play with his toys while I spent the next hour and a half with Lysol wipes scrubbing his crib clean and throwing away the soiled mattress sheet. After an abrasive, cold shower for myself, Michael finally got breakfast and things were back to normal. I vowed never to use button on PJs again but then an old friend on Facebook ...

Definitely been a week for walking records. He takes 15-20 drunken steps at a time now...if he has a goal in mind like the Christmas Tree or something else he's not supposed to get into then he walks almost like a pro. We threw a big party with decorations, chocolate cupcakes, raspberry peach cupcakes, a couple of roasts and a lasagna Grandpa P brought. Mom's Division head, Amy, was the first to arrive right on time at 1pm. She was followed shortly by Donna and Jen, Evan Aas, Aimee, John, Nicole, Josephine, and Jeanette, Grandma and Papa B with Great-Grandma J, Grandpa P and Missy, Allison and Darius, Auntie Bekkah, Grandma and Grandpa C, and Mark Baklawski and Gail Workman showed up a bit later. Unfortunately the Richards, the Welborns, Megan, Mickey, Marc and Andy, and a few others had to cancel. Michael was massively overstimulated today with all the people and presents. He dove straight into his new tunnel. By the time he made it to his cupcake he was so tired he didn...

Michael's walking has really picked up in the past couple days and especially today. I think he'll be running around here by his birthday in two days :) Stuffed Michael into a pillow case today...he though it was the funniest, coolest thing EVER! LOL