Indy 500

It seems that Chase is obsessed with riding in his "Crazy Coupe" recently. Grandpa Jim and Grandma Terry are here visiting for the weekend and poor Grandpa Jim made the mistake of agreeing to push Chase around in the car. Little did he know that Chase would fall asleep in the car while being pushed (an absolute rarity -- the kid NEVER falls asleep in anything but his crib). I guess he'd had a big day at school. The difficult part of this was two-fold: first, Chase would wake up instantly if my dad stopped pushing the car around, so my poor dad went round and round and round and round in circles around our circular driveway for at least 30 minutes; second, it was extremely hot and humid out during this adventure so my poor dad was drenched by the time dinner was ready and he could stop pushing Chase around. We improvised a bit and did Oberon pit stops where either Casey or I would hand off a nice cold beer to my dad as he continued to do circle after circle. The good news is that the Crazy Coupe has cup holders and since the drink-stealing bandit was asleep inside his car, we didn't have to worry about him trying to snatch it. Poor Grandpa Jim complained about the "marathon" he had just completed, but secretly I think he loved pushing his young grandson around while Riley rode his bike in circles right next to him.

Playing with the "Big Kids"

It is so much fun now that Chase can walk around. He thinks it is so much fun to try to keep up with his big brother. Today we went over to our friends' house for dinner. Their daughter Olive is Riley's age (you may recall her from prior posts -- Olive was his first girlfriend and although their romance has dwindled, they still remain friends (thankfully because we like to hang out with her family) and their son Finn is about 5 months older than Chase. It was incredibly fun watching the kids all play together. We still have to closely supervise all of them (and especially the younger two), but it is awesome to be able to enjoy a little bit more adult conversation now that the kids can play and (mostly) entertain themselves without needing us to help them interact. The highlight of the evening (for me, at least) was when we turned on the song "Wagonwheel" and all four kids started dancing. A completely idyllic moment where all 4 kids were having a ball and all 4 parents could sip on their drinks, smile and think, "Life is truly good."

Growing Boy

For the last 12 months, I have worried constantly about Chase's size. As mentioned numerous times, he hated to drink (likely due to severe reflux) and until we introduced solid food to his life, I felt like we were force feeding him every day. As also mentioned, this kid LOVES to eat and he will eat pretty much anything. Well, it's finally paying off. At his smallest, he was in the 7th percentile for weight, which is very close to being considered "failure to thrive." I'm not sure what exactly "failure to thrive" means, but it sounds scary and I didn't want him to get there. I am happy to report that in the last 3 months he has gone from the 9th percentile in weight (which was already a big improvement) to 19th percentile. That is definitely within my comfort zone.

Official stats: 20 lbs 10.5 oz (19th percentile); 29 inches long (50th (ish) percentile) and head circumference is 74th percentile. Doctor reports that he is growing well. Atta boy!

Say What?

It is strange... it's like Chase somehow knows that he just turned one and now all of a sudden his language skills are taking off. That's not to say that he's actually SAYING anything, but it is becoming quite clear that he understands what we are saying to him. His only word (if you can call it that) at this point is "dah" which is always accompanied by him pointing at something, so the loose translation of "dah" is "what's that?" (at least the best I can tell).

The spoken word aside, he does seem to know how to use certain motions to respond to what we are saying. For example, if you tell him to say good bye to someone, he'll wave enthusiasticly (same being true for "hi"). If you ask him if he's "all done", he will shake his hands (sign language for "all done"). This gets confusing at times because he knows shaking his hands is the correct response, but it doesn't always mean that he's actually all done eating. Sometimes he is (which becomes quite clear when he starts throwing food if you leave his tray within arm's reach), and sometimes he'll wave his hands and then keep eating. Oh well.

His favorite, I believe, is giving high fives. If you ask him for a high five and hold your hand out, he will slap it with all his might and then start giggling.

Every once in awhile, I'll swear that he says "mama" (especially when he's crying because I've had the nerve to close the door on him when I go to take a shower) or "dada" (similar context) or "Ry-ry". One night I swore he said "bye-bye, Ry-ry" when I told him to say good night to his big brother before I took him up to bed. Not sure if he actually knows those words or not, but either way, it sure is fun to be able to communicate with him. His sweet little voice is music to my ears (the crying and screaming as his only means of communication were not).

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!!!

Dear Chase,

How are you a year old already?!? I still remember like it was yesterday holding you in my arms for the first time in the operating room and bawling my eyes out because you were alive and healthy (and rowdy!!). For nine months, the first thing I thought of when I woke up and the last thing I agonized over before falling asleep was whether or not you would survive. I worried about you so much and then just like that, you were here changing our lives for the better.

You weren't awake much at first and I sure did love you for that. You gave me the time I needed to recover... and then some! Once you woke up, you were a wild man right from the start. You were quite the busy-body, and I couldn't even feed you in the same room as your dad and your brother and the dogs because you were way more focused on what they were doing than you were on eating.

My maternity leave came and went in such a blur. The highlight of my leave was our time in Maine. You loved the beach even as a little guy, and it was apparent right away that you were going to turn into a water baby. You loved the fresh air, the sound of the waves and caught on quite quickly that Maine is a place where stress goes away and life slows down to the pace it should be every day.

By the time you started school, your severe reflux issues had reared their ugly head and I fretted about you, your weight and your happiness on a daily basis. Luckily, you were in the care of two ladies who loved you so much and did everything in your power to make you happy and comfortable for as long as it took for your body to outgrow the discomfort.

I felt like a thousand pound boulder had been lifted off my chest as soon as a combination of eating table food, cutting some teeth and learning to crawl happened what seemed like simultaneously. You started to smile more and laugh (a lot). It took so many months to hear the sweet sound of your giggle that I wondered if you would ever experience the feeling of having such joy that you just could no longer contain it. I'm not sure if it was just that you were finally feeling better or if you were just so frustrated about not being able to do the things you wanted, but either way, the change in you made my world whole again.

And now, well now the sky seems to be the limit for you. You smile, you laugh, you clearly like to make others happy, you crawl, you are getting the hang of walking, you splash around in water like there's nothing finer in the world, your face lights up in delight when I enter the room, you communicate by pointing at things you find interesting, you are making friends, you will hug my legs tight for a quick snuggle when you are particularly proud of something you've done, you crawl into my lap and give me a hug in the morning, you will do just about anything to try to keep up with your brother.

I am so proud of you for being the sweet boy you've become and I am so beyond happy for you that you endured whatever it was that you went through and came out of it as such a happy, mischievous, fun-loving little guy. Watching you dance, smile and toddle around give me more joy than I ever thought possible.

Keep moving to the beat of your own drum.

With all my love,
Mom

Progression of the family walk

Taking a walk each day has been a part of our lives since Casey and I first moved into our house on Elizabeth Avenue ten years ago. First it was just us and Winston. A year later we added Wrigley (walks have never been the same since her addition as they now absolutely require a ball and a lacrosse stick). Five years later we added Riley, first pushing him in a stroller, then permitting him to walk on his own while pushing a lawnmower or shopping cart of large car or something else to keep him upright and stable, then simply by him holding one of our hands, then with him riding a bike or running. Three years after Riley joined us, we added Chase to the mix. I cannot tell you how many people stop to look at our merry band walking down the sidewalk. Winston and Wrigley off leash and surprisingly being the most well-behaved and under control of the bunch. Riley running or biking ahead, sometimes falling and causing a mighty ruckus due the perceived (his perception) severity of his injury. And then there's Chase. As a newborn, he'd lay quietly in the stroller, never really falling asleep like so many babies do, but instead being always too interested in what was going on around him to bother with sleep. As an older infant, he insisted on being in a Baby Bjorn instead of the stroller because he wanted to be much more a part of the action than the stroller allowed (unless, of course, he was in the double stroller with his brother, in which case he would contentedly ride in it for long periods with his favorite companion at his side entertaining him). Recently, with his newfound walking abilities, he just wants to walk by himself. The problem with this is that he tires quickly, and is very easily distracted (stopping to point at flowers, trees, whatever it is that strikes him that particular moment). The walk takes an eternity, and at some point, it is simply easier to pick him up and carry him the rest of the way home. But this too has its downfalls... for one thing, he is starting to get heavy AND our neighborhood is very hilly. Casey had to carry him on his shoulders the other night and although Chase loved it, Casey looked like he was ready to crawl into bed by the time we got home. The larger problem, however, is that even though he is tired and/or distracted, Chase does NOT, under any circumstances, want to be carried. Like I said, he wants to do it himself, and wow can this kid be stubborn at times!!! The most recent compromise: taking turns between walking "by himself" and riding in his car. This in itself must be comical because (a) he does not want to actually sit on his bottom in his car and (b) climbing in and out seems to be part of the experience for him. So again, walks take an eternity. His birthday present from us is a wagon. I'm hoping that will appease him for long enough that he can build up some walking stamina to make it around the block. Meanwhile, I guess we will continue to be a spectacle for all our neighbors. The plus side -- it is really awesome to pause long enough on walks to appreciate the "little things" that young children find fascinating but that we would pass without batting an eye almost any other time.

Naughty

We are starting to try to teach Chase the concept of "no". He is a curious little dude, and seems to want to get into absolutely everything that he shouldn't (pulling power cords, unplugging carbon monoxide detectors, splashing in the dogs' water bowls, climbing stairs unsupervised, playing in the fireplace, opening doors with steps right below, pulling up on rickety furniture, banging tv screens, etc.). Being the good, patient parents that we are, we calmly tell him "no" and try to relocate him. He is relentless and seems to enjoy the "game" of it. I'll give him credit for his persistence. However, I do believe that he now understands the concept and is just toying with us. The best example is at dinnertime. He will take his sippy cup and dangle it in his fingertips off the side of his highchair, staring at you all the while. If you tell him "no", he will smile, put his cup back on the tray of his highchair and wait for you to clap. He will repeat this exercise time and time again until you grow tired of it (he never tires of it), at which time he will simply let the cup fall out of his hand and drop on the floor. After the cup has been on the floor for less than a second, if you haven't immediately gotten out of your chair to retrieve it, he either whines or screams at the top of his lungs (depending on his mood). If you make the mistake of picking the cup up and giving it back to him, he will hold it for a few seconds and then chuck it at the floor.

Truth be told, the process is somewhat aggravating, but mostly, I think it's pretty funny that he clearly understands the rules and just wants you to cheer him for following them, or, in the alternative, to see what will happen if he doesn't. I guess this is the beginnings of independence???

Good Times

What a fun night!!! Don't get me wrong, we all missed Casey, who is spending the weekend in Philadelphia with his dad seeing the home he grew up in, having a few cheesesteaks and attending a Phillies game, dearly. But... we managed to have a good night nonetheless. Riley attended Kids Club at FCCfor the very first time and had an absolute blast playing with his friends woot his crazy parents helicoptering all over him.

And I, well, I am the amazingly lucky one who got to spend time one on one with sweet baby Chase. I often feel guilty about the fact that Chase will never get to be the center of our world like Riley was for the first three years of his life. Not that we don't want Chase to be the center of our world, but it just isn't possible since we have two awesome little guys to look after. But tonight, tonight Chase got the rare opportunity to be the center of my world, all while his brother was off having fun (which was completely apparent each time Riley and his friends walked past the patio where I was eating dinner on their way to some cool new activity, looked around for me until he found me in the crowd and then smiled and waved quickly so his friends might not see), leaving me completely guilt-free about spending quality time with just Chase.

Chase was totally in his element -- eating mac and cheese, outside, while listening to live music. Any of those things alone would make his day, but put all of them together and he was in heaven! After dinner, we walked and walked and walked -- on the cart path, on the putting green, on the hill, it didn't matter. Again,all the while listening to live music.

After all the walking, he spent a solid hour trying to alternating his time between trying to eat his friend Wesley's ice cream cone and attempting to roll a golf ball into one of the holes on the putting green, which really just turned into him playing with the little flag that goes into the hole.

We stayed out late (again) but only because he was having so much fun. I loved every second of it. The only thing that would've made the night better is if Casey had been there... But then again, if Casey had been there, I wouldn't have gotten my sweet boy all to myself. Feeling like one lucky mom tonight!

Sweet, sweet boy

Here's another thing I love about Chase. For as much as he is curious and devious and into absolutely everything, every once in awhile he will flash you the most angelic little smile. I mean, truly angelic. When he sits on the floor, legs out in front of him, and gives me that sweet, sweet smile, my heart really fells like it will almost melt.

He really is a sweet, sweet boy.

Barber Shop

Well, Chase is officially a big boy. Today he got his very first haircut. Not a whole lot to cut off, just got rid of the Terry Bradshaw look. As Riley stated to me, "He is being super brave." No tears, no fear of the scissors or the clippers, actually smiled when they used the gadget that blows the cut hair off your clothes. The nice guy that cut his hair said he did an amazing job and didn't even charge us. All in all, a good experience.

After the haircut, we headed to Dunkin' Donuts, which is about a block away from Mount Tabor Barber Shop, for a post-haircut treat. The good news is that Chase was not the slightest bit interested in his donut. I think he is saving himself for Congdon's (in Maine).

Pool Time

Dare I venture to say out loud that we may be turning a corner? Chase was an absolute champion tonight at the pool. He walked up and down the ramp. He ate his dinner without a fuss and sat in his high chair for at least 30 minutes literally shoveling mac and cheese (and chicken fingers and curly fries and lasagna) into his mouth and never once had a meltdown about getting down even though we were getting dangerously close to his bedtime. Between this and the meltdown-free dinner experience at Doug and Leslie's over the weekend, I am beginning to think that one day soon we will be able to enjoy a full meal with BOTH kids present without one of us having to leave dinner early to get Chase home and in bed. Woo hoo!!!

Even better than that, however, was what occurred after dinner. LEGITIMATE WALKING!!! Twenty-two steps in a row without falling, holding onto anything or just freezing in place. And not once, not twice, but three different times (interesting that 22 steps is the magic number every single time). He was the highlight of the pool and was just beaming!

I can't remember a better night. (I seem to be saying that a lot lately.)

Just Chillin'

Today as we were driving home from school, Chase was unusually quiet (recently he has been "talking" non-stop -- and by "talking" I mean a whole bunch of gibberish followed by even more raspberry blowing). I decided to check in with Riley to see what he (Chase) was doing. "Oh, he's just chillin'." This reminded me of one of the funniest things about Chase as a little baby -- he always (and I mean ALWAYS) had his hands behind his head and looked like he was "just chillin'". One of my favorite pictures from his professional newborn photos is of him with his hands behind his head -- it is just so classically him. He would sleep with his hands behind his head, eat with his hands behind his head, and just lay there awake and alert but with his hands behind his head. Every new teacher that met him would comment on how funny it was to watch Chase do just about anything because he looked so chill with those hands behind his head.

These days, he is nothing but "chill" and is rarely still enough to do just about anything with his hands behind his head. Strange thing is, as adorable (and funny) as it was, I will take my non-chill and hilarious-in-other-ways baby any day (although I will admit that that little bit of "chillin'" in the car was pretty nice too).

Golf Cart

Back in April, we visited Grannie Annie and Poppa Ken down in Amelia Island for Easter. They were generous enough to rent a golf cart for the extended weekend so that we (and the Stirling's) could tool around. For us, at least, getting to the destination was just as much a part of the adventure (if not more) than the destination itself. Chase, who was 7-1/2 months old at the time and already not one for being still, absolutely LOVED driving around in that golf cart. He'd look around and smile for the first five minutes or so, clearly very interested in his surroundings. For safety reasons, I kept him faced toward me. Without fail, every single time we got in that golf cart, after those first five minutes, he'd lay is head on my shoulder and keep watching the world pass by until he quietly drifted off to sleep. I loved those golf cart rides -- Chase will his legs wrapped around my stomach, head on my shoulder, snuggled and so content you just hated to stop driving.

I was thinking about this today as we fast forward to present time. We took a spin on a golf cart at the Club as a reward for both boys being angelic at dinner. What a difference 4 months make. Instead of facing me, Chase wanted to face forward. Instead of falling asleep (even though it was bedtime), he was looking around, pointing at things, and generally having a big time.

Not sure which I prefer more, but I think (and certainly hope) there will be a lot of golf cart rides in the future.

Walking into school

Today, something remarkable happened. I got to walk into school holding one hand of each of my boys as they BOTH walked into the school and all the way down the hall to Chase's classroom on their own. Not an incredible feat for Riley, but a banner day for Chase!!!

A Late Night Out

As previously stated, Chase is a schedule kind of guy. He likes predictability. He also likes to sleep in his own bed. This makes it difficult to stray very far off course with his bedtime. Normally it gets pretty ugly if you keep him up even 10 minutes past his bedtime and you can just forget about him sleeping in a stroller or your arms. Not that this is a bad thing -- it's fabulous having a child who loves his 12 hours of uninterrputed sleep in his own bed -- but it does make a social life with kids in tow past 7:30 difficult difficult. So when we were invited over for dinner by our friends Doug and Leslie, I didn't have terribly great expectations (apart from knowing that the food would be excellent -- it was -- and that the company of great friends would be a lot of fun. People with adult children do not remember what it's like to have young kids who crave schedules, so I started to panic when dinner wasn't on the table until well past 7:00 (typical melt-down time). Much to my surprise, Chase was having so much fun, he forgot to notice how late it was. He climbed stairs, walked around holding the hand of anyone who would acknowledge him, cruised around on the furniture, stared for long periods of time at the ceiling fans, and just generally had a big time. It was one of the nicest, most enjoyable nights I can remember. I guess he can sense that good food, a few drinks and the company of good people are the perfect reason to throw all rules out the window.

Climbing

I think Chase may be destined to become a mountain climber. I have already mentioned his summit of our stair case and his love of climbing into and out of the pool. His new thing is to climb the mound of pillows on our bed, flop down, and bury his head in the stack of pillows. I think he thinks he is being slightly naughty, so after he buries his face in the pillows, he will tilt his head ever so slightly so he can see your face and give you a big smile. If you even make a more towards him, he squeals in delight. Such a goof!

Devilishy Adorable

This child is something else. I may have mentioned a time or two that he is into absolutely everything. He is also starting to understand the concept of "No". And by "understanding the concept" I mean that he knows that "no" means he is doing something he shouldn't be, not that he obeys the command. Some of his favorite unacceptable hobbies: pulling cords out of sockets and/or playing with cords, climbing up and down the stairs with no supervision, trying to launch himself head first off the bed, throwing absolutely any piece of food or any cup that he has grown tired of... You get the idea. Well, when you catch him doing any of these things and say "No", he will open his mouth as wide as he can and just stare at you with his mouth wide open as if to say, "What, you can't get mad at me if I look cute." And once the irritation leaves your face and/or voice, he'll smile.

Independence

What Independence Day would be complete without a few trips to the pool? Chase has never been afraid of the water, but it seems that recently he's taken a real interest in it. He would climb up and down the ramp leading into the pool for hours if you'd let him with a little bit of splashing mixed in. He isn't terribly interested in the little float he can sit it -- sitting still for long enough to relax is not his style. He loves to stand inside the pool and play with toys that are sitting poolside. Today as he was standing in the pool, I noticed he got a bit agitated after awhile and seemed to be trying to climb out. Mistaking this for a sign that he was tired of the pool, I picked him up and started walking him towards our table. He was not pleased, so I put him back down on the side of the pool and he immediately started to climb back in. After about 2 seconds, he was agitated again and trying to climb out. It took two or three times of this pattern before I finally realized that climbing in and out was the point. I look forward to the day when he can use words, but in the meantime, it's awesome that he can communicate now. He is starting to point at things that he wants, and also appears to be waving his hands to signal "all done" when he's done eating (either that or Casey, Riley and I are just interpreting it as that and making a big fuss about nothing). He is also pointing at objects and saying "dah" which roughly translated I think means "what's that?"

It's awesome to be able to communicate with him some, but I must admit, his new-found independence makes me a little bit sad. My baby is growing up much too quickly.

Fun Game

Chase has a favorite new game. It's called "Wrigley". The rules are not difficult to follow:

1. Pick up tennis ball.
2. Throw tennis ball.
3. Squeal with delight while Wrigley chases tennis ball.
4. Look confused when Wrigley does not throw tennis ball back.
5. Smile widely when Wrigley runs back with tennis ball and drops it.
6. Repeat.

The crazy thing was that this particular morning Chase outlasted Wrigley. I don't know whether that's a sign of Chase's persistence or a sad statement about Wrigley's aging process...

Enthusiasm

Chase is spending the last days of his first year trying very hard to learn to walk. He will let go of whatever he is holding onto, whether it be your finger, his shopping cart, the wall, your leg, your clothes or some very unstable object (those seem to be his preference) and just stand there looking like, "Hmmm, well what do I do now?" A few days ago he decided to take a few almost accidental, very tiny, wobbly steps toward my outstretched arms holding a bowl full of Cheerios (the things this kid will do for food). Yesterday at school, he took three consecutive steps before falling. Progress.

Chase woke up early this morning and I figured the cause was teething which I blame for most things. Lately when he's woken up early like this, he's just wanted to snuggle and will quickly fall back to sleep. Not today. I walked in to him standing in his crib with an enthusiastic grin. Still thinking he wanted to snuggle, I tried getting him to fall back to sleep. It was not to be. He is a strong little dude and squirmed and yelled until I gave up the fight. My next idea was to give him his milk because he had not eaten well last night (again, blaming teething) and I figured he was starving. Nope. More squirming, more yelling and a strong throw of the sippy cup later, I decided to turn on the light in his room and see what he would do. Immediately he gave me a great big smile, made a motion to get down, stood clutching one of the slats of his crib with a determined look on his face, let go and took a step. My enthusiastic little boy just wanted to get an early start at practicing walking.

Is it really July???

Today marks the first day of Chase's birthday month, so like I have done for Riley the past 3 years in the month of May, it is time to begin my daily celebration of all things Chase. At this point in his life, my absolute favorite thing about Chase is how much he delights in the little things. He loves being tickled and will giggle and giggle until you stop. When you do stop, he just looks at you in a way that makes very clear that he is not done yet and wants the tickle monster to come back and will giggle all over again until he gets the hiccups. He likes to be held, but only if it is in a way which permits him to be an involved observer of the world around him. He loves to pet the dogs and will look into their eyes sometimes like he can see all the way into their souls. He loves his little blanket that's in the shape of a baseball and will carry it all over the place if you let him in the morning. He loves water and would splash in it all day long if you'd let him. Doesn't matter if it's the bath tub, the dogs' water bowl, the pool, the water table or a puddle, he's a-splashing. He adores music. He loves to bang on the keyboard with Riley in the morning (actually, he loves to bang on just about anything). He likes any toy or book that plays music. He is absolutely wild about listening and dancing to just about anything, but Mumford & Sons and Coldplay are his favorites. He loves to eat and will devour just about anything you put in front of him. (Perhaps there is hope that at least one of our children will not inherit the picky eating gene I was inflicted with growing up.) He loves to throw things, whether it's a ball, a dish, food, a pacifier launched from his crib, or just about anything else he can get his little hands on. He has an INCREDIBLE arm for an 11-month-old (and we thought Riley was going to be our superstar baseball player...). "Talking" to his big brother and making him laugh is probably his favorite thing. He will do almost anything to elicit a laugh from Riley. (I know this spells trouble for us in future years.) He is so excited to see you at the end of a day apart that his whole face lights up when you walk in the room. If you aren't quick enough about getting to him, he will let you know and that's part of his charm. He knows what he wants and is not bashful about it.

Of all the things that I love about him, my absolute favorite (at least for today) is his self-confidence. When he does something new, it is written all over his face that he is absolutely delighted with himself. After about 10 seconds of silence the other day, I realized something was amiss, only to find him at the top of the stairs grinning like he had just summited Mount Everest. When he discovered his love of music, he squealed and bounced and flapped his arms around and wiggled his backside. When he started walking by pushing on his toy shopping cart, he held his little head up so high and practically strutted across the room. After he stood on his own for the first time without holding onto anything (a very new accomplishment), instead of crying when he eventually fell down, he smiled from ear to ear and waved his arms around in self-congratulation. When he took his first unassisted step (an even newer accomplishment), he looked around to make sure we were all watching and squealed when we clapped.

He is goofy, but can be very serious, especially when faced with a stranger. He is sweet, but opinionated. He is nosey. He is curious. He is active. He is into everything. He is amazing and somehow he is almost one.