Baby diary: 15 months 3 weeks
Apr. 4th, 2020 08:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
petroniaMom gave Alan a haircut around his ears, but didn't go around the back, so he has an incipient mullet situation. Still, he looks a lot neater.
Top first molars are coming in, which corresponds with another spate of biting my clothes, and through them, me. Alan now readily accepts a pacifier as substitute, though. I don't want him to get too dependent on it, but it does calm him right down, and he guzzles less milk as a result. It's hard to put him down for his naps, though. When I'm not working, I usually fail and let him sleep on me on the couch. I can do some reading or the crossword, but don't really get any alone time until after 9pm, and then I'm usually too tired for anything but a spot of wind-down yoga and 30 minutes of the Criterion Channel. There's no way of knowing when he'll sleep through the night, and when he'll wake up shrieking at 2am or 5am.
I've resigned myself to the nursery rhyme YouTube channel; they're all songs I meant to teach him anyway, that were not coming to mind unaided, and it's not impossible to distract him from the TV. We read all the books that have flaps (the words are a mere contrivance, the flaps are the real deal), do some wobbly tower building, scribble on paper, walk around with him holding onto my finger. But when he wants to carry something in his hand from room to room, he'll get down and army crawl like a Marine with a gun... he hasn't figured out that it would go better if he went bipedal, or even put the toy in his pocket... Every once in a while he sits in his high chair and supervises while I cook or bake. Encouraging his helpfulness - unloading the dishwasher by handing me spoons to dry, for instance - or moving socks from the washer to the dryer, though this requires me to deadlift him (dryer is on top of the washer) which is considerable exercise. The other day he stole a Kleenex, but instead of eating or shredding it he wiped the bathroom floor for some minutes. Then he took another Kleenex and wiped the dining table. Which he's able to climb up on, from a dining chair, if I don't head him off.
There is also the great outdoors. Alan's learnt to indicate that he wants to put his coat on for walks. I brought up the balcony furniture from storage, a month before I usually do. It's pleasant out there on sunny spring afternoons, which I rarely get a chance to experience when working as usual. A is able to stroll around the railings and watch the neighbours about their business. We even get to interact, calling out to each other in true Balconville style. Alan's always hyped to see S out and about with his mom - S's parents are both WFH and he spends the day at his grandparents' - walking around, splashing in puddles and picking up rocks in the alley below - although they can't play together. Alan's starting to form a sense of the immediate surroundings, I hope. He's always upset to see the front door close on his grandparents after saying goodbye, but it calms him down if we immediately go to the window and watch them come out the building's front door below - ideally, crossing the street, waving, and getting into their car where Alan can see them. For some reason, he can accept that they get in a car and drive off; that's not the same as Going Away behind a door.
I will note that we joined a Zoom dance party, briefly, with the Singles Jukebox writers. Alan seemed to have fun! At least, he didn't destroy my phone.
Top first molars are coming in, which corresponds with another spate of biting my clothes, and through them, me. Alan now readily accepts a pacifier as substitute, though. I don't want him to get too dependent on it, but it does calm him right down, and he guzzles less milk as a result. It's hard to put him down for his naps, though. When I'm not working, I usually fail and let him sleep on me on the couch. I can do some reading or the crossword, but don't really get any alone time until after 9pm, and then I'm usually too tired for anything but a spot of wind-down yoga and 30 minutes of the Criterion Channel. There's no way of knowing when he'll sleep through the night, and when he'll wake up shrieking at 2am or 5am.
I've resigned myself to the nursery rhyme YouTube channel; they're all songs I meant to teach him anyway, that were not coming to mind unaided, and it's not impossible to distract him from the TV. We read all the books that have flaps (the words are a mere contrivance, the flaps are the real deal), do some wobbly tower building, scribble on paper, walk around with him holding onto my finger. But when he wants to carry something in his hand from room to room, he'll get down and army crawl like a Marine with a gun... he hasn't figured out that it would go better if he went bipedal, or even put the toy in his pocket... Every once in a while he sits in his high chair and supervises while I cook or bake. Encouraging his helpfulness - unloading the dishwasher by handing me spoons to dry, for instance - or moving socks from the washer to the dryer, though this requires me to deadlift him (dryer is on top of the washer) which is considerable exercise. The other day he stole a Kleenex, but instead of eating or shredding it he wiped the bathroom floor for some minutes. Then he took another Kleenex and wiped the dining table. Which he's able to climb up on, from a dining chair, if I don't head him off.
There is also the great outdoors. Alan's learnt to indicate that he wants to put his coat on for walks. I brought up the balcony furniture from storage, a month before I usually do. It's pleasant out there on sunny spring afternoons, which I rarely get a chance to experience when working as usual. A is able to stroll around the railings and watch the neighbours about their business. We even get to interact, calling out to each other in true Balconville style. Alan's always hyped to see S out and about with his mom - S's parents are both WFH and he spends the day at his grandparents' - walking around, splashing in puddles and picking up rocks in the alley below - although they can't play together. Alan's starting to form a sense of the immediate surroundings, I hope. He's always upset to see the front door close on his grandparents after saying goodbye, but it calms him down if we immediately go to the window and watch them come out the building's front door below - ideally, crossing the street, waving, and getting into their car where Alan can see them. For some reason, he can accept that they get in a car and drive off; that's not the same as Going Away behind a door.
I will note that we joined a Zoom dance party, briefly, with the Singles Jukebox writers. Alan seemed to have fun! At least, he didn't destroy my phone.
