Little Baby Lump

For Christmas, my parents decided to give Emmett and me some money to sign up for a parent participation My Gym class.  My Gym is a children’s fitness center with locations all over the world, and there just so happens to be one very close to where we live.  I finally signed us up for a session, and yesterday we participated in our first Waddlers class for children ages 14-22 months.  We had a lot of fun, but let’s just say Emmett’s independent personality was never more apparent, and he has a lot of work to do on his cooperative skills.

a partial view of My Gym Boston

Emmett was a huge fan of “free play,” where the kids can wander around the room, free to do whatever they want.  And there’s a lot to choose from — a large ball pit, wedge-shaped gym mats, slides, trampolines, climbing walls. Speaking of climbing, there are multiple options for the “climber,” which Emmett has expressed a lot of interest in at home recently. (Let’s just say if I leave the room for 2 seconds, I’ll come back to him standing on top of the coffee table as if he’s just claimed a new land.)  I’m hoping his My Gym experiences will help to satisfy his climbing urges rather than encourage more of them at home, but only time will tell.  He also had no problem with “separation time,” when the kids’ accompanied parents are asked to leave the play area and leave the children alone with the My Gym instructors.

the Waddlers during "separation time" (looks like one mom didn't understand the concept)

On the other hand, any sort of organized activity was a struggle.  “Circle time,” when all of the children and their parents sit in a circle for specific activities, was not a welcomed part of My Gym time for Emmett.  I’m hoping that in the weeks to come, the class will help Emmett learn how to follow directions and participating in organized activities will become easier.  Again, only time will tell …

In other news, last night before bed Emmett went on Safari, killed and skinned a wild giraffe and then displayed it as a hood ornament …

Emmett on Safari

Age Timer: 14 months, 3 weeks

My parents sent us a care package yesterday, which included a pack of Crayola crayons and a drawing pad.  It reminded me of when I used to go school supplies shopping near the end of the summer and got way too excited over packs of fresh, new, virgin crayons.

Emmett's First Drawing

We broke them out immediately, Emmett double-fisting a brown and a purple and running down the hallway in a tizzy.  “Something tells me these will be both a joy and a headache,” James said.  I agree — crayon time is definitely going to have to be a contained and closely monitored activity.  I have a feeling I’m going to get much more use out of  my Magic Eraser in the near future…

Age Timer: 13 months, 3 weeks

Being 1 year old has treated Emmett pretty well so far.  He’s a pretty confident walker, and he can now go from sitting to standing without the aid of a third party.

We took Emmett for his first (professional) haircut last weekend.  I’d cut it before myself, but it was the first time we actually took him somewhere to get it done (and he was starting to look like a hippie).  Let’s put it this way — he was not a fan.  Nope … not one bit.  He was in the chair for less than a minute before he started crying and screaming.  They ended up pulling over a bigger chair so he could sit on my lap, and even then it was a struggle.

teary-eyed, before the major breakdown

appeased by mom's lap and an animal cracker

The only bright side of the situation was that we went to Snip-its, which is dedicated solely to children’s haircuts and was more than prepared for the situation, armed with bubbles, singing hairdressers, animal crackers, lollipops and cartoons to battle less-than-happy customers like Emmett.  It was a little costlier than I would have liked, but I can say with confidence that for kids uncomfortable with getting their hair cut, it’s the best way to go (for at least the first few haircuts).  Two thumbs up for Snip-Its!  Below, Emmett shows off his new ‘do and reflects on hair first haircut experience …

Age Timer: 12 months, 3 weeks

I’m happy to report that Emmett’s first birthday party (Theme: Mod Monkey) was a complete success.  There were very minimal freakouts or snafus, and I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a great time.  A huge thanks goes to my parents, Niki and James for helping out and to everyone who attended and sent gifts, cards & Happy Birthday wishes to make his day special.

The Birthday Boy in his Mod Monkey Party Hat

Balloon Boy

It goes without saying that Emmett made out big time with all his presents.  He received not one — but two – ball pits (you jealous?).  However, oddly enough, Emmett’s favorite present seemed to be a cupcake-shaped Target gift card from Uncle Shawn, Aunt Sara and cousin Ben.  It must have been that whole give-a-kid-a-present-and-he’d-rather-play-with-the-box mentality.

It took Emmett a little while to master the whole cake-eating concept, but eventually he got the hang of it.  Check out the video (though I’m warning you, it’s kind of long)…

Cake to the Face!

*Fun Fact: Emmett is sitting in the same high chair I sat in on my first birthday.

James took Emmett to his 1 year checkup on Tuesday, and the little man is doing just fine.  He’s now 22 lbs. 10.5 oz. (49th percentile) and 32 inches long (96th percentile), and he even got the go-ahead to start substituting whole milk for formula.

I still can’t believe it’s been a year, but I’ve enjoyed every single minute of it!

For more photos from Emmett’s first birthday party, check out the Birthday set on Flickr.

Age Timer: 1 year, 4 days

I have a million things to do to finish getting ready for Emmett’s party today, but I couldn’t leave his first birthday without a post on the blog, so here’s a quickie…

I’m going to be completely trite here and just say it — man, does time fly!  Exactly a year ago today I was being admitted to my hospital room at MGH in excruciating pain, waiting to welcome my little baby lump into the world (at 11:47 a.m.), and now he’s a whole year old!  Happy Birthday, Emmett!

I spent most of last weekend putting together Emmett’s baby book (yes — an actual book, with pages), which meant I spent a lot of time reviewing Emmett’s major milestones within the past year, mainly through pictures.  While I realized I have about a googolplex’s worth of photos of Emmett, James and I both agreed that the following is one of our favorites (he’s about 9 months here).  And feel free to leave some Happy Birthday wishes for Em in the comments.  It’s been an awesome year!

RARR!

Stay tuned early next week for a birthday recap.  I’m assuming there will be tons of messy cake pictures to enjoy!

Age Timer: 1 Year!