11 months old -- Toddler Preview!

Silas turns 11 months old on Saturday. Although technically not a toddler until his first birthday, apparently, he is trying to earn his toddler chops a bit early. Here's a glimpse of Si's current "antics" and a preview of what lies in store for us over the coming months.

Washing machine. Silas loves opening the door. Over and over again. And over again. The only way to prevent him from doing this all day long is to close the bathroom door (where our washer and dryer are located) and keep him out:
Yes. He knows how to turn the dials, push buttons, etc. This is probably because we often have him help us start loads of laundry (hey, get them working young, right?):
Drawers are made for opening, and clothes are made to be tossed on the floor:
This is the window ledge above the bed. We're SO glad he can reach it now:
We just discovered that the baby gate we got for the stairs will not work on ours. Until we find one that does, we'll have to watch him like a hawk (notice the outstretched hand):
Fire place. I don't think I need to say anything more about this one:
Not pictured: Silas can reach the dial on the stove and can turn the oven on. We're so proud of him and hope that he never unintentionally blows us all up.

Let the countdown begin!

In just over a month, Silas will turn one year old! Woo-hoo! The new doodad I've added above will count down till the big day. The counter will reach 0:0:0:0 at 11:04 am on March 16th, the exact time of Si's birth. 30 days and counting!

"Real" Food

Introducing new foods to babies, as most of you know, is a matter of trial and error. When we first started Silas on solids, I naively thought that I'd make all, or at least most of his food fresh. But after he repeatedly rejected anything that didn't come out of a jar (except bananas), I all but gave up. Food sent through the baby food mill, while perfectly pureed by adult standards, met with gags and tears. With the successful introduction of Breakfast O's, however I've now begun again to offer him other finger foods. In the picture, Silas is eating a piece of mango, which he actually does like, though you'd never know it from his expression. He's also eating cooked green beans, blueberries, brown rice and the occasional teething biscuit. He does not like cooked carrots, potato, or pears (unless they come out of a jar of course). And, unlike his buddy Alden, Avocados are a no-go. We'll try them again some time when we're feeling adventurous.

A-Caucusing We Did Go

Yesterday was the WA state caucus. It was the first time Silas and his mom and dad attended a caucus (there is no such thing in WI). You basically have to hold an advanced degree in mathematics to figure out how the Democrats translate votes into delegates, it is that complicated. Our precinct had 80 voters. The initial tally was 59 for Obama (woo-hoo) , 19 for Clinton, and 2 undecided. After that tally, Clinton and Obama supporters got to debate for their candidate in order to sway the undecided voters or anyone else that may want to switch camps. In the end, one of the undecided people swung for Obama. Our precinct has 6 delegates, so that means that 5 will go for Obama, 1 for Clinton. They will meet at the county convention in April. There were a lot of people from three precincts crammed in a small elementary school gym, and I'm pleased to say that Silas did very well, taking in all of the hoopla with no major meltdowns. He won't tell us who he's leaning towards in the presidential race, however, but that's ok. We respect his right to voter privacy :)

Books are not for eating

Silas LOVES books. He thinks they are an excellent source of fiber. We have to watch him pretty closely to make sure he doesn't take a big chunk out of whatever he's "reading." For this reason, we have to limit his access to books all together :( Since we still want to read to him everyday, we've developed a new technique wherein one parent holds Silas while the other holds the book--just out of reach. Tonight we read a book that Silas adores; Close Your Eyes by Kate Banks. He did cry a bit when we put it away, but otherwise did very well and really enjoyed it (we read it twice!). By the way, Silas is examining a very cool board book that Heather sent from Korea in the first two pictures. Thanks, Heather!

A short film in which Silas crawls

When I was on the phone with Si's Grandma and Papa Bryant on Sunday, they mentioned that they regretted not seeing him crawl (he'll probably be walking at the rate he's going by the time they visit in May). So, I shot this quick video. Proof--he does crawl. Fast. Very, very fast.

Discovery

Look, our son is a genius! He stacked these discovery blocks all by himself!
Ok, maybe mom helped a little. Ok, maybe mom stacked them and Silas knocked them over so that mom could stack them again. All part of the creative process. He actually will try to take off blocks without knocking the whole stack over, but his motor skills are not quite there yet, and 9 times out of 10, they all go tumbling. He likes to examine each block and will shake the ones that make sound. His favorite is the blue block with the red circular piece inside that he can push in and out and shake. And for some reason, he likes to hold the red one and chew on it from time to time. The red one is the tastiest, apparently.

Lil' Bruiser

Here's a hat and sweater combo I made for Silas--perfect for the cold weather we've been having lately. I've posted 4 additional pictures and more info on my knitting blog. Please click on KNITBOOK to link to this post (the post is on January 28th, 2008) If you're interested.

Rocking Out

If you saw Silas attempt the rocking horse when he first got it on Christmas Eve, you'd have observed the following: both parents holding on to a confused baby that assumed this was just another chew toy. Well, the rocking horse is still chewable by Silas' standards, but in just a month, he's figured out it's main purpose--ROCKING! (see video for proof) He only needs our help now to lift him on and off, and of course, we still need to stay right next to him, just in case. Still, he's getting better and better at it everyday. In fact, sometimes he rocks out so hard, we're afraid the whole horse will go flying backward (seems pretty sturdy so far, though). Rock on, Silas.

Froggy, want a new tooth?

Silas is FINALLY cutting another tooth! I felt it this morning and it is coming in fast. It explains his behavior lately, namely the irregular sleep pattern (or lack there of). Last night, he went to bed late (ok, it was only 8 o'clock, but that's almost 2 hours later than normal for Silas), and this morning he was up about an hour early, at 5 am. Before finally falling asleep last night, he lay in bed softly whimpering, poor baby. I've been examining his gums (as much as he'll let me) and I think it's safe to say that several more will be coming in before too much longer. Huzzah!

Stands With Crocodiles

Just yesterday Silas was able to stand solo with his crocodile walking toy for the first time. He's improved at both crawling and walking over just the past few days. Our awesome new bamboo shag rug probably accounts for the improvement in crawling, since we're able to have him on the floor a lot more. We have a great play area now. In the background, you'll see the neglected play pen. It's good at holding things and acts as a barrier to keep Silas from crawling in that direction, but we never really put him in it. He's inclined to hate it. Oh well.

Silas really likes his wooden toys, including the new pull toy and xylophone Grandma and Papa just sent him. It's wonderful to have a few quality and ascetically pleasing toys for him to engage with in creative play. He's having a lot of fun, these days!

Plays with Toys

Silas is a lucky boy. He's got lots of great wooden toys to play with. Here he is, crawling around and playing with blocks, a xylophone, a cat, a pull toy, etc.