February & March
Another double month entry this time around since our big trip to Arizona spanned these two months. But first, let’s back up to the beginning of February… We started with your 12 month check-up with Dr. Shang. You weighed in at 24lbs 11oz and measured 30 inches, so you’re still around the 75-90th percentile for weight and 50-60th for height. You tested slightly anemic at this appointment, so we started to give you an iron supplement, then stopped when it seemed to be upsetting your stomach and giving you a rash. Instead, we’re trying to increase your red meat intake with lots of meatballs and beef stew. Then you promptly got sick (again) with a cold followed by a stomach virus. We continued our trial of famed Boston pizzerias with a stop at Santarpio’s in E. Boston, where you again refused to try the pizza. We attended our first URI game with Ra and Papa – and you were mesmerized. We weren’t sure how long you’d sit through it, but you watched the entire game without fidgeting. Your favorites seemed to be the band and the cheerleaders, but ever since that game, you love watching basketball on TV and do this cute thing with your hand like you’re dribbling or throwing the ball while you say basketball (which sounds like “ba-ball”). We celebrated Chinese New Year with Belle, Andrew and Avery by going out for dim sum, then watching some of the lion dance in Chinatown. You and I went on a Valentine’s date to JP Lick’s but you were more excited about the plastic cup of water they gave us than the ice cream. Dad suggested we take a spontaneous trip to Portland the next weekend as our Valentine’s Day gift, but he caught your stomach virus and we had to cancel at the last minute. I took you to your first Boston Symphony concert – a kids’ concert where you were one of the youngest ones there. You loved looking at all the other kids and really seemed to like the music. We went to another “family dinner” at Aura with William, Emilie, Avery and their families and you loved playing in the play area, but not so much eating dinner.
On February 23rd, we flew to Arizona to visit Grammie and Pop-Pop. I was very nervous about taking you on the plane by myself but you couldn’t have done better. You had some snacks and watched some Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues on the iPad, read books and took a nap. Dad met us in Arizona a little more than halfway through and Ashlyn, Jared and Margaret came too. We took you to the train park, you swam in the pool (really the Jacuzzi set to warm because the pool was too cold), went to the zoo, the rodeo, the Phoenix Children’s Museum, the play “Puss in Boots,” spent time at the playground, took a boat trip, went to an olive oil tasting, visited with A. Celeste, U. Greg, Alana and Great Grandma Mary and ate at lots of restaurants. You loved the ball pit that Grammie and Pop-Pop bought for their house and your new Thomas the Train ball. You fell in love with the “bird-birds” at the park, which I think was a hybrid of us saying “birdie!” and “tweet tweet!”, and cracked up every time they would fly around you. You loved taking Grammie’s antique spoons off the shelf and throwing them all over the floor and you quickly learned to scale the stairs on your own (although only in the up direction). We had a really great trip and Grammie and Pop-Pop were sad to see you go after spending two whole weeks with you.
When we got back, we celebrated Ethan’s 1st birthday at Oki’s and took a trip to the aquarium with Belle and Avery. We attempted skating at the Frog Pond, but you couldn’t even stand in the ice skates so we quickly ditched those and drank hot apple cider while you danced to the music and watched the skaters. My friends from college, Bridget and Lauren, came to visit and you spent the day hiking with Daddy while I went shopping. We went to the Museum of Science with Avery and the Children’s Museum with Amelia and Avery. We took our postponed trip to Portland, where we ate delicious pasta, spent some time at the Portland Children’s Museum (where you only wanted to play in the ball room), and ate lobsters while watching March Madness. We left earlier than we planned on Sunday because you started to get a fever, which got worse as the day went on and turned out to be a double ear infection. Dr. Shang prescribed amoxicillin for you, which you absolutely hated and tried to spit all over the kitchen at every dose.
You’ve changed so much over these past two months, it’s hard to know where to start. You’ve started sharing things, although sometimes you come close to sharing something and then take it back at the last second. You have started throwing balls, although mostly backward or straight down at the ground in front of you. Between being sick several times and traveling, your sleep has continued to be pretty crappy and we’re really hoping you start sleeping through the night on your own again. (Please! We’re so tired!) For the most part, you don’t like ice cream, chocolate or cookies – you’d much rather have fruit or your favorite, broccoli. You understand more and more, including “get a diaper”, bath, breakfast, Elmo, and light, among other things. You started saying “ball,” although “apple” was your most favorite word for awhile and everything was “app-uhh,” including apples, bananas, oranges, lemons and pretty much anything you liked. You also really liked eating apples in Arizona and as soon as someone opened the refrigerator, you would request and apple and cry if you didn’t get one. You started signing for “milk” when you were sick with the stomach virus and were requesting it every chance you could. This continued through Arizona, but eventually the novelty wore off and we went back to just before naps and bedtime (and of course in the middle of the night). You repeat lots of word sounds, like pretzel, more, zebra (“zee-zah”), and elephant. You bop your head to the music when a song that you like comes on the radio. When someone says “hot” or you see someone eating from a bowl in one of your books, you make a blowing sound (three short puffs). You say “woofwoofwoof” when you see a doggy, meow (“OWWWW!”) when you see a cat and “roar!” for a lion. You say “ho ho ho!” when you see Santa in a book and you smell flowers, leaves and trees, although sometimes it comes out as blowing instead of sniffing. When you see a balloon in a book, you point up in the air and say “ball”! You say “soup” in a very intent, forceful way. Elmo is “lalalalala” and you love Elmo music videos on You Tube. Sometimes you say a long drawn out “Hiiiiii!” with a big smile. And recently, you’ve become very affectionate and will walk over and tackle me with a hug and kiss for no reason… which is just about the sweetest thing ever.
