15 Month Appointment

Just a quick status update. Winston is healthy and BIG...90% percentile in height, weight and head circumference. At least he is proportional! It would be terrible if he had this huge head and a little body or vice versa. He's on track developmentally and proudly shared his favorite word with his doctor: "purple."

First ER Visit

Winston met yet another milestone this past weekend...his first trip to the emergency room.

The scene of the crime: a restaurant/bar where we were gathered to watch the USC/Notre Dame game. Winston was horsing around...nothing out of the ordinary, but he hit his head (we think on a table) and cut his head above his eye, right on his eyebrow line.

We stopped the bleeding (and decided to call it a night), put a bandaid on his head, and put him to bed. I woke up around 4 to check on him and found the bandaid torn off and enough blood on the sheets to make me very nervous.

Dave was kind enough to humor me with an early morning ER visit. After properly cleaning up the wound, the doctor advised that given the location and the placement of the cut, his coloring, etc, there wasn't any reason to stitch it up, and better to let it heal by itself.

Winnie was a trouper throughout the entire experience...no tears at the hospital, about 2 seconds of crying post-cut (the child has a very high pain tolerance), and he's even kept the last few bandaids on his head.

Lesson's learned: clean the wound properly before assessing ER-worthiness of the cut; and get a babysitter for the next game.

Bubs in emergency room

September and October

Winston enjoyed a visit from his Tutu and Grandpa Sullivan at the end of September - I think his grandparents enjoyed it too. We spent 4 days in Key Largo and enjoyed the beautiful "fall" weather that is Miami. Snorkeling, plenty of pool time, and even a treacherous kayaking trip.

Winston, Grandpa and Tutu

Two photos of Winston sitting in Grandpa Kuhl's chair...and channeling Grandpa in his blue fishing hat.

Winston's favorite activity at the condo was clearing out and then sitting inside the entertainment center cupboards. Endless entertainment for all of us.

This past weekend is thankfully over--4 inches of rain, and all three of us battling the flu. We've decided the only thing worse than watching your little one suffer through illness is being sick and trying to take care of a 15 month old who is fully recovered and ready to go. Definitely glad to have the sick days behind us!

Winston recently moved to the toddler classroom at school. He is one of six children, all of whom are a few months older than him. That is good - he was starting to become a bit of a bully, pushing around the little kids and literally walking right over them (especially the ones that aren't yet crawling). While he is not quite at the same level in terms of his walking/climbing/tactile skills as his new classmates, he seems to be thriving with the older kids in terms of communication and comprehension.

The new classroom is infinitely more interesting than the baby room. There are puppets (which totally delight the kids), legos, lots of farm animal toys, book and reading stations, art stations...very exciting.

He is adding new words to his vocabulary every day. Lion (although it sounds like mian); "moo" for cow; purple (pronounced pupple); bear; shoe; vroom vroom for car. He loves books - in fact, at least a few times a day he will pick out a book from the stacks around the house and bring it to Dave or me for reading. A child after his mother's heart. His room is littered with books...and while it drives me crazy when there are toys everywhere, I somehow find great comfort in seeing 10 books scattered around the room. I'm working to encourage him to tell me stories based on the pictures, but he's not quite at that phase yet.

36

Dave turned 36 last month...even though he laments he's on the downward slide toward 40, we had fun celebrating with friends at the Bombay Dar Bar in Miami. Here are a few pictures from the evening. Dave had the camera so no pictures of the birthday boy, but hopefully Wendy has a few she will share!

Winston and one of his favorite ladies, Alexandra (she has amazing strength...he is almost 2/3rds of her weight)

Winston was in heaven eating the PopsyCakes (cupcakes on a stick)

Daddy is the Fashionista in the Family

Based on the two outfits below, I've decided that Dave is now in charge of dressing Winston. Outfits are coordinated, adorable, and the only time the ladies at day care comment on Winston's cute clothes is when daddy has coordinated the outfits.

I will take credit, however, for buying these AWESOME green shoes.

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Your Sippy Cups Leak All Over the Place

Winston and his new sippy cup (non-leak)

Winston bid a fond if a bit cranky farewell to the bottle last week...to be fair, he was only cranky for about 2 days, then moved on like he'd been sippy cupping forever. Amazing.

This morning, I dropped off diapers at his daycare only to find that the sippy cups we've been using for the past year are "leaking all over...you need to buy new ones."

I continue to be amazed by how much stuff goes along with having kids. We had about 10 different bottles (all now cleaned and put away, thank you very much); we have 6 different sippy cups (although now we have to throw 4 of those away and buy news ones); 5 huge plastic tubs of clothes that Winston has outgrown; don't get me started on the baby accessories that are piling up in our garage.

And yet...I don't want to throw any of it away. I start to clean out the closet, and then I come across a size one diaper (not used, thank goodness) that he used to swim in (now he is in Size 5!). Then I remember that his legs were so skinny that the diapers weren't snug enough, so every so often the pee would just roll on through to whomever the lucky baby holder was at that time. Mo and Dave seemed to be particularly vulnerable to the leaky diapers if I recall.

Ok, so I kept the size one diaper. And the bottles. And the clothes. But I am recycling those leaky sippy cups. For real.

He's Growing!

At 14 months and 2 weeks, Winston is becoming an expert walker and is beginning to speed up to a swift jog - we have no doubt he'll be running in a few weeks. He throws a ball with surprising strength and accuracy, especially with his right hand, but these days he seems to be throwing left handed (and wildly off the mark).

Words...Hi and Bye are now standards; he now knows if he calls mama and dada that we'll come running; ba can mean bottle, ball, balloon and book (we're working on our ls, ts and ks, but so far the enunciation isn't developed). "ah duh" means all done, and is said with a big smile at the end of each meal with hands in the air and a shrug of the shoulders.

August in Wisconsin

We had a wonderful visit to Wisconsin in late August...best time of year to visit and we packed in quite a bit of activity. Winston adored playing with his cousin James (and James politely tolerated the 14 month old who followed him like a puppy) and basked in attention from Joe and Jayne. We met Kris and Terra's baby Karter and Chris and Amanda's baby Emmett (and caught up with our favorite teenager, Jake!).

But most of all, Winston loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa...


Here are more photos from the visit.

We also took this video of Winston "walking" in the Capitol building in Madison, and another of him playing with Grandpa.

Green Juice and Sesame Street Shoes

Two fun photos to share with everyone.

Winston, mom and dad are enjoying green juice (spinach and various fruits and veges) every morning. We're trying to teach Winston how to drink out of a regular cup to enjoy his "treat." It will take a while...
We bought these cute Sesame Street shoes last night. Winston hasn't seen Sesame Street so he has no clue how cool it is to have Ernie on your feet.
The green motorcycle is a favorite toy these days. Winston likes to push it around, and he is so strong that now when he runs into a wall, he simply hefts the bike up, positions, and barrels ahead in the opposite direction.

What are Little Boys Made of?

I always loved this nursery rhyme growing up. But the truth of it hit home this afternoon. Ms. Dori at Winston's daycare said, "I have to tell you about something Winston did today." That is never a good opening line. "He was playing with a snail...he pulled it out of its shell and ate it! I tried to get it out of his mouth before he swallowed it, but he clamped down his teeth and wouldn't open up." Another lady said, "He had snail slime all over his chin."

Charming. So in honor of Winston, here's the Rhyme in all its glory.

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice

And everything nice,

That's what little girls are made of.

He's Walking!

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Winston is walking...just a few steps at a time, but he is lurching around the house with actual steps! Here's a video of a short series of steps he took this afternoon.

Our little Frankenstein...

The Days are Long, the Years Short

I love this quote for so many reasons, but it perfectly captures my feelings this past week. Winston was home from day care all week, so Dave and I took turns caring for him at home. We were a bit apprehensive about this week, but it was actually fun to fill the schedule from 8-5 with exploration and experiences for a one year old in South Florida.

This week, ALOT revolved around the Biltmore Hotel, which truly is a community treasure, but also happens to be close to our house, so it is the default "let's get out of the house" location. Beautiful grounds, fantastic pool, nice people, and they are very indulgent of children. Plus, they were filming a new Tom Cruise movie called Rock of Ages, so it was fun to walk around and see all the production gear and we even saw a scene being filmed...not very exciting, just a guy walking around the pool and the hotel lobby in a suit carrying a brief case. Oh, and former Governor Jeb Bush hung out by the pool on Saturday after his workout, watching the swim lessons (ok, really, he was mostly checking his blackberry).

Here's a list of a few of our activities from the past week, mixed in with a good amount of quiet time at home, playing with toys or walking around the block:

• Swim Lessons (every day at 8 am)
• Library (we lasted about 30 minutes before Winston started pulling books off the shelves)
• Playground at the Coral Gables Youth Center (30 minute walk from our house but worth it)
• Barnes and Nobles...Winston tootled around the entire store in his red car
• Biltmore pool for swim time (4 afternoons last week, with the Goldbergs and Lorettas on two occasions)
• Zoo Miami (sooooo hot but such a great zoo)
• BBQ with the Loretta's on Thursday
• Visit with Mo and Cecilia on Friday night
• Celebrating Wendy's Birthday on Sunday evening
• Key Biscayne Beaches
  

Zoo Miami was great - it was only our second trip in 6 years, and while an August visit to the zoo is not advisable in South Florida, it was memorable for several reasons. First, we fed a giraffe (amazing). Second, we saw a gorilla up close (he was sleeping by the window). Third, we saw a Koala bear up close (sleeping in a tree), and finally, we saw a baby kangaroo. Even if we hadn't seen any of these animals, the trip would have been worthwhile just to see Winston engaged and curious about the animals. He pointed at them, talked in his gibberish, and, despite several houdini moments of escaping his stroller, seemed genuinely engaged by the experience. Of course, the trip was made all the sweeter because Lili was there too...here are more pictures of our adventures.

Here's a cute video that captures Winston's "talking."

So what is Winston like these days? He is learning new words (this week was bear...added to bye bye and ball and dada and mmmmmmmm for mom). He continues to have a healthy appetite and will eat just about anything. When he is hungry, he points to his mouth, whines, and crawls toward the refrigerator!

He is more suspicious now of strangers...he is not as quick to smile at the grocery store and wears a guarded, serious expression when he meets new people. However, if he recognizes someone, the smiles and screeches of joy are hears round the neighborhood.

We are starting to see temper tantrums...not sure what causes them, but when he is thrashing around on the ground, crying uncontrollably, he is totally inconsolable. We were expecting these, and while it is hard to see your child in this state, I also find it very amusing (not sure why and I'm sure they aren't amusing when conducted in a public place). We usually let him cry it out, and then as he begins to calm down, we use humor to distract him and get him to laugh and then hug him until he is back to his sweet self.

Where has the Summer Gone?

I can't believe a month has past and we have failed to update the blog. So much to share...just not enough time to actually do that now that we have to follow the little guy around constantly!

Winston is now, officially, smarter than a monkey...he can speak. He says "byebye" (in proper context, with a wave) and "ball" and "dada." We think he is saying "hi" and there are probably other words, we just don't quite get his language yet.

He understands 10 times more (although I can already tell he is developing selective hearing, just like dad). He is standing unassisted for a few seconds, and will even take a step now and then, but for the most part, he is still crawling. He is totally into books now - he wants to be read to, and will turn the pages, very impatient for the next part of the story. He loves to play with all of his toys, but his piggy bank is a true standout right now as are his motorcycle and the little car that he sits in and we can push him. In fact, I have taken him all around Coral Gables in that little car (it is easier to transport than the stroller). Yesterday, a lady was totally charmed by his waving and smiling and said that he could be the next president. Oh boy...if that was all it took...

We had a wonderful visit to California earlier this month - all the photos from the trip are here). It was great to see everyone and Winston continued his positive flying track record. The only time he was fussy was on the 2nd flight home. However, he took time out away from fussing to make eyes with the 4 young sisters sitting in front of us, and despite his tears, he held hands with the 5 year old girl directly in front of us for a few minutes (I kid you not).

For the most part, Winston slept well on the road and we survived sharing a room with him. At my parent's house in Nipomo, the crib is at the foot of the bed in the guest room, and Winston was so happy to wake up every morning to find us RIGHT THERE ready for action! We found his effusive happiness quite contagious...even at 6 am.

Daycare is "on a break" this week, so Dave and I are taking turns with Winston at home. We've decided that caring for Winston is 10 times more exhausting than going to work, so we are very appreciative of our care situation. We're trying to keep him very busy - swim lessons in the morning, and then at least one activity or outing each day (this evening we took a long walk to the park and spent 30 minutes climbing up a slide backward). He crashes at 8 and we stagger into bed not too much later than that. Later this month we are looking forward to a Wisconsin visit.

First Pair of Shoes

Winston's first official pair of "walkin' shoes."

While he is still primarily crawling, Winston is starting to stand independently and even will take a few tentative steps (before collapsing, either front or back).

Thank goodness for Target - inexpensive shoes are a must for a child who seems to be growing an inch a day.

Swim Lessons

Winston is taking swim lessons at the Biltmore...fun pictures to document his adventures with "Swim with Kim."

Happy First Birthday Dear Winston

We celebrated Winston's 1st birthday this weekend at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne with a wonderful group of friends. We rented a cabana, brought 3 car loads of stuff from home, and enjoyed a balmy and relatively mild day at the beach. Perfection.

Photos from the day are here.

Here's a cute video of Winston chasing bubbles before guests arrived.

Winston adored his adoring guests, although he seemed to get a bit shy when it came time for his happy birthday song and cupcake. [Watch the video here.] He was not very interested in his little cake [yet more video here], despite his little fan base urging him to sink his hands in.

He made up for it today (his real birthday)...he shared a cupcake with momma and ate it with abandon.

It has been quite a year. Dave and I feel very fortunate to have welcomed little Winston into the world. The love and affection and joy he brings into our lives each day is beautiful. Even when he is being devilish, opening and emptying every cupboard, climbing the step ladder, maneuvering out of his car seat while screeching, bopping his toys on our faces, squirming like a banshee to avoid a clean diaper, crying for his bottle (or cheerios, or yogurt), we love him so much.

Happy birthday Dear Winston. Here's to many more celebrations together.

Winston's Friend Molly

Winston is at the age where he is starting to recognize and play with other babies. One of his friends is Molly Goldberg (aka Miss Molly in our household). We attended Miss Molly's 1st birthday last weekend - her first birthday and our first child birthday party as parents. It was a great experience for everyone - bouncy house, pool, adult beverages for the parents - the Goldberg's know how to party in style.

My favorite memory was seeing the delight register on the faces of Winston and Molly when they recognized each other. Who knows what they were thinking...but it seemed to me it was something like "hey - I usually see you at daycare but now you are in the bouncy house! That's awesome!"

Delight in seeing each other not captured in this photo...

Molly went to town on her cake. I'd never seen anything quite like it. Dave had the camera and documented the experience in all its glorious details.

Here are photos from the event. Thank you to Molly's parents (John and Hillary) for hosting the madness!

Life's Tough for This 11 Month Old...

I included this so that you can all see that Winston does, indeed, have some hair. It doesn't show up in the photos because...well, there isn't much of it.

We just finished up a wonderful visit from Grandma Mary, who came down to Miami (missing a rare June heat wave in Wisconsin) for a week. Dave and I spent the weekend in Toronto. What a great city - don't miss the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Bell Lightbox Cinema.

Grandma brought these incredibly awesome boots for Win to test out.

This was my first full week away from Winston, and it was remarkable to see the growth in such a short time. When I left, he was able to pull up and then would fall backward to sit down. Now he can stand, hold onto the couch or table, squat to pick up an item, then stand back up. He is now an expert "cruiser" - he holds onto an objects and walks around it to get where he needs to go. He's talking a blue streak - no words that make sense to us, but he feels compelled to participate in many of the adult conversations and uses his hands and funny facial expressions to emphasize his point.

I love watching him negotiate the chairs and tables as he crawls - he's able to duck under a chair, crawling over the lowest bar and under the next without hitting his head. And he's figured out which items can be moved with brute strength (dining room chairs) and which are immovable (mahogany end tables). I know we are not entering genius territory here (except in mommy's mind), but it is interesting to see how children evaluate the physical landscape and adapt their actions to get what they need. When in doubt, push the chair aside and keep moving forward!

Here are some fun photos from Winston's new play area in the living room. Who needs toys when we can bang on mixing bowls from daddy's kitchen?

Another sign of burgeoning independence: Win hates to have his diaper changed. He will squirm and flip over at the slightest hint of diaper manipulation. I've taken to making crazy monkey noises to keep him intrigued and still. It worked today, not sure if it will help tomorrow though. One of our baby books says to get used to diapering the child standing up. really??

We spent Saturday morning with Mary at the beach. Here are some cute pictures from our adventures.

Winston got this awesome car from Grandma and Grandpa Wanless for his birthday. He loves to stand behind it and push and "walk" with his car.

That is one happy kid...and yes, that is a hotdog on his onesie.

So far, my all time favorite photo.

Winston discovering Grandma's yarn.

Mommy and Winston, ready for Memorial Day 2011

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Winston Napping at Sea (Miami, FL)

Life is good
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Crawling Machine!

Winston, enjoying a bit of mommy's green juice.

Winston began crawling about 3 weeks ago and is now an expert (until about a week ago, he would crawl a few feet, then belly flop on his stomach, lay there for a bit, then start up again). Here is a cute video from just a few weeks ago.

This week, he started to pull himself up on the couch and in the crib, and will even take a few tentative steps while holding on. However, his balance is pretty shaky, so we anticipate it will be a while before we see real steps.

We now have a curious baby interested in exploring every inch of the house. Currently, he is fascinated with his own dresser drawers - he opens and shuts, slamming harder and harder each time. We cringe every time, thinking of his little fingers getting smashed, but my guess is it will happen one of these days, at which point the drawers won't be so interesting.

Winston is learning new and interesting skills every day. Right now, his repertoire includes kissing, clapping, and high fiving. He is very vocal, and he uses his voice to get everyone in his presence to pay attention (hello, I may not be able to talk, but you will notice me!). He also has become quite strong - here's a video of him hefting his "snow globe" ball (it is filled with water but bounces).

We've had quite a few adventures and "firsts" with W in the past few weeks. Wendy took us boating...Winston spent 6 hours on the boat, and even got into the water at one point! He loves the ocean and can't wait to snorkel with daddy.

He also got his first glimpse of whales last weekend. Dave volunteered at a marine animal rescue facility last weekend (4 hours in the water, holding a 15 foot pilot whale), and while Winston was unfazed by the whales, he certainly loved the attention he received as the only baby among a motley crew of 25 or so volunteers.

Winston also attended his first wedding (Cecilia and Modesto's whirlwind ceremony) a month ago - here are great pictures from the day.

Yes, that is a computer cord in his hand, and yes, it probably went in his mouth.

Grocery Shopping

Winston wearing his new sunshine onesie and showing off his flexibility to all the shoppers at whole foods.

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Cooking with Daddy

Winston is preparing his grocery list with dad!
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Winston Waking Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tddRZF-0w6s

Eureka!

I finally figured out how to send updates for the blog directly from my phone. A new day has dawned...

Spring Has Sprung

Winston in his new shirt from Aunt Jayne

Winston turned 9 months in March. He weighed in at nearly 22 pounds and is nearly 29 inches long. He is one big boy, but healthy, charming and growing more curious by the minute. 75th percentile. Still not crawling (Tutu is planning a visit later this month to teach him to crawl). He is talking quite a bit, and the best cure for whining is taking him out and about...the child loves to meet new people. In fact, when we take him on walks around the block, he can spot another person from 100 yards away. He zeroes in on him or her, and flaps his arms and arches his back and squeals to get their attention. Seriously. He is absolutely focused on saying hello. We've met more people in the past few months than we have in two+ years at our house!

The child will eat anything. Last night, he had pasta with peas, sun dried tomatoes, and chicken. He's even starting to feed himself. I never thought I'd be so excited to see this development (because it means mealtime is also messytime) but it is fun to watch him experience new foods and I love that he is eating what we eat.

March and April are absolutely perfect months in Miami when it comes to weather. Blue skies, gentle breezes, highs in the mid-80s, mild nights. All of the plants are in bloom and it is simply gorgeous. It is the time of year when we think "how could we live anywhere else?" It is also the time when Miamians return to the beach - January and February are just "too cold" for beach-going (unless you are visiting from colder climates, and then the beaches are perfect!).

We are just getting back into the 9 to 5 this week after a wonderful visit from the Werwies and a brief but much appreciated spring break. Between the attention of his aunt and uncle and cousin (the three "J's" - Jayne, Joe and James), and intensive time with Mom and Dad (Dave and Shannon), Winston was one happy spring camper. We played on the beaches here in Miami, then headed south to Key West, where we spent several days on the quieter side of Duval Street, soaking up the rays and exploring the city.

Photos from the week are here, with a few additional below

According to James, the best part of the trip was snorkeling off the coast of Miami. Dave, Joe and James braved the "cold waters" (temp is probably 75 degrees) to explore the sea, spying starfish, horse and queen conchs, yellow stingray, and one ill-tempered crab.


While Winston can't yet speak, we can tell from his behavior that the best part of the trip was hanging out with his cousin James and being the center of attention with Jayne and Joe. He was one happy little baby.

Finding His Voice, If not His Stride

While we've seen scant evidence that Winston is gearing up to crawl, he is definitely testing the limits of his vocal cords on a daily basis. At 8.5 months, he is making lots of different sounds at different volumes all day long. He's able to mimic anyone willing to make funny noises at him...he listens intently, responds in kind, and delights when he is challenged to repeat. It is exciting to see him develop this new skill. He is also adept at getting people to pay attention, even from across the room. He seems to say "heh!" first quietly, then louder, until he is able to get the target's attention.

Lili checking out Winston's "Most Eligible Bachelor" shirt...

Seriously...who can resist that smile?

March has been a busy month for everyone - Dave has his hands full at work, and my job required two weekend jaunts to Los Angeles in February alone. Michael visited mid-Month, and Cecilia and I hosted a great party at our house to welcome him in style. We also enjoyed seeing Kate Krappman, who came down from NY to visit with Michelle, Andy and Lili and to soak up some of the Miami winter weather.

Winston joined me on both trips to Los Angeles. While traveling with an infant takes quite a bit of coordination, I find the trips - even the 5 hour plane rides - absolutely delightful. Winston is a great traveler. He charms the entire row with his smiles, giggles, and inquisitive nature. The only hiccup in our two trips (nearly 20 hours of flying) was that he ate too much on the way out to Los Angeles and threw up all over himself and me about an hour before we landed in Los Angeles. A good reminder that multiple changes of clothes for all parties is a requirement.

During our first trip, we stayed with the Sheedy's. Winston enjoyed playing with Erin's three kids, and Sue Sheedy's home is definitely the most child-friendly winston has ever experiences. There are some cute pictures with Erin's beautiful children - Winston and their youngest, Sydney, could be twins.

Totally unaware that Green Bay was about to win the Superbowl...but looking very stylish in his Superbowl outfit and old man socks.

During our second trip, we stayed with Barb and Mary Jo. Winston is finally aware that they have a dog - Hannah elicited screeches of joy and Hannah was a good sport during the petting and hair pulling sessions. Tutu and Grandpa came down to visit both weekends - what a lucky little guy!

Winnie and Winnie!

Winston and Mary Jo

Winston and Auntie Barb

Dave's been able to kayak a bit the past few weeks - great pictures to share of the adventures.

We are looking forward to a visit from Jayne, Joe and James at the end of March - Key West, here we come! The vacation will be very appreciated as will the visit from the 3Js.

I have to end with this picture...now that is one joyful little guy and two happy grandparents.