Fluent

Lately, Troy and I have been using our walks to be both educational and exercisonal...I’m not sure that’s a word, but you get the point. We’ve been practicing our Greek while strolling. Well, I practice, and he says, “huh?” a lot. We use whatever we see as inspiration to learn new words, such as an airplane, a car, a bird, a tree, or the moon. Then we try to use it in a sentence so we practice our verbs too. Such as, “do you see the moon?” or “listen to the airplane.” And by practicing over and over, we...or I...start to remember. I’ve never been great at learning new languages, but learning with Troy is a lot of fun. I’m just dreading the day when he leaves me behind to lag in his wake. Oh well, for now, I still have a slight edge.

The Hidden Shoes

Troy stole my wife's shoes today, and we were looking for them everywhere.  We checked under furniture, in cabinets, on top of the desk, in the shower, in the closet, in the plants, behind the TV...and nothing.  Finally, my wife asked him, "Where are mama's shoes?"  To which Troy said nothing, walked into the bedroom, lifted the lid to the hamper, and then walked away.  Recognizing this as his usual avoidance behavior, where he pretends to not hear the question by avoiding being in the same room as us; we kept searching.  Getting more and more frustrated, my wife asked him again, "Where are mama's shoes?"  Again, Troy walked to his hamper, lifted the lid, and then walked away.  

Continued searching...more frustration...and another appeal later.  Troy for a third time walked to the hamper and lifted and closed the lid; but this time, he just stood there looking at us.  Suddenly, a strange thought hit my wife...could he actually understand exactly what we're asking him?  So, she decided to look in the hamper, and sure enough, we found the shoes.  Of course, we were conflicted with feeling incredibly stupid and incredibly proud.  We had to whoop and tell him "Bravo!" for understanding us, even when we didn't understand him.  Then, he stood there with a smug expression on his face, feeling happy and proud of himself.  I'm not sure if it was for duping us or telling us on the first try where exactly he had hid the shoes.  Maybe a little of both.

Coronavirus: The Test

Well, Troy tested negative for COVID. So he has a simple cold after all, which he’s managed to give to everyone in the house now. It’s been a while since we’ve all been sick like this. It sucks, but we’re just glad he’s okay. I blame the sniffly-nosed brats at daycare!

The COVID testing process was a little bit unpleasant for him, as it consisted of them shoving a swab up his nose for five seconds. Which doesn’t sound appealing to anyone, but less so to a baby who didn’t know it was coming and who hates to have his face messed with. But he took it like a trooper, only crying for a short time. The hospital had an efficient system set up to reduce stress about the situation. In fact, the hardest part of the ordeal was trying to get out of the parking lot! Now, a lot of TLC, and we wait.

Passing Cars

Troy has determined that he can now climb up onto the couch in my office, heave himself onto the armrest, and look out the window.  He's the perfect height for looking over the window sill, and now he has the confidence to go with it.  So, while I'm working, he'll stand there looking out the window and watch the passing cars.  And every time one goes by, he'll say, "Vroom, vroom!"  Which is his latest noise to represent what a car sounds like.  Credit for that goes to his mother for showing him all those racing videos.

Hold Him in My Arms

Last night, Troy woke up around midnight, crying inconsolably. I had only just gone to bed, so I got up to soothe him. Nothing worked except picking him up and walking up and down the stairs with him. After he calmed down, I tried to put him back to bed only to have him start crying again. More walking, more stairs. Every time I even stepped into the bedroom, he’d start wailing. More walking, more stairs.

Around 2:00 a.m., I was finally able to get him to fall completely asleep in my arms, but fearing him waking up again, I just held him. My back hurting from carrying him around for two hours, I took him upstairs into his nursery and sat in the recliner my wife had gotten for feeding him when he was small...well, smaller than now.

He slept in my arms for another three hours; mouth open, drooling, snoring softly. Around 5:00 a.m., I was finally able take him to bed with me and get two hours of sleep before he kicked me awake. Needless to say, I’m exhausted. But Troy apparently is sick and had a lot of drainage going down his throat, which his why he was so miserable.  Being upright is the only way he could breathe.

It’s been a long time since I last held him while he slept because he didn’t feel well. And I think it was for the exact same reason. Of course this means that we have to get him COVID tested now before we take him back to the daycare. So, he’ll be the first official member of our family to get COVID tested. Not exactly the honor he should be striving for, but we can’t know for sure what kind of virus he might have.

Τερατακι

Troy now laughs at my meager child prevention tactics.  First of all, my rubber bands around the cabinet handles are no longer strong enough for my Herculean son.  Second of all, he's found that he's tall enough to open the drawers, reach his hand over the edge, grab something interesting, and take off with it.  The one place I don't have rubber bands, and he's found that he can exploit the weakness.

The other day, my wife heard a loud clanging coming from the kitchen.  She ran into the room to find Troy sitting on the floor, surrounded by silverware that he had pulled out of the drawer, and the most innocent look on his face.  As if to say, "I'm not sure how those got there.  I was just sitting here minding my own business, and they jumped out of the drawer."  At first, she was mad, but then he hit her with his cutest smile, and she melted like butter on toast.  Little monster!

The Backwards Duck

I’m not sure what was up with Troy today. After his customary shower, he was walking around in nothing but a diaper, and he leaned down put his hands behind his knees and started walking around like that. Hunched over, sort of waddling like a duck. I didn’t want him to feel bad for being weird, so I started walking around behind him doing it too. And that’s how my wife caught us, duck walking through the room, one behind the other.

Later on, while he was waiting for dinner to get ready, Troy started walking through the kitchen backwards! When he’d bump into something, he’d change direction and keep going. Again, I followed suit so he wouldn’t feel alone.

Now, all he needs is to combine them into the backwards duck! He’s a strange child, and I love him for that. I’m just not sure why he was acting stranger than normal tonight.

Binky

When we're putting Troy to sleep, we'll use all of our old pillow to build walls around him on the bed, so he's not tempted to roll off onto the floor.  One day, my wife noticed that Troy preferred the pillows that have a satin strip around the edge of the pillow.  As he drifted to sleep, we'd find him gently running his hand back and forth along the satin, feeling the way that it slid smoothly underneath his hand.  So, she decided to take one of his pillow and put it into a satin pillow case, so he'd have even MORE satin to caress.  The move was a huge success with Troy, especially when he learned that he could pull the pillow case off the pillow and use it like a blanket.

When Troy went back to daycare, they told us that we could bring a stuff animal or personal item for him to help him feel comfortable while he napped.  Troy doesn't really sleep with any animals (unless you count us), so my wife decided to order him a satin blanket instead.  She got one for the daycare and one for the house.  Troy not only loves sleeping with the blanket, but he likes taking it out of his crib and walking around with it too, blanket dragging on the floor behind him.  I guess we've found his "binky," that extra-special blanket that every child has until it's so worn and frayed that you have no choice but to put it out of its misery.

Sigh...

Troy sure sighs a lot. He’ll say something to us, which we interpret as a question or clarification on something. And we’ll give him a suitable explanation, which isn’t always necessarily what he wants to hear. And he’ll sigh.

Or we’ll explain to him why he’s not allowed to do something, which he believes is fun and therefore open to him. And he’ll sigh.

Or he’ll say something to us, and we’ll reply, but there’s a higher than likely chance that our response had nothing to do with what he said to us. And he’ll sigh.

It’s a big, dramatic sigh too. With a big, dramatic exhalation of air. And sometimes he’ll throw his hands up in the air while doing it just for emphasis, which really gets me. Its like he’s so much smarter than the rest of us that he is frustrated by our stupidity?! And sometimes it makes me feel self-conscious, like I’m a failure for not understanding the complex mind of a one-year old.

The Poison Apple

Troy ate an apple today.  Took a big bite out of it when I wasn't looking and swallowed the entire bite.  I'm sure you're asking why I am writing about such a mundane thing like him eating an apple.  Well, I'm glad you asked.  It's because the apple was Styrofoam.  It was part of our potpourri bowl, and he swiped it and bit a chunk out of the side.  He'd played with that stupid apple a dozen times without ever showing the slightest interest in tasting it, so I'm not sure why he felt the urge today.

Now, we have to wait to make sure it comes out again and that it doesn't lodge in his stomach.  So, I'm now styled a poop forensic scientist.  I get to comb through his emittance, looking for clues of a Styrofoam nature.  Yeah me!  I so love being a father...

Whining

Troy has started doing this obnoxious thing where he will whine constantly for like an hour. He walks around fake crying, making the noise but without the tears. Sometimes, he’ll throw himself on the floor, face on the tile, and kick his legs and slap his hands in a full-blown tantrum.

He doesn’t appear to want anything, as he’ll do it with food or drink in hand. He’ll do it with intermittent stops to play with toys or read a book. He’ll do it while I’m carrying him. He’ll even do it while we’re playing or wrestling. So our only conclusion is that he wants our attention in a way that we’re not providing it. This idea is strengthened by the fact that he doesn’t do this at daycare, where he has constant attention.

But the reason I say it’s obnoxious is that he’ll continue to do it after he has our attention! Pandering to him hasn’t helped and neither has ignoring him. He’s so strong-willed that he persists long after our patience level has given out. And the noise...the very note of his cry...sends my every nerve up the wall. My whole body reacts to it. It’s like my own personal torture device. And I’ve heard this stage could last for years...sigh.

Open Mouth Kisses

Troy has been very affectionate lately, giving us an increased amount of hugs and kisses. Most of the hugs are around the legs, as that is about as high as he can reach. But he kisses us on the legs too. If he's at a higher level, then we'll get them on the cheeks and lips as well. When he spots an opportunity to give us a proper lip kiss, then he comes at us mouth open wide, and he'll encircle our entire mouth with his. I'm not sure where he learned that, because we don't kiss like that. Maybe he's been watching some bad, B-movies or something. I guess it could be worse...at least he doesn't come at us with tongue like Declan does to CC!

Moo Nieu - The Skinny Cow

For some reason, Troy decided today that he was done with pouches. We have tried all day, and he adamantly refuses to eat them. We have sporadically gotten him to eat “people” food, but mostly he just wants to drink. Not good. We have hundreds of pouches, and it was our main source of nutrition for him. Not to mention that my wife has been freaking out about him not eating all of a sudden. He went from constantly hungry to not hungry at all...overnight.

All that I’ve read says this is normal. He could be bored, going through a growth spurt, or just testing his boundaries. We’re supposed to keep trying, because his interest could fluctuate. We’re also supposed to follow his lead, but it’s nerve-racking when you’re constantly worried about whether he’s eating enough and eating well.

Αγρια Ζώακια

Troy has increased his animal sounds and recognition. We’ve added the monkey, donkey, tiger, lion, bear, and wolf to the list of turkey, penguin, and bee.

When he sees or hears “monkey,” he’ll say, “ooh, ooh, ooh.” The funniest part is he did it when we were reading Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw, and he saw one of the sheep dressed up like a gorilla for Halloween.

When he sees or hears “donkey,” he’ll say, “eh, uh, eh, uh.” He also did it when he saw a picture of him and me standing in front of an actual donkey.

“Tiger,” “lion,” and “bear” all elicit the same response, which is a cute, little growl.

And “wolf,” will generate a howl while tilting his head in the air. Sometimes, all three of us will howl at the moon at night, as it shines into our bedroom window. So, he's associated howling with the moon too.

I’ve also heard him trumpet while holding an elephant and grunt while holding a pig, but these sounds have not proven reproducible, so I’m not counting them yet. We've sort of turned him into a party attraction, asking him animal names while talking to people on the phone to get him to make the correct noises. Everyone enjoys his collection of wild animals.

A Good Childhood

I know that Troy will not remember this time of his life years down the road. He won’t remember the games we played, the laughs we had, the moments we shared. But if some remnant should stay in there, if he should recall something one day, then I hope he remembers having a good childhood. I want him to enjoy his life, to laugh every day, and soak up all that life has to offer. And I want him to remember our time together fondly. In other words, I hope he remembers it like I do. I hope he loves me as much as I love him, but that’s not required. I’ll love him regardless.

Comprehension

Troy is truly amazing. His comprehension is off the charts! He may not be able to speak full sentences yet, but he can definitely understand them. We can ask him to do something, and he’ll do it perfectly.

As an example, I was sitting on the couch, taking a break from working outside, and I was really hot and sweaty. Troy was doing his usual running back and forth on the couch. So, I point blank asked him to turn on the fan. I made a circular motion with my finger while pointing at the ceiling to make sure he understood what a fan was. He immediately ran over to the switches, climbed up the back of the couch, looked back at the ceiling fan to make sure he knew which switch he needed, and then correctly picked the left switch and flipped it on. I was astounded. I didn’t think he’d understand what I’d want and be able to execute it perfectly the first time, but he did. I have tested him on the lights as well to be sure he didn’t just get lucky. But he correctly picked the right (meaning not the left) switch when I asked him to turn on the lights.

I guess what’s so amazing about this is that we haven’t been working on it with him. He just put two and two together to work out what we wanted. We taught him about how the switches worked, but he experimented with which switch does what. And then he translated certain words in my request to the things he knows to figure out what I wanted.

Troy is also obsessed with the scale, which my wife keeps in the closet. I’m guessing that he likes the “beep, beep, beep” sound it makes when he steps on it. But maybe he just wants to see if he’s gaining after all the food we’re shoving in his mouth (he’s not). But every morning after he gets up, he’ll trudge into the closet and step on it. I hearing the beeping, and then he comes walking out. I’ll ask him how much he weighed. He’ll give me a heavy sigh and then turn around and head back into the closet. I’ll follow him, and he’ll step up onto the scale again. After the familiar beeps, he’ll step to the side so I can see the number. All with that single question.

He likes to eat breakfast with us on the weekends, but he doesn’t like to sit in his high chair. He prefers to sit directly on the table top. My wife thinks it’s too hard on his delicate bottom, so she’ll tell him to grab her a pillow off the couch. And Troy immediately runs over to the couch, sifts through the pillows to find the exact one he wants, grabs it, comes running back with it in his arms, and hands it to her.

All of these examples are different and required him to combine different concepts and actions to achieve, but he does them all exactly the way we expect. He is a wonder. It’s hard to believe that he’s not even 18 months yet. He definitely has exceeded my expectations. I’m so proud of him!

Voices Carry

Every night when dinner is ready, my wife will send Troy to come get me. If I’m upstairs, then he’ll stand downstairs in the entryway and yell up at the balcony. “Dada, dada, dada, dada!” He’ll go on and on until I walk to the balcony and acknowledge him. Then, he proceeds to say something to me in his unintelligible baby babble, which I interpret to mean something to the affect of, “Mama said dinner is ready, so if you want to eat, then you need to stop working and come downstairs.” I’ll thank him, wrap up what I’m doing, and head downstairs. I can hear him from all over the house. His little voice carries. I love it.

Back to the Basics

Today was Troy’s first day back to daycare. We really weren’t ready for him to go back, but the new daycare is semester-based, so it’s either start now or wait a year. But we think the extra human contact and change of atmosphere will do him some good. He’s been bored at home, and we’ve been unable to properly entertain him. I’m not looking forward to him getting sick constantly again though. The inevitable germs and bacteria that run rampant in a gaggle of toddlers. But I guess I can't avoid it.

After he and my wife left this morning, I made it a whopping five minutes before I broke down in tears. I already missed him being in my space. I also didn’t know what to do with my day, because my whole routine had revolved around him. This is harder than when we had to take him to daycare for the first time. I’m a wreck.

The Lion and the Wildebeest

As often as possible, I try to get down on the floor and play with Troy at his level. What this means; however, is that I end up on my hands and knees, crawling away from him. I go as fast as my tired, old knees can carry me, but obviously I’m not as fast as Troy is running on his two legs. So, he easily overtakes me. But that’s not the issue. The issue is taking me down once he catches me. Since I’m twice his height and more than five times his weight, he has to be creative and determined.

What he usually ends up doing is throwing himself at my hind end, trying to grab me around the hips. His wingspan is not long enough to encircle me yet, and though he tries to squeeze me and hang on, I can always wiggle free and crawl off. He’ll give pursuit again, catch me, and try again. The whole thing reminds me of those nature documentaries we love to watch, where the lions are trying to take down a buffalo or wildebeest. Going solo, they usually have as much success as my son does.

The only times when he manages to have any luck is when he runs at me from the side and rams me at full force with his entire 30 pounds. It’s enough to knock me off balance, and then he can pounce on top of me! And I become the slow, weak wildebeest casualty that couldn’t keep up with the herd.