Bunky's Photo Gallery @ 19mo.

Yes, he does these all by himself. Very interesting seeing the world from the perspective of an uncoordinated guy under three feet tall.

A tyrade about naps

Why is it that I can't get this child to take a nap? Is it a "mommy thing?" Why do other babies nap? We saw Aisling today for about 5 minutes - and then she had to go home for her nap.

Isabel gets him to nap every day now. My mother can get him to nap. Even Mark can get him to fall asleep on the couch with him on those "daddy days" when the two are hanging out doing the guy thing.

Today we went out for most of the morning, and granted he's not running wild, but he certainly gets sleepy by two o'clock. This is routine. I pretty much follow Isabel's lead on this, because it works for her, and routine is good, right?

So we gave him a nice big bottle of milk and let him lie with us, and we both pretty nearly fell asleep. Not Fin. He's going, "WHY ARE YOU GUYS PRETENDING TO SLEEP! COME ON GET UP!"

Is it the sugar in the milk?

So I put him in his crib. Let him cry it out, everyone says. Well he doesn't exactly cry it out. He plays it out. And sings. And throws things. And kicks the wall. And gets his calves stuck between the bars of the crib. And sings. And squeals. And cries when he's bored... and then does it all again. And again. And again.

For two hours.

So, while Mark napped like a corpse and I drifted in between half dreaming and half being annoyed at the barrage of sound coming from the baby's room, including some super-loud music toy he usually ignores, Fin was wide awake. And in my exhausted half-dozed brain, which felt heavier than a rock so that I could not even get up if I had wanted or needed to, the pangs of guilt swam around. He's feeling abandoned. He wonders where his mommy is. He thinks he's being punished for something. He wants to play with the other toys that he can see from his crib. And so on.

I kept thinking - any moment now, he'll fall asleep. Which he did. At four. Now it's nearly six, he's still sleeping, and our entire day is ruined - both because he'll now be up all night and because Dad and I are feeling groggy and sleepweird from having a lousy nap ourselves. I guess we needed it a lot more than he did!

*sigh*

Bunky says "hi"...

... and a host of other things. I can't even keep track any more of how many words he repeats. He's not a parrot, though, so he won't repeat himself once he thinks you understand what he says. Mostly he likes to repeat something to try it out for himself, then he hoards the word in that giant rock of a noggin for some surprising future use.

On another note, here are some photos that Daddy took as recently as this evening...

This is just Bunky at his usual cute self, looking up to Daddy who has one of his more recent favorite toys - the pocket camera. Say "cheese!"

Gimme gimme!!!

Or is it "No - no cameras - no paparazzi in here - go away!"

Nah. Not with that grin!

Wearing Mama's hat. He looks good in hats. Too bad he won't wear them when we want him to - like outside in the hot blazing sun.

Extreme close-up of extreme cuteness! Look at those baby-dolls...

We dug out an old computer from the garage. I'm talking ancient - like - 1999. This is a laptop that was probably once used at one job or another or something like one... to think we ever used Windows 98!

Anyway, it's just barely good enough to run his toddler software which, it turns out, he loves more than I would have expected. Considering he doesn't acknowledge the television much less watch anything on it, he seems to be able to glue himself to the computer screen for uncharacteristically long periods for a toddler - like 30 minutes or more. Sometimes he'll wander away to do a puzzle (he's finally able to match shapes and things) and then come back.

The nice thing is, he can just hit some random keys and something fun happens. It's pretty well designed from that perspective. It makes him feel like a big boy and he is now much less interested in my laptop (thank our lucky stars).

See, now he looks just like Mommy who seems too often surgically attached at the fingertips to her laptop.

(You can't see what's on the screen - the musical instruments that he can activate and they play real songs - a banjo, a harmonica, a piano, a trumpet, a violin, a flute, a drum... and something else. There are tons of activities and he likes them all, and I approve of them.)

On another (another) note - I've signed up Fin for a few classes. I think a little structure and group activities will help him develop in new ways and expand beyond his current comfort zone. Today we had a free trial class at My Gym which was a bit crazy but fun, he loved it - it's like an indoor playground with squishy mats, ramps, stairs, things to climb on, etc. and then they have circle time where we sing and clap along and stuff like that, and then there are some structured activities like "gymnastics" and stuff. It's for ages 16-22 or something like that, so he's right in the middle, but he's bigger than everyone and, strangely, a bit more "mature" looking.

Behaviorally, though, he's right on track. Maybe a little more "introverted" than the others, or maybe it was because he is new. I know I am simply projecting here, but it seems to me that he was a little too "smart" for some of the activities the other babies -- who really did seem like babies compared to him -- were doing, like shaking rattles and putting things in their mouths and being mesmerized by really baby-like things. He did play basketball, palming the half-sized basketball in one hand and slam-dunking it into the low hoop - and then experimenting by pushing it up the basket and out (the opposite way). He also played in the pool filled with plastic balls. At first he was intimidated but later he wanted in and kicked and had a blast.

I realized he really likes to clean up and put things where they belong (he does this at home too), so when a ball flew out of the pool he would get it and put it back in. He also loves stairs and the trampoline. And he discovered a xylophone, which, when it was time to put it away and some other girl carried it off, he chased after her as if to say, hey, I was playing with that! He's not pushy or assertive like most other toddlers, but I'm sure he'll figure that part out too. (No Lady Byngs can possibly come out of my uterus, I'm sorry.) Anyway, I signed up and we'll do that weekly starting in September - either myself or Isabel taking him, or Omi if it's her turn.

On Sunday we start the Gymboree class - it's a music theme, which should be right up his alley. Since I have him on my own Sunday mornings I thought we could do this together, then go to the Farmers Market where we have our juice and get our food and stuff. I'll let you know how it goes.

Anton's Birthday

Okay it was a couple weeks ago... sorry... but it was fun & cute. Anton's parents are both from Denmark and that makes it extra special. Happy Birthday, Anton!

The birthday boy!

Fin & Anton get into some trouble with the spigot.

I thought you LIKE water?!!?

Bunky's too big for the turtle raft.

Some of the kids playing - Fin kept running out of frame every time I tried to take a photo of the party.

Here, Mama, let me take the photos.

Yummy cake & stuff... man it was really good, all the goodies...
Note the little flags - felt like Christmas at Nanny's.

Okay, we fit in this little...floaty... thing...