Football

It seems as though Declan is learning new words almost every day now.

The word of the day? 

"Football"

He has a little need football. If you toss it to him he will pick it up and hand it to you. 

Nicely.

He's really more brainy than athletic.

Big Smoke

This afternoon we took the Muffin man to downtown Toronto. So much to look at in the city of tall building, lots if people and non-stop noise. Declan was calm sitting in his stroller looking all around. He got excited when he was passed by a large white fluffy dog. Two hours of roaming all over the streets and Declan was content the whole time.

Lots of fresh air for us all - we should sleep well tonight.

While I'm at Work

I got a photo from Tyler today captioned "Guess what I'm doing".

My first guess was he fell asleep in his high chair. 

Nope.

Second guess was he's drawing.

Correct.

Declan drew me a masterpiece this afternoon. Lots of circle/scribbles in blue pen. Beautiful.

Apparently throughout the day Declan will ask "Mommy?" And look for me. Daddy tells him. "No Declan, Mommys at work." He's quite a fan of mine.

Still decidedly against ever saying 'yes'. At least he didn't answer "no". Carrying him on his way to bed tonight I said "I love you, I love you, I really, really love you. Do you love me?"

To which Declan said softly "Mommy".

I'm certain that's a yes!

Love Monkey

Declan went to daycare today. Just after we arrived Caleb showed up. His mommy is a teacher and she was running late. Caleb was sitting on Kelly's knee as his mom was leaving just as his sippy cup spilled half it's milk down Caleb and to the floor. Him mom had to run and Kelly was stuck holding Caleb so I grabbed wipes from Declan's bag, handed one to Declan and then the two of us cleaned up the milk. My little man is such a great helper.

Next Alexis arrived. Caleb hung out near us while Kelly and I chatted with Alexis's mom. Then we hear laughter and realize Declan and Alexis are gone. They were in the kitchen. We'd hear full belly giggles, then silence followed by more giggles, more silence, more giggles. Kelly tells us those two always take off into the kitchen together. She decided to sneak up and peak in on them. She watches as the two kids make their toys; Declan's monkey and Alexis's purple horse kiss. Then Declan stomps his feet in excitement and Alexis kicks her one leg and the two giggle...and repeat. Just makes me smile so much that my kid finds such happiness in love (even if it's just plush animal love).

Kelly says the rest of his day was great. 

I got him from work to Declan having just finished his dinner. He tilts his head and leans into me when I come close. I really love the warm welcome. Once he was out of his high chair he only wanted me (poor Daddy, he tried but today I'm favorite) and what he wanted was to hold my hands...for about an hour so he could practice walking and...yes get this...running. He can't walk without holding my hand but somehow he thinks he can run. Actually, he really can. He was squealing in a high pitch tone in excitement each time he booked it. Then a fun song came on and we told Declan to dance. He was bouncing his bottom super fast up and down. Daddy had the rear side view and couldn't stop laughing. Declan was really given' her. 

I just love hangig out with our kid. He's the coolest.

On Track (except for walking)

Declan and I got up early this morning and drove to visit Gramma and Poppa. He was so happy and smiley when we got there but he played a bit shy. My little guy has gotten very attached to me. I'm ok with that. 

He had a nice visit and leaned in for kisses when we left. We had to leave at 11:30am so that Declan could get in a little car nap and a quick lunch at home before we had to head out for his Dr. Appointment.

Declan fell asleep just 10 minutes before we were due to get home so I decided to drive around for another 20 minutes so he could have a nice nap.

Quick lunch at home so that when Daddy got home we were ready to leave.

Dr. Appointment was pretty easy (so glad he had that early nap in the car). Declan weights 27lbs 2 ounces and he is 2 feet, 10 inches tall. Dr. says Declan is on track for everything, just a little behind for walking but we'll just watch and see how he does. Good thing we didn't have to list all the words he knows. Would have hated to tell the Dr. that Declan can now say "shit". He says it quietly at least.

Declan's needle was super fast. He didn't see it coming, hell I didn't see it coming. So fast. He had a cry and two tears then he was fine. Very tough. The best thing about his needle was that it made him sleepy. I got to cuddle with Declan for 30minutes in my big chair before he took a second nap late in the afternoon.

Overall a fun day with my little man. Finished it up with some drawing.

Look closely.

He preferred the left hand when writing on paper.

And for writing on his hand, his right.

Even The Little Moments

Daddy was driving with Declan in the back seat . 

They were playing "Why?", "Cuz". 

Declan would say "Why?" To which Daddy responded "Cuz" and Declan would say "Why" again. This time though each "Why" would get increasingly higher in pitch each time and of course Daddy followed suit with each "Cuz" texting higher. They really do have a good time together.

When I got in from work Declan was being difficult and refusing to eat his dinner. To give Daddy a break I stepped in and tried to see if I had any better luck. Well Declan was still not interested in his pasta dinner so I grabbed a banana.

Declan devoured it. Each time he swallowed his bite he would wait with a wide open mouth for me to bring the banana in so he could get a big bite.

Bananas just are so much better when they are shared with an awesome little man. 

Big Boy Yogurt

Declan's breakfast dragged on and on...why? Because he's a big boy who can eat with a spoon. He was so excited when I handed him the spoon and didn't hesitate for a second. Of course he only gets the smallest amount on the spoon each time so the meal just lingers. An hour. It took him an hour to eat but he was so proud. Wouldn't let me take it away until he decided he as done. Good job Muffin Man. You're growing up.

"Thank You"

It was crazy this evening. Declan climbs all over the furniture and we're watching non-stop so we don't have any more tumbles to the floor. There was a little tumble onto his bottom from the ottoman. Not a high fall so I let him go so he could experience a little stumble. Next was excitement on the couch. Daddy stood behind the couch with Declan standing facing in his direction. Then they would both jump up and down while Declan laughed his baby butt off.

Then he would spin around, sit down and kick his legs like crazy while he squealed in anticipation of Daddy leaning over the back of the couch to tickle him.

Adorable.

And what else was adorable?

Declan saying, very quietly "Thank you Daddy" after Daddy handed him his iPhone.

Oh Crap There He Goes...

Side by side on the couch with Declan this morning with daddy sitting on the floor. I hear this loud snapping sound, a cracking or clicking. 

Me: "did you hear that?"

Tyler: " ya, what is it?"

Me: "Declan grinding his teeth."

That's right, we have a grinder. A very loud teeth grinder. I don't even know how he is possibly making that sound with his teeth in his little baby mouth. So loud.

We were getting ready for a visit with some friends. Declan sat on the bed while I was grabbing his hoodie and shoes. He gets all excited and crawls his way to the head of the bed. Declan bounces a bit, giggles and plays around. I let him okay while I put a spare shirt and pair of pants in his bag.

Then, so quickly, he's slipping down the side of the bed, flips over and lands face and belly side down between the bed and bed side table. Poor guy was stuck and tears began to flow.

I picked him up and tried to cuddle him. He was over it in no more than a minute and didn't want me holding him any longer. There he stood in front of me. Pretty tough but with a war wound down the side of his face from the fall.

So Much Effort

Declan and Daddy hung out today. During some playtime they were on opposite sides of the room. Declan raised a hand, looked over at Daddy. Daddy then raise his hand back to Declan. Declan got up. Using the wall he walked to the couch. Then wiggled all along the couch to the ottoman. Walked all along the ottoman to the chair. Then while using one hand to steady himself with the chair he gave Daddy a big 'high five'. Then walked from the chair along the ottoman, from the ottoman to the couch and along the couch to the awl where he stopped and sat back down.

Daddy felt so bad he had to work so hard just to connect on the 'high five'. He felt bad but he also laughed his butt off at how cute this kid can be.

Warm Welcome

What a nice welcome home I received tonight. Declan couldn't be close enough to me. He was standing between my legs in front of me. He was leaning right in close so that as much of him was touching me as possible. He babbled on and on and was overall just a sweetheart.

I asked him if he had a fun day at Kelly's today with the other kids. He responded with the cutest little "no".

He lied.

I know he had a great time.

When we first walked in the door this morning Ryanne as Caleb were both right there. Ryanne with a big smile and Caleb with a friendly "hi" soon as they saw Declan.

Baby life.

So awesome.

No Win, No Lose

Recently Declan has been more attached to me. On the one hand, I'm glad he actually cares if I leave him. On the down side...of little man so many tears. So many.

Sweet Baby Date

Declan and I had a nice morning. We cuddled and played. Declan sat nicely on the couch and watched Phineus and Ferb while I got our things ready for our outing. All dressed and ready, we were off to see Daniella and Chelsey.

At the start they played fine but Declan was mostly interested in Chelsey's toys. Then he got his hands on three remote controls. He was stomping his feet in excitement, 3 remotes!?!? That would never happen at home.

The two wee ones ate their lunches and it was time for their mid-day naps. Declan was in a playpen in Chelsey's room. They  wouldn't go to sleep right away. We could see in the monitor that Chelsey was standing in her crib looking at Declan. We could hear from the monitor that Declan was babbling away and then both were giggling. This went on for a while. Finally Chelsey laid down and fell asleep. Declan kept babbling but without an audience he too finally fell asleep. Slept for only an hour. Then they were up and ready for the next adventure.

Daniella filled up two containers with goldfish crackers-one pink, one blue. Chelsey holding both walked over to Declan and held both out in front of him. Declan looked at both then reached out for the blue one. It was interesting observing him really looking at both and then choosing the 'boy' colour.

Now armed with water bottles and goldfish crackers they got in the pink wagon and enjoyed a leisurely ride around the neighborhood. They ate those crackers the entire time. Not wasting a single one between them. 

Back at the house it was playtime. Declan crawled and Chelsey chased behind. There were lots of squeals. They were sweet. While standing side by side Declan was chewing on Monkey but Chelsey reached for him. Declan handed him over...his prized possession. Chelsey checked it out and then handed it back. Or tried to. Declan's Hans were busy so he just opened his mouth wide and Chelsey stuck a corner of monkey right on in. Teamwork.

Next Chelsey was leaning in for some affection. When Daniella and I suggested kisses both little ones leaning in. Declan even puckered his little lips before leaning  in. So sweet. They got close but no real kisses just yet.

Well it was time to head home. When we drove into the driveway Daddy was waiting for us. Declan spied him right away and got excited. After getting out of the car as I was holding Declan we saw a lady bug on the car. I leaned in with Declan to show him.

He grabbed the lady bug.

He squished the lady bug.

Bug is dead.

Declan needs to watch "A Bugs Life".

My Bud

Spent a large part of the morning just sitting beside my little guy watching Sesame Street. I kind of loved it. There is a segment where there are some ferry puppets with wings and Declan couldn't stop smiling. Adorable.

He also did a lot of walking today but with only one arm assistance. He's getting braver but walks like he's drunk.

Not Just the Kids

When daycare is over and Daddy picks up Declan our little guy gets high fives from his buddies. When Tyler has picked him up and is holding him the other kids come ad line up for their "high fives" but that not all. The other parents are all in in the action. Declan gets "high fives" from the other parents too. He's pretty cool. Kelly was even disappointed that Declan wouldn't be back until Thursday this week. 

Hmmmm.

I'm guessing he doesn't yell and cry for Kelly like he does us.

Really Doesn't Like to be Touched

Declan had a play date with his buddy Owen this morning. Started off really well. They were side by side looking at toys, both happy, both smiling. Owen crawled a bit to be with Declan and Declan walked, even holding only one of my hands at time to try and keep up with Owen.

And then as time progressed...

Owen is a sweetie, he put his arm around Declan's back. Declan didn't really notice.

Owen gives Declan a hug.

Declan just looks at me.

He doesn't care for this.

The hug is over and they play some more.

Declan finds a remote he's allowed to play with, Owen takes it, Declan cries, Owen is told to give it back, he does and Declan is fine. Owen grabs it again and then tears. Eventually the back and forth ends and all is well.

Then as Declan is crawling Owen goes in for another hug. This one is from behind and kind of looks like a slow motion tackle. 

Declan is not cool with this. There are more tears. Declan gets away and Owen grabs hold of the back of Declan's t-shirt. More tears.

Baby date ended a little while later.

Declan is an independent kid. He is very interested in tech toys and books. Owen is very active and social. Hopefully they will click better once Declan is more confident on his feet but my little guy just seems so old in his little toddler body.

I just love him.

Good Boy

During Declan's lunch, while sitting in his high chair Declan points to the wall and says "whas zhat"?

Tyler looks over at the wall and sees the spider Declan's is pointing to. 

Thank God!

Tyler killed the spider. If Declan hasn't noticed that thing would STILL be somewhere in here. 

My little cutie thinks of me when I'm not here. While I was at work Declan was playing with his iPhone, flipping through photos. He would stop at pictures of me and say "Mommy". He's the best. He would also stop and look at photos of Grandma May.

And whoa, this kid is gaining a lot of confidence. He is all over our furniture. He is real proud of himself too. This evening he also stood beside me but on his own AND later in the evening took two steps toward me without assistance. Soooo close kid.

Just Struttin'

Oh little Declan. I hope one day you read these posts. You are a very lucky little boy. Watched today you and your Daddy at the grocery store. He is loving every moment with you. There were lots of high fives, there were silly sounds and Daddy pushing you 'pretend' away in the cart while you giggled on and on. He really loves Declan. He's right in the moment and he just thinks you're the coolest. 

And speaking of cool. How funny we're you tonight. Just all of the sudden you're struttin' along with your walker. You were steering it like you've been doing this for weeks. Who are you?

Normal Boring Morning

Nothing special about my morning with Declan. We hung out for a couple hours before Gramma came over to sit with him until Daddy got in from work.

Just a normal morning.

Turns out normal, boring is exactly what I want. I couldn't be happier just hanging with my little guy.

Where Is She?

Yesterday I worked 1pm to 10pm which means that after Declan goes to daycare I don't see him again until the next morning. After work today Tyler tells me that last night before bedtime Declan was looking for me. He kept saying "Mommy" and looking around to see where I was. Considering he didn't seem to care when I dropped him off at daycare it sure makes me happy that he was looking for me later. 

And tonight, 

he sure was excited to see me when I got home. 

Maybe a Leader

On the drive over to daycare this morning Declan and I had another round of our new favourite game. 

Declan says "Why?"

I say "Cuz"

D - "Why?"

M - "Cuz"

D - "Why?"

M - "Cuz"

D - "Why?"

M - "Cuz"

And then lots and lots of giggles.

Love him.

When I dropped Declan off today Kelly told me that Alexis follows him around the entire day. She said Alexis is a follower and Declan will probably be a leader. She told me that because Declan is so vocal the other kids are drawn to him. He was all over the place with Alexis at his side. Then he sat down and was flipping through a huge book. He was really looking at it. Stopping now and then to examine the pictures with furrowed brow. When I left he just looked at me. Didn't care. He's so independent.

The Cool Kid

Declan was back at daycare today after for days off. I think he misses the gang. Back with his buds, Alexis, Ella and Caleb. When Daddy picked Declan up from daycare Alexis came over and gave Declan a high five goodbye. Seeing this both Ella and Caleb had to make their way over for goodbye high fives of their own. Yup. That's my little man. He's one if the cool kids.

Dinner tonight took on quite a new adventure. Daddy gave Declan his zucchini and cinnamon dinner followed by my feeding him cherry berry carrot apple sauce for desert. Yum. Then Declan played while daddy and I ate our chicken Caesar dinners. Part way through my meal Declan decided he should feed me. He used my fork to stab lettuce and chicken then put it to my mouth all while he mimicked me eating with sound effects and all. What a nut.

Short Visit

Declan's visit with Grandma and Grandpa was so short. Just a nice morning before getting back on the road. 

He got in a lot of crawling and climbing before we left but we got on the road quickly when Declan got a little unruly. Poor guys new teeth are causing him a lot of discomfort. It's been a day of many tears.

During the drive he was crying and screaming quite a bit. Got him to settle and watch about 30 minutes of Phineus and Ferb to take his mind off the pain. After lunch he fell asleep for an hour.

Then he awoke screaming and the tears where flowing. I gave him some Tylenol and baby Orajel to ease the discomfort. He screamed for about two minutes with his eyes closed before falling back asleep for an hour. The rest of the day was good alternating with difficult right up until he finally went to bed a little early. He passed out cold soon as we left his room. Poor monkey.

Sweaty Little Monkey

Declan had a nice full day visiting; Grandma and Grandpa in the morning, some shopping with Grandma before his afternoon nap and visits with Aunt Marissa and his cousin Alex for the evening.  Nice visits but his stubbornness was on full display. Aunt Marissa got in close and asked if she could have a kiss. Declan's respond was a whispered "No". Well of course, it always has to be on his own terms not at your request. He is just so stubborn. 

Declan had a great time with his cousin Alex getting all sweaty and excitable. Alex would jump plough and make funny noises which encouraged laughter and giggles and a while lot of arm wagging.  Declan was laughing so hard, crawling all over and ended up with the sweatiest little head. Declan has so much fun.

He's So Mad

With greater mobile comes a relative decrease in Declan's patience for car seats. That's right. He does NOT want to sit in a car for five hours straight en route to Ottawa. Nope not having it.what we did get was about two hours worth of whine/screams (not just a whine but not quite a scream). The only reason we have some reprieve is that Declan's nap time fell during the ride so he slept for almost two hours.  Man. The ride home Sunday could be rough. 

He was happy once we got here though. Plays somewhat shy when he first sees Grandma and Grandpa but he giggles lots, he crawled all over the place and there where bedtime kisses. So tomorrow should be lots of fun.

Speedy

I keep saying he's fast. Well Poppa got a good show today as Declan speed crawled down his hallway today to the amusement of his Poppa who genuinely seemed surprised at the speed Declan gets. "You should put him in some crawling contest". If only there were one, I'd have a champion.

A nice morning visit with his Grandparents, Declan was a bundle of activity. We all got a kick out of watching him unpack and then pack and then unpack his bag. Especially when he threw his hat with barely any acknowledgment of what he'd just done. At the lunch table Declan had a mini giggle fest with Poppa who was startling him with silly noises. Declan would jump followed by full belly laughs, lots of leg kicks and finally applause. He's awesome.

The Whole Hand

Declan is dealing with too many molars coming in at one time. There were so many tears and a little guy who woke from his nap crying because it is so uncomfortable. He had his entire hand jammed in his mouth and he was chewing while simply cuddling me. Oh my poor little guy. Hang in there Declan.

Wrong Mommy

When Declan got to Kelly's this morning he went through his usual routine. When we arrive he takes off immediately and crawls all over checking things out. Eventually I say "bye bye Declan" to zero response. Then I reach for the door. Declan crawls over to me super fast and I pick him up for one last snuggle. Then he's down and back to playtime. 

Today was the same.

Except when I was actually leaving, after he last cuddle, as Declan is heading back to the toys a little kid, two months younger than Declan is crying because I'm leaving. 

What?

Makes no sense.

Wrong Mommy.

Labour Day

Nobody wants to sit inside all day on a holiday. We got Declan all ready to head out to the park this morning, opened the door and blam...started raining. Sorry buddy, no park today. Since we were all ready to go we decided to visit a mall instead. Square One Mississauga was our destination. We hadn't packed a stroller so Declan got to ride in the mall kiddie cart. He loved it. He was steering the wheel and trying to beep the horn. It was in fact missing a horn but from his blue car and motorcycle at home he knew where it should have been and kept pushing that spot. 

Fun mini outing and Declan was looking all around. Then we got home in time for lunch and then his nap. The one nap. He's doing good with the singular log nap once a day.

After a nice long nap we drove to the Hamilton Beach strip and more specifically Hutch's for dinner.

Declan tried a couple fries with ketchup. He's his daddy's boy; he loves ketchup.

After dinner we walked along the beach path for an hour. Declan got down and joined us for a bit. Walking while holding tight to both of us, he got in good exercise.

A great evening :)

Stop It

He moves so fast. So very, very fast. Cruising along the furniture on his feet or at top speed crawling, he's just so very, very fast. Whew!

And busy.

He likes to touch and examine everything.

He was playing with the computer keyboard which was fine but then he kept pushing the button to turn on the printer. I kept moving his hands away and then finally told Declan to "stop it!" To which he instantly responded with a short, stern "stop it" of his own.

Guess he's heard that a lot.