Go, Go, Gadget Baby!

August is such a delight to have in our family.  She is almost one and sometimes she learns things so fast that it seems like she's going on three!  I tend to compare X & A, not so much on who's better or not, just in an I'm-noticing-amazing-differences-between-my-first-and-second-child kind of way.  I remember X pulled books off bookshelves constantly, rubbed my arm incessantly to soothe himself, loved to sit in boxes and suitcases, didn't like the touch of anything but carpet or cement on his feet (i.e. no grass, woodchips, beach water), disliked animals, was impossible to get to sleep on his own, loved a calm, playful bathtime, learned baby signs rapidly, and was a calm, happy, social baby in general.

August, on the other hand, pulls on my hair to soothe when I'm holding her, climbs over boxes more than she sits in them, goes to sleep on her own now after 5 wks of sleep training (she still screams bloody murder but it's only 3-5 minutes on good days), isn't bothered by most textures, puts everything in her mouth!, loves to wrap cords, belts, and everything else around her neck, is curious but hesitant toward pets, can't sit still in the bathtub and is constantly slipping in the water, and is more interested in learning to talk than figuring out the correct baby sign, although signing "all done" comes in handy daily. Basically, I consider her a high risk for drowning, falling, strangulation and every other child hazard because she has very little fear!

As a toddler, X was great with puzzles and mazes, stuck close to me wherever we went, preferred riding in the grocery cart to walking, and loved reading and playing cars together (all still true but add on loves playing Legoes, pirates, and light sabers now, too).  He is definitely a momma's boy and a rule follower. He is constantly saying, No, no, August! because she isn't following the rules (babies can't play with cords or Legoes or _____ insert just about everything in our house).  X is definitely attached to me. When he's playing with cousins or someone, I rarely have to go find him because he will come by me, basically checking in with me, every few minutes and wondering if I want to play with him now.

Kid #2 is a whole different experience...!

Obviously some things are the same, basics like the need to change her diaper, put her down for naps, feed and nurse her, etc. but all I have to say is, watch out world!  Here comes August!

Although I provide milk, cuddles, and naptime songs (among other things), she is definitely a daddy's girl and a huge fan of her big brother, which he loved when she couldn't crawl but doesn't always appreciate now that she can grab his toys.  Joe is on a trip for a few days and she went crazy when she saw his picture on the computer yesterday, and was happy but confused as to why his voice was coming out of the phone today.  She loudly calls out for both her dad and Xavier during the day.   She is 11 months and loves to play Row, Row, Row Your Boat.  Really!  She holds out her hands for your hands, starts to move forward and back, and says, "wo, wo, wo".  Then she claps.  It is the cutest thing and totally took me by surprise.  She has also been saying "Hi!" for months and if we call out to her from another room, she says something that sounds like, "What?!"  that cracks us up every time.

She also loves to undo whatever we're doing, whether it is sorting papers, folding laundry, or putting away toys and books.  She loves everything Xavi does and wants to be in the middle of whatever he is doing.  She is also very quick and darts, if a crawler can dart, out the front door the second it is open.  She heads for one of two places--outside or up the stairs to our neighbors'.  If she even sees one of us near the door, she puts on her turbo crawl. A new thing she started is that if we tell her no, she pinches us!  And it hurts!  X doesn't pinch so she came up with that one herself. Little stinker. She even pinches herself, too, sometimes when she's mad!

After a diaper change or when getting dressed, she helps dress herself by putting her feet up in the air for her shorts or putting her arms through the holes in her shirt.  I don't think X did that for years! (Or did he?  Maybe I just don't remember that being significant at the time).  August prefers cars over dolls, hates sitting in the cart for shopping, and loves hiding things -- behind her while eating or in the back of her diaper.  The best discovery in her diaper so far was a key ring from a shoe store we visited.  A shoplifter so young?!  Hopefully not.  It was actually one of those key-ring-looking tags some stores put on shoes but it still made Joe and I laugh like crazy!  

She is always trying to buckle things - her car seat, stroller, kitchen booster seat, etc. She does not like to sit back and relax in the stroller, but sits forward, almost falling out and throwing off the balance. She is the most adventurous eater and even growled at me when I took a pickle away once.  She loves things like lemons and tofu, though not so much meat, which is fine with me.  I figure that when this girl starts walking, we are in trouble.  There will be no stopping her...unless daddy comes home, of course! :)  

Watch out, world!  Here comes August!