Time to Child Proof....

We did a little baby proofing earlier in the old house. But that was a joke. Now, we REALLY have to watch Leon. He can lift up the toilet seat and drop items in (or worse, splash in the water and drink it). He can open the stove and even turn the knobs. If the fridge is open, he takes out the eggs, or whatever is reachable. The first time he did those things it was kinda of cute and funny. But now, no one is laughing. It's not cool to have your toothbrush dropped in the toilet! We installed toilet seat locks today and then had to remove it because it worked (too well, neither Jeff or I could figure out how to open the toilet)!

Not a baby anymore

Right before we moved Leon's daycare mentioned moving him to the toddler room. "The toddler room?!?!?," I thought. Well yes, he is walking (now he's close to running) but barely and yeah he can say a couple of words (like dog, maaam, da-da, and hi) but he can't communicate. But the truth is, he really isn't a baby anymore. He knows what he wants and he tries hard to get it. He lets us know when he is sleepy and when he does not want to eat (yes, he does sometimes not want to eat). He likes swinging on the playground and sliding down the slide (to be honest when those things were mentioned I thought, "impossible, he is too little, he'll fall out and hit his head"). He likes to ride in the front of the shopping cart. He likes to feed himself, peas, corn, ravioli, bread, pizza, quesadillas, pancakes, bagels, fruit, etc (yes, he loves carbs and dairy...definitely not training for a show). It's taking some time getting used to it all; seems like he went from our little baby to a big toddler overnight.

Nanny 911

Today was Leon's last day at day care. He went to day care from 5.5 months to 13 months old. In a few days he will have a new child care situation. He'll have a nanny! We are moving to a location where nannies are more common than day care. Luckily my mom is also traveling with us so we he won't have to transition over night to a stranger. In some ways I am relieved to have the day care experience over. Don't get me wrong! I loved his teachers. They seemed to care about him and enjoy their job. I also appreciated the establishment's schedules, security, and cleanliness. However, I did not like the fact that Leon seemed to have a cough and/or runny nose since he started day care or that it seemed like he slept less at day care. And everyone knows how much I loathed the food situation (not organic, not necessarily whole, and included lots of things I wouldn't feed a baby like ham and cheese macaroni or Lorna Doodle cookies (prob very tasty but not something I would give a baby).

Still I am a little leery about the switch. Leon seemed to enjoy the company of the other kids. What happens when it's just him? Will he miss out on anything?

I'll have to make sure his nanny takes him to play dates and does not "spoil" him.

It should be a great experience. She will work with him on his foreign language skills, and I will have more control (and some would say I love control, lol) over his menu, among other things.

Zoo Date

Leon has gone on a couple of one-on-one play dates with the cutest baby girl on the planet! She is adorable! Let's call her M for short. Here they are at the zoo. Their other play dates have been dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant, splashing and swimming in the pool and guitar class. I hear a lot of people say that "play dates" are really just "mommy dates." But M's mommy and I try to get together so the babies can play and learn something new (though there's nothing wrong with the play date at the coffee/tea shop).

Also, check out the video of Leon...he thinks every none human is a dog!

The Terrible Ones

So, everyone talks about the terrible twos but what about the terrible ones? Leon seems to be getting more and more determined everyday. That's great! He is more determined to walk, to eat with a spoon/fork, to talk, to even help around the house like emptying the fridge or dishwasher. But that also means he is more determined to do whatever he wants including putting things in his mouth that should not be touched or crawling/walking while I am trying to change his diaper (this picture I was trying to get him undressed in the morning and he wanted to chase the cat). I try not to laugh at him when he gets mini-emotional. But it is really funny. He starts crying like the world is coming to an end and then SNAP like that he stops if I give him what he wants, distract him, or give him something to eat (that's the easiest way).

Walking

Here's a video of Leon walking! He took his first steps this Tuesday at a friends house. Then he walked to me on Wednesday morning. He seems to forget that he can walk now. But I know soon he'll start running, kicking, hiking, etc. Enjoy this glimpse into his future!

Techno Baby

Leon loves technology. He loves blackberries, Ipads, Iphones, and if nothing else is around he'll grab the remote control. Here's a video of him turning on and playing with my camera. I probably shouldn't let him do that. Maybe that's why my cell phone isn't working anymore...