His current existence might be summed up by saying he is on the move. Since he discovered his ability to clamber up the stairs a month ago, he has spent most of his waking time attempting just that. I regularly discover him sitting at the top of the stairs doing nothing in particular, just waiting for me to come bask in the joy of his wonderful accomplishment. So far he hasn't attempted the descent, even by accident, but I'm just waiting for that moment to come. His love of the stairs is so great that he has invented a way to teleport himself through a barricade consisting of two to three dining room chairs placed in various configurations at the foot of the stairs, without moving them or making a sound. No, but seriously, I've never seen him do it, but the chairs apparently are small fries for this guy. Carrying him upstairs for diaper changes and bedtimes? No deal. He will wiggle and squirm until I concede and let him crawl up himself. Usually, I give in at the landing, and head up the stairs ahead of him to enjoy the sight of his little grinning face bobbing toward me as he climbs. This activity rivals only the eating of cheerios for Isaac's greatest pleasure.
Isaac splashes around in the bathtub with his big sister, squealing with delight and tolerating her bossy ways. He tries to climb into the tub by himself (which, a baby boy trying to climb over something that is clearly too big for him, while naked, is the dearest, funniest thing to watch!). He succeeds in climbing onto the bathroom stepstool, two steps up, while hanging for dear life onto the drawer, which he pulls out for that purpose. My little problem solver.
Splashing in the toilet, unrolling the toilet paper, demolishing window blinds. These are a few more of his favorite things. Along with unabashedly watching his sister do every little thing she does. I can only hope he is learning all her tricks and foibles, because it would be such a breeze to have two with her penchant for opinions and independence. They enjoy each other so much, whether obliviously engaging in parallel play or vying for the same blue mega block (they are not created equal and it's apparently not worth having if it is not also worth fighting for).
Other miscellaneous details: He's been in size 12 month clothing for a few months now (well, ought to have been...I've been squeezing him into some 6-9 shirts until my parents' birthday package for him arrived last week!). Six teeth present and accounted for. Eating some finger foods but prefers being spoon fed for most things because if you could get somebody else to do your work, wouldn't you? Says mama, dada, banana, moo, and amen if you know what to listen for, usually repeating after somebody rather than saying them spontaneously (he'll answer "What does a cow say?"). He signs "all done!" after meals and tends to just gesture wildly for "more" and "drink". We get the point. My little pragmatist. He waves, claps, tells us he is "so big!" or, as we joke, "sorta big", because he often throws up just one hand.
Favorite foods include, in order of preference, cheerios, graham crackers, banana puffs, anything with applesauce, oatmeal, yogurt, anything with black beans. He's grown tired of plain avocado lately but will eat it with yogurt or applesauce stirred in. Ditto sweet potato, we sometimes have to add some seasoning or other food. He eats a whole bowl of oatmeal with a banana and yogurt stirred in for breakfast. Meats are no sweat, and he loves most veggies and potatoes. Of all things he loves to eat, his cookie monster-blue birthday cupcakes were not among them. He was decidedly underwhelmed and even cried when I tried to force-feed him a bite.
His temperament is so mellow and quiet most of the time. He can tolerate so much of Mikayla's toddler antics, and sits peacefully when I tow them to doctor's appointments and the store. People marvel at how great my kids are, and I attribute it to Joel's laid-back 50% of the gene pool for sure.
In closing, I told Mikayla that I am writing a birthday post for Isaac, and asked what I should write. Mikayla would like to share a very robust "Happy birthday to you!" with her little brother.
Measurements coming soon. His one-year well baby visit is tomorrow, and then I'll come back and update with his weight and length for the record books you are all keeping at home.
**We had a great doctor's appointment! He weighed in at 24.4 lbs and 30.5" long, 75th percentile for both. The nurse practitioner thought he looked perfect in every way other than that pesky diaper rash, which is totally going to embarrass him later if he ever looks back on his birthday posts when he is older.
Meanwhile, we will continue to praise God for the sweet, surprise blessing of Isaac. I feel like I say this all too often, and yet not nearly enough: We are undeserving of such goodness from the Lord's hand. Thank you, dear Father, for the great challenges and rewards of parenthood.
