The L.A. Dime

Mister Clayton has figured out how much fun playgrounds can be…..

I’m updating the kids’ scrapbooks today and here’s Clay’s “at one year” entry:

• You are babbling all the time; some of your sounds sound a little like Chinese but almost like you are getting ready to say something quite important
  • Sometimes you and Sophie will have your own conversations where she makes a sound and you will mimic it
• You love shoes – anytime you see one, you pick it up and will carry it all over the house
• You have discovered books and will sit in front of your bookshelf for a good 20 minutes pulling out each book, looking at it and then sticking it back on the shelf; you’re not patient enough to sit when I try to read to you but we’re making progress
• You love to dance! Anytime we put music on you swing your arms around and bounce up and down with a big smile on your face
  • You and Sophie will also play musical instruments together so anytime you can bang 2 things together that make noise, you are a happy boy
• You don’t really like sitting still in shopping carts or highchairs at restaurants – although as long as there are snacks involved, you’ll tolerate it
• You’re eating all table food now and love fruits, veggies, tofu and chicken; oh, and you absolutely love milk; after trying a few different ones, we finally found a sippy cup (one with a straw) that you liked and now are drinking from it any chance you get; you still also get super excited when you see the YoBaby yogurt and open your mouth really wide before I even get the spoon close to your mouth
  • You really seem to enjoy eating – and lots of it – you are currently eating the same (if not more) than Sophie and will slam your hands down in a fist if your tray is empty and you are still hungry
• You still take 2 naps a day – one around 9:30ish and another one around 3:30ish….you fall asleep on your own and we’ve learned that you like to lay on your belly, but on top of your soft blanket so you can bury your face in it and wrap your arms around it
  • No more pacifiers but you still take a bottle before bed (which we are going to start weaning you off in the next couple of weeks)
  • You’re sleeping through the night almost 100% of the time
• You started walking about 2 weeks after your first birthday…it started with walking by holding our hands, and then pulling up on furniture so you can “walk along” the couch or bed  and then standing up from a sitting position, until finally, you took your first step
  • Now you almost run from room to room, seeing where we are or following Sophie around; you are really enjoying our new backyard and have learned how to turn around and go down steps on your belly
  • We’ve started putting shoes on you and anytime I get them out to put on your feet, you giggle – almost like you’ve figured out we’re going someplace and you are ready for whatever adventure is next
• You enjoy exploring and doing what Sophie does – whether that’s playing in the sandbox, or the baby pool (you really, really like the water and taking baths) or playing with Babies or trying to color
• You are 32.5 inches long, weigh 24lbs, 8oz and have 8 teeth

Took a quick trip to Venice where we had a ton of beach time — Sophie loves being in the ocean and just floats around with her swimmies on and Clay, boy, he loves to sit and splash — and visited Mickey and the gang at Disneyland.

Here is a video of Clay on the day he began to crawl.

And here he is cracking up in laughter at his sister, watching her throw legos.

Month 7 marked a big milestone for you – being able to sit totally unassisted and for long periods of time! You love this new freedom of being able to see the world from a different perspective and grabbing whatever is in front of you.

By month 8 you have learned how to scoot yourself around in a circle (while staying on your butt) and even moving yourself forwards to get a toy.

You have also started to laugh out loud – especially when we are silly with you and make a big “O” with your mouth when you are excited.

Eating has become a lot easier and you are slowly starting to use your “pincher fingers” to pick up small baby waffers. You don’t always find your mouth but are determined to keep trying.

Bath time is getting fun too as you splash around and still seem surprised every time the water gets in your face. You are however almost too big for the baby bath.

You are wearing 12 -18 month clothing

Your favorite game seems to me dumping items out of a bucket and playing with crinkly paper. You are also fascinated by books — not really by listening to what they are about, but rather trying to eat each page

You have 2 teeth – the bottom front ones

Are a sweet baby boy who loves his sister and is so very loved by all of us!

….turned 6 months this past Saturday!! And here’s what you’ve been up to:

• Are able to sit for a few minutes by yourself before getting wobbly and falling over on your side; you do however really seem to enjoy this new freedom of seeing your world from a new perspective and picking up toys placed in front of you
• Still love to be on your belly and have figured out how to stick your butt up in the air and push your legs back & forth so you can move your whole body around in a circle or towards something that you’d like to play with
• Are getting great at grabbing objects – whether they’re meant for you or not
• Have found your feet and are sticking them into your mouth any chance you get
• Continue to be more verbal – your raise and lower your voice and we can even get you to laugh out loud by moving your arms and legs up & down
• Take baths in the baby bath tub and love it when I squeeze water from the washcloth on your chest
• Take a big (2+ hours) nap in the morning and then another shorter one in the afternoon; you go to bed around 7:30pm and wake up for one bottle around 3am; you share a room with your sister and don’t seem to be bothered as she tells herself stories before she falls asleep; you love to fall asleep with your “rice-filled socks” on either side of your head so you can snuggle up against them
• Are slowly getting used to eating rice cereal and jar food – the first few weeks weren’t so easy…every time I’d stick a spoon in your mouth, you’d shake your head, get goose bumps all over your arms and spit the food right back out; we weren’t sure if it was the new texture or taste that you had to get used to but not until I gave you pears, did you finally decide to keep it in your mouth; since then, we’ve also learned that you prefer the spoon go in your mouth sideways so you can suck the food off rather than me putting it on your tongue; you love all the “orange” foods like squash, carrots and sweet potatoes but could pass on the “greens” like peas and green beans

Dr. JJ is very happy about your development too. Your weight today is 19.4lbs and you are 29.5 inches long

….is smiling a lot…especially when we talk to him but also when he sees his bottle
….has learned to fall asleep on his own
….is taking 2-3 naps that are up to 1 hour now
….holds on tight to our fingers (and sometimes Sophie’s hair)
….has improved greatly with “fixing on and following” an object
….enjoys tummy time and keeps his head up a little longer each time
….tolerates the swing but really loves his play mat…he smiles and talks at the sun and the birds
….enjoys going on stroller rides
….lights up whenever Sophie comes over to talk to or play with him
….is getting more and more hair
….has discovered his hands and sucks on them quite a bit
….has made our house an even happier and love-filled home

Last night we put the camera on Clayton to get his thoughts on his first eleven weeks. Watch here:

Little Man has Something to Say.

A work friend of mine recently started a photography business on the side and asked if she could use Clay to practice taking baby pictures and using a few new props. We were happy to help, knowing that if we got just one great picture out of it, it’d be well worth it. After a 30 minute set-up that involved a blue background, a mini bean bag and lots of super cute hats, it was Clay’s turn to show off those baby blue eyes. He was a trooper through several hat changes, lighting adjustments and prop switches….here are the results….

Oh, big sister Sophie also had her time in the spot light!

A huge Thank You to Diana for reaching out to us and coming to the house — if you’re in the LA area and would like to get some beautiful shots yourself…check out www.dianalundin.com