Good to Go

We just got back from Ignacio's 9 MONTH checkup!!! I can't believe it. His next one will be when he is 1!! He is coming in at a hearty 21 pounds and 29 inches long. As he attempted to eat the doctor's stethescope he babbled and smiled, happy as could be. Oh, and the doctor said he should outgrow this not-wanting-to-sleep thing. Angel and I have decided that we can't let him "cry it out" and have taken to a new consistent routine that we hope will provide the right environment for him to figure it all out. Between separation anxiety, teething and an incesant desire to do all his tricks (talk, crawl and stand-up) this might be awhile. So while HE isn't crying, let's hope mom and dad don't either!!! I am thankful today for Ignacio's health and spirit. He loves life and he loves me, and for today that is all that matters.

Full Circle

Manson Lake is a place that is sewn into the essense of who I am so there are really no words to describe the experience of what it was like to spend time at one of my favorite places in the whole world with Ignacio for the first time. All I can say is that the trip was one "full circle" moment after another.

Full Circle

On our way back from the cottage we just couldn't pass the HWY 97 Athens sign and so we veered off and traveled the 6 miles so the family could meet Ignacio and have his first experience at the World's Fair. We all agreed that, if in the future Ignacio is in therapy trying to figure out where it all went wrong, it will be this moment in his early childhood! It was so good to see everyone and as we piled back in the car my heart was happy that we stopped!

I love my kid...

I absolutely love my kid. He is the funniest little one I have ever met. Let's take dancing. When Ignacio hears any music he begins to rock his head side to side and look for me, wanting to make sure I am watching. Even when by himself on the floor playing I will just see the back of his head rocking back and forth as he delights in the music of one of his toys. Now when eating he thinks it is funny to shake his head back and forth in an effort to get mommy to do it, which of course she does. How can I resist? Yesterday after pulling himself up to standing he heard music and I could see the wiggle in his little butt and can forecast some great dancing in the months to come.

He has also figured out that he can move one arm while holding the other still. WAVING! We practiced for 20 minutes before daddy got home to prepare for the big reveal but as Angel walked in the door Ignacio was so overcome with joy that the plan went out the window. Who has time for concentrated motor movement when one of your favorite people comes home?

And lastly, I can not get enough of his babbling. It is so cute. His favorite sounds are, "da-da", "ba-ba", and "ya-ya". The other night, just as Mike Phelps was about to win his second gold medal in China, Ignacio woke up. I quickly patted Angel's leg as my eyes stayed glued to the televison, sending the non-verbal message that it was his turn to go pat Ignacio's hinder. As the relay continued I was on the edge of my bed with excitement and I could hear Ignacio's whimper turn into a full on cry as Angel tried to calm him in the next room. Then, I heard it, "mama mama mama." I took a moment to take the moment in and made my way to the bedroom. Maybe he said it without purpose, maybe it was just random babble, but my heart decoded it in a second. And so, as I picked Ignacio up out of Angel's arms and loved him, I quickly recognized I had just won my own gold medal. The "mama" medal.

Sleep Strike

Ignacio is one night away from officially declaring what I like to call a "sleep strike." By this I mean that he finds no real pleasure in the quiet slumber of the night, but rather prefers to be awake, talking to the animals on his wall, crying for mom and dad or talking to himself in the dark. Side note: You may have guessed that an infant-induced sleep strike translates to mom and dad tossing and turning, getting up trying to put him down and wishing, oh wishing, there was a manual for this. If one observes this little being during the day it is impossible to conceive that there is ANY energy left to carry on such a strike. With standing up now under his belt he finds no real reason to sit, let alone lay down. His new-found babbling allows him to believe he is carrying on the most profound monologue ever, however I have yet to figure out what the elephant on the wall REALLY needs to know at 3am. At the park he crawls after any animal that passes, be it the dog on a walk, the squirrel minding his own business or the pigeon just passing by. Every encounter appears as if there is some party Ignacio has to get to quickly as not to miss out on something such as the squirrel eating all the appetizers or the pigeons choosing the music selection. The animals, upon seeing an excited crawling creature coming towards them scurry away. Maybe I am the one breaking up the party and don't even know it. All I know is that parenting Ignacio at 3am is practice in meditation, focus, patience and love. Rather than focus on what isn't happening (sleeping) I am forced to focus on what is (he's not sleeping). I imagine myself as a container that holds whatever he is bringing to the experience, whether I like it or not. The container really never has a right to judge what it gets to hold. I am sure when he is older and trying to escape my embarrassing presence as a teenager or calling me at 3am to ask me what he should do with his screaming child, I will recollect fondly on these fleeting moments, remembering when they felt like an eternity or at least a strike with no good negotiations in sight.

All Rise!!

Angel went into Ignacio's room yesterday morning only to find him proudly STANDING in his crib, white knuckles grasping to the side rail with a smile on his face. I couldn't believe it so I went into the room after his first nap to see for myself. There he was, four white teeth peeled with a smile and my big boy standing up with ease as if he had done it millions of times before. Later in the day after his second nap I went in and he was standing and biting the wooden rail. I quickly intervened only to look closely. All along the rail were teeth marks, much like a beaver's. They were on the back (from his bottom teeth) and the front (from the top teeth). Angel and I then explained to Ignacio that he wasn't a chipmunk or a beaver and that, at the rate he was going, he was going to widdle his crib down to something we could sell at next year's art fair. He didn't seem to care as he wasn't the one who stood in Babies R' Us for three hours trying to pick it out. So, we are moving on the next chapter in the ever-developing story of Ignacio, my upright little chippy.