During the really nice weather we had not to long ago we visited quite a few parks and the Lincoln Park Zoo. Here are a couple pictures from our super-happy-it’s-so-nice-outside-fun-time.
Cavan’s first carousal ride, he really liked it despite the look of concentration on his face!
Slides are fun!
Tired out and relaxing in the Stegosaurus
A few weekends ago we decided to go explore Chinatown….
A street in Chinatown with the Sears Tower (soon to be the Willis Tower) in the background
Some pretty architecture
The Chinatown Arch
Part of the Dragon Wall (it was too big to fit into one shot…)
Cavan sitting the the main square after burning off all his energy running around it
Shannon by his Zodiac Statue - The Pig
Me by my Zodiac Statue - The Ram
Cavan by his Zodiac Statue - The Rat
For St. Patrick’s Day the city dyes the Chicago River green, bright green! We went down to the river to see it, and afterward there was a parade south of town. Cavan had a lot of fun looking at everything, especially the people all decked out in their sparkly green gear staggering through the streets.
The green river!
Mommy and Cavan by the river
Watching the Parade with Daddy
An update with a whole lot of pictures will be coming soon, as soon as I have some time to sit long enough to write some cohesive thoughts and upload the photos!
Cavan is 13 months old now, so I thought it was time for another update! Over the last month we’ve all been sick with different variations of a cold and flu, the worst being the stomach flu that kicked this all off. Shannon and Cavan are better now, but I’m still having issues with a cough and chest congestion.
Our boy is really into playing with blocks lately, our friends brought him some foam blocks that look like wood and some Legos, and he’s been playing with them every day. He especially likes to offer them to the bunny, and toss them over the top of the baby gate. He has also decided that when he’s done with his milk for a moment, the sippy cup goes over the baby gate. Two days ago we went to Trader Joe’s (a grocery store that gives kids balloons) and Cavan got himself a balloon. He loves it, at first he had to fight with the cat over it (Caesar wanted to eat the string and didn’t care if Cavan was holding it or not) but the cat lost interest. Because the Trader Joe’s balloons are biodegradable, the helium leaks out after a day. That hasn’t stopped Cavan from playing with his balloon though, as I write this he is dragging it along behind him squealing and laughing with glee. The boy is weird, no doubt about it!
Cavan also learned to jump on the couch. He was playing on it the other day and he decided to stand up, which he decided was hilarious so he started jumping up and down. It’s all been downhill from that point, and I’m going to have a heart attack. Also added to his repertoire of behaviors is the “angry squeal.” Whenever he gets frustrated or mad he has started making a “Agh!” sound. I guess it’s better than a tantrum or crying…
Walking is now is preferred method of locomotion, followed closely by running. He’s a pro at walking, but the running could use some practice. Cavan’s favorite game is “I’m gonna get you” with Daddy. He also likes to bite my toes when I try to work on the computer.
In other news, I’ve been looking for work. I’m working on getting my resume put together and sent to a job that I’d really love to get. Of course, if I’d love to get it that means 500 million other people are also applying for it, so we’ll see. I just need to brush up my resume enough to convey my sheer awesomeness to potential employers. I think Cavan would enjoy a daycare at this point, it would be playtime for him with other kids. He rarely sees other kids and when he does he gets very excited, I feel bad for the poor boy! We do go to playgroups, but it’s hit and miss whether or not we’ll find one close to where we are, and with me being sick I haven’t taken him to one in a little over a month.
The weather here is crazy. Yesterday it was 60 and raining, today it’s 20 and sunny. We’re all ready for warmer weather so we can get out and enjoy the city. I’m especially ready for the winter blahs to move along, and they can take this cough with them.
Our little boy is now officially 1 year old! For his birthday I made him a dinosaur cake, of which he got to have the whole head to destroy. At first he was very tidy about it, he poked the dino in the eye and was using his pointer finger to draw in the frosting, but then Daddy put Cavan’s hand in the frosting and Cavan tasted it. It was all downhill from there! (Remember you can click the images to see them larger, just click them again to shrink them back down.)
In anticipation of the fun to come, Cavan lets out a maniacal laugh. Yes, he’s weird… must have got that from Daddy…
Mommy’s masterpiece, the dinosaur cake!
Opening his first present…
“How interesting…”
“Don’t take it away Mommy! …wait… what’s this?”
Trying to figure out how to open this one…
“This one is pretty cool!”
“Wanna see Daddy?!”
Cavan inspects the dino’s head, and pokes it in the eye.
“Maybe I’ll just give this a little taste.”
“Hey Mommy, this isn’t bad!”
“Yep, it’s pretty good!”
Cake makes Cavan happy, who’da thunk it?
“If I cover all my fingers in frosting, I can increase the time quotient thus producing maximum tasteability.”
“Of course, if I cover my palm as well I would be increasing the surface area and maximizing tasteability even more!”
“Muhahaha! I am a frosting-covered genius!”
“Of course, I didn’t account for the friction which is increased by the porous nature of the actual cake…”
“Eh, who cares? I’m done with this! I shall systematically plop chunks to the floor until Mommy goes under me to sweep up, then I shall plop them on her head! I can’t believe the woman falls for it every time…”
And this is why the dinosaurs became extinct…
Cavan is still not a pro at opening presents, but I think that will come soon. He’s quite happy to have new toys to play with and says “Thank You” to everyone!
Saturday was a beautiful day here, it got to 60 degrees so we were out all day. We walked down to Lincoln Park and then to the lakefront and Cavan had his nap while we sat and watched the water and all the people out enjoying the trail. Then we went to the Conservatory and looked at all the plants, then on to the Lincoln Park Zoo to look at all the animals and have some lunch. After the zoo Cavan had a doctor’s appointment (what a way to ruin a day!), but after his appointment he was fine and we walked around quite a bit more before wandering back home. When we got home Abby (the concierge and one of Cavan’s favorite people) told us that Cavan’s friend Theresa was having a party upstairs and wanted him to join in, so we went upstairs and Cavan played with a bunch of little kids for about an hour before we came back downstairs and he fell asleep.
Cavan’s 1 year check up went well, he had some pokes but handled them well. He got his TB skin test (they use a needle to inject something under his skin and we watch to see if it reacts over the next 48 hours), he didn’t make a peep for that one, then he had a hemoglobin and lead test where they used a lancet to poke his finger to get some blood, again he didn’t make a peep. He also got 2 vaccines, a booster shot and the chicken pox vaccine. The shots got some short screaming and crying, but as soon as they were over and I picked him up he was all better and we continued on to have a nice day.
Cavan is now 31.25 inches tall and 25 pounds, that puts him at about the 90th percentile for both, which means he’s a big boy, but isn’t out of proportion. We also got another ASQ form to fill out for his 1 year milestones. The nurse went over a couple of things with us and said he’s doing really well even though he isn’t talking yet so we don’t need to worry about his development at all, and for sure we don’t need to worry about his motor development because he’s walking like a pro (which the nurse didn’t expect when he nearly ran over to her), he’s also stooping to pick things up, clapping and playing made-up games which he thinks are hilarious, and he hands us toys when we ask for them. Cavan also likes to hug his stuffed animals and us, which is super-cute, and he helps Mommy get him dressed. Our little boy sure has come a long way over the last year!
The nurse also confirmed that he is, in fact, teething his molars. The top ones are very near breaking through, and the bottom ones can be seen under the gums. This explains why he has had his hand shoved into his mouth for the last couple weeks. We’re very lucky that the teething hasn’t put him into a bad mood since the molars are usually very difficult and painful for toddlers.
Pictures and an update to come later today!
We have a few updates, Mommy’s been slacking!
First, Cavan is now walking all by himself. It started last week when he was standing at the window ledge and I went over and talked to him for a minute before heading back into the kitchen. I turned around and realized that he had followed me all the way across the living room! The next morning I held his hand and we walked down the hall and I was loading the dryer with one hand while holding his hand. He got sick of waiting for me and let go and walked over to the door, and since then he’s been a walking fool! He definitely prefers to walk around, and he’s getting really good at it. Occasionally he tries to run and that ends up with a face-plant, but overall he’s doing excellent!
Secondly, Cavan now has 8 teeth. He has 4 on the bottom and 4 on the top. The top side ones are only about half-way out though. He’s an excellent eater, and this week he tried kiwi, which he liked, and celery, which he promptly spit out. He likes most things, but when he runs across something he doesn’t like he opens his mouth and shoves his hands in, scraping it off from his tongue.
It’s hard to believe that in just a couple weeks Cavan is going to be 1 year old. Mommy will be attempting to make a dinosaur cake for him, we’ll definitely post pictures.
Cavan is an expert at using sippy cups now, and as soon as we buy enough of them his bottles will go into storage. He also likes to use straws, but those are considerably more messy than sippy cups.
Our little boy also figured out how the child gate works, much to the dismay of the animals. We’ll have to figure out something for that… He also likes to open all of the cabinets, and prefers one drawer in the kitchen where he will select a toy (usually a whisk). Occasionally he will steal a wine stopper from there and use it as a pacifier since evil Mommy and Daddy took his away a few months ago.
Ok, so it’s not exactly the first snow of the year, but it’s the first snow that Cavan has gotten to actually touch and play in (and taste.) We had some nice fluffy snow fall yesterday so I took Cavan up to the roof to let him play in it, he quite enjoyed it - though probably could have lived without getting all bundled up. I made the scarf he’s wearing, and generally he won’t tolerate it tied on - I guess the snow was enough of a distraction that he didn’t mind wearing it.
When I first plopped him down in it…
Trying to move while bundled up is harder than it looks!
“Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”
I guess he figured it wasn’t so bad to just lay there.
Cavan decides that he really likes snow…
You can almost see the wheels turning: “How can I get that into my mouth?”
Eventually he figured out how to flip over and crawl in it, which is no small task when wearing 8 layers of clothing.
And, in keeping with his independent nature, he decides to run away.
I thought I’d better get some of Cavan’s Christmas pictures online before there’s a rebellion from his loyal fans!
Good Morning! He’s always such a happy boy in the morning!
What’s this?
Well Mommy, if you just wanted me to rip it off, why did you put it on in the first place?
This is interesting…
Cavan loves the gears, he learned very quickly how to take them off and put them back on.
Practicing juggling for when he’s 10 and runs away to the circus.
