"Howdy folks, welcome to the Valentines!" says Arlo. We can't wait to introduce this little guy to Big Tex in a few weeks. They will get along well waving at each other all the live long day. It's one of Arlo's favorite things to do partially because he likes to do it but more so he LOVES the response he gets from the rest of us. That first birthday is right around the corner so it's time for a re-cap before he learns any new tricks!
One day last week I followed Arlo around with the camera for three minutes to accurately document his busy-ness.
First he was playing with his toes as Anson was quietly approaching with a hat-like lasso. He thought about going for the doggie but decided to retrace his steps or scoots if you will....
Hmmmmm, is this a picture, a note, a snack? I did remove it from his mouth as he headed the other direction.
He made a mad dash for the stairs while following a brother. Thankfully he has not figured out how to get his knee up on that bottom step yet but we know it's coming! I said "No no Arlo!" He grinned then scooted over to his monster truck & pushed it as fast as he could all the way back to the bookcases where he decided to do some light afternoon reading.
I know this is our fifth baby but really, how could I forget how BUSY a baby on the move is?! All day long he does exactly as he should.... emptying cabinets, pulling book after book off the shelf, tearing the girls school papers, eating crayons, hands in Bella's water bowl or trying to pull her tail, sneaking up behind me & biting my calf while I am doing the dishes & my absolute favorite, splashing in the toilet. Whew, I feel tired just recounting a normal 30 minutes ; )
Seriously though, this child cannot stay away from the toilet. The fastest he scoots is when he sees the bathroom door open. There was an evening where I was getting all three boys ready for a bath. I started the water, Owen & Anson hopped in while I went around the corner for some baby wipes to clean a dirty baby before putting him in the bathtub. Anson started screaming "NO ARLO!" When I came around the corner Arlo was holding onto the rim of the toilet & splashing with his other hand. I screamed & immediately ripped his diaper off to throw him in the tub for sanitization. I happened to forget what I needed the baby wipes for until that diaper hit the ground. Rob came down the hallway to see what all the ruckus was about & found me puzzled about how to order the next steps. Oh we laughed that's for sure but the laughing is now over (for us not him) in regards to playing in the potty.
a bit about Little Bit....
- loves to clap
- cups his hands & wiggles around when you sing "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee"
- he knows where his ears & his head are & loves to show us when his hands are coated in food
- he wiggles his head back & forth when you say "Can you dance?"
- when you show him the sign language for "please" he puts his hand across his mouth & blows on it while waving back & forth
- pulls up quickly & walks while holding onto furniture
- stretches a hand out while standing & can move to other stationary object
- he must have known I was writing this today & had already included that he had not attempted to climb up a step yet....made me a liar!
- loves to play with dirty flip flops, dog bones & anything else you shouldn't play with
- as far as appropriate toys go, he loves anything with wheels, throwing a ball back & forth, & anything that makes noise when you bang it together.
- his very favorite right now is a race track tower that belongs to his older brothers...he pulls up on it & tries so hard to get his car on straight so it will slide down but it is often too tricky. He really likes when someone else sends it down so he can watch it roll away.
- says mama, dada & many other consonants followed by "ah"
- first word other than mama & dada was "Bella" which has been heard three times
- when you ask him to say "yes" he is silent but does an extremely exaggerated head nod multiple times
- sometimes he roams around for a good hour without making a peep as he observes the rest of the crew
- eats every single thing placed in front of him minus bananas...making mama proud!
- giggles non stop with peek a boo
- when it's time to snooze we put him in & he usually pops up, pulls to standing, lets me kiss him then waves bye bye
- tolerates being carried all over the house by older siblings that attempt to squeeze the life out of him
- follows suit with his brothers & collects all sorts of items from the great outdoors....only difference it that he eats them
We have NEVER heard anyone say "look at that hair!" until this guy came along. We have had four baldies at one year old & Arlo has more than all of them combined at 11 months...and it's so light in comparison.
Routine: He is predictable right now which is fabulous! Starting in the evening, he nurses around 7 & goes to bed, wakes around 6 to nurse & goes back to bed till around a 7:30 breakfast time. He prefers a little milk then a morning snooze from about 9:30-11 then joins us for lunch & play time followed by another milk break & nap from 1:30-3:30 or later. Sometime between nap & dinner he nurses again just to keep the whining at bay. What a good life huh? I'll admit I'm a little jealous when I tuck him into his cozy bed with a sound machine twice a day while the rest of the crew are running full speed through the Nest. Our plan was to move him in with the big boys once we were settled in the new house but he still resides in the room next door for various reasons such as Owen & Anson give us a great deal of trouble at bedtime & like to wake up before the sun comes up, they are also a little too quick at jumping into Arlo's crib to "check on him" & they like to share toys like hot wheels which happen to be a choking hazard. All that to say, I do hope it's not much longer till it works out for the three buckaroos to enjoy their bunkhouse.
Birthday plans are in full swing as we are still in disbelief that this handsome lad is turning ONE in just a few weeks. He is a delight.
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