Logan at One Year

Time really flies. In two days, just two days!, Logan will turn One Year Old. He is still such a baby to me. Although it is not fair to constantly compare the two, Hayden seemed so much older to me at the same age. Likely, because I can now compare the two side by side.

Logan is such a character. His bright blue eyes show such intense emotions, whether happy, sad, or mad. His smile is contagious and spreads to his entire face. His eyes light up with a mischievous glint, especially right before he takes off. His favorite game is to have us chase him. He sits up, leaning slightly forward, poised for takeoff, looking back over his shoulder until we start to move forward. Then he races away with his half crawl, half scoot, giggling all the way. Sometimes, I can tickle his back a few times before “catching” him. Sometimes, he decides he is caught, and just rolls over. He loves when Hayden chases him as well, despite the guaranteed full body tackle at the end, with Hayden saying “tickle tickle!” His next favorite game is peek-a-boo. His little hands cover his face for a few seconds while we call “Where’s Logan?” then he puts his hands down, revealing an impish grin. He usually starts this at the end of a meal when he is done and looking to be entertained until we all finish and leave the table. He really had his Nana, Fillip’s Grandmother, going this last week. So cute to see that interaction. The boys play well together, and Logan is learning to hold his own. He is just as likely to grab a toy from Hayden as vice versa, and screams bloody murder when a toy is taken from him. There is no compromise on this as far as he is concerned. He still does his silly giggle, but not as frequently. It is easy to get him to belly laugh by nuzzling him, tickling, chasing him, or in Hayden’s case, just being nearby. He plays independently pretty well. He likes to put things in and out of other things. If I give him a pot and lid, he will put another toy in the pot and take the lid on and off. Anything remotely shaped like a cup or bowl, no matter how big, he pretends to drink from. Sometimes we see his head tipped back with a plastic bowl at his mouth that is literally bigger than his whole head! He loves to mimic Hayden, especially at meals. If Hayden is kicking the table or stomping his chair, so is Logan. If Hayden is screaming, so is Logan. If Hayden is making funny noises, so is Logan. This will be extra fun if Hayden ever decides to stick jellybeans in his nose or shave the cat.

He stands independently all the time, playing with a toy, turning to look at something behind him, even bending to pick something up and righting himself. He will take a couple steps here and there, but to actually get somewhere, he goes back down to the floor. His crawl is unique. One side of him does a textbook crawl, while the other has a leg tucked under him that scoots along or sometime puts a foot on the ground. Despite this crazy motion, he is VERY fast! He is talking more and more with a few consistent words. He is starting to say Ma to me, and I choose to believe he is now using it with meaning. He has been saying Dada for awhile for everything, but has a particular inflection when calling to Fillip. He approaches us now and says “hiya!” in greeting and I’ve been told he has a sound for Hayden, although I haven’t heard it. About 75% of the time we can get him to wave goodbye. Once he starts, he will keep it up for about 5 minutes, getting us to engage in the game by waving back. He navigates stairs with ease going, up and down. When it is time to go down, he backs up a couple feet until his little foot finds the edge, then slowly lowers it, descending very carefully and deliberately. He uses this approach to get off of everything, so that when we see him crouch and start backing up (beeeeep....... beeeeep....... beeeeep....) we know he is thinking to take himself down off the bed, changing table, out the cat door, etc… He doesn’t yet comprehend that some things are higher than others.

He wants to use a utensil at every meal and is getting pretty good with it. Often, he picks up a piece of food to place it on the spoon, before the bite makes the precarious journey to his mouth. This is usually followed by him shoving a fistful of food into his mouth with slurps and grunts. This kid loves to eat and it is an amazing thing to watch. He is so incredibly messy, but must have a hollow leg. At school his teachers brag to us about his efficiency with a spoon. We joke at home that they are celebrating the fact that they have one less baby to hand feed! Logan absolutely loves to eat and prefers carbs to anything else. He will eat meat, especially if we mix it into pasta or rice, but often spits out veggies, even when hidden. Broccoli is the worst thing we could give him, being spit out with a scowl, and him then carefully picking through the rest of the food on his tray. He does love fruit and will eat an unlimited amount of berries. Some days, that is all he wants until he carb-loads at dinner. Last night he ate about a full cup each of rice, beans and mac and cheese, along with half a chicken thigh. He points to various things on the table to let us know what he wants. Although he still nurses here and there, he now drinks cow’s milk, but isn’t too fond of it. At school he gets bottles, but seems ready for sippy cups all day as he isn’t too attached to a bottle. Rather than drinking something down all at once, he seems to prefer sipping at a beverage throughout a meal.

He is a good sleeper, but a light sleeper. At school, he takes a morning nap, but the afternoon nap is hit and miss. He now sleeps on a cot, rather than a crib as once the babies can stand up, they get evicted to make room for the tiny infants. He is in the process of transitioning to the toddler class right now. On the days when he naps in the afternoon, our dinner and evenings are much easier. Not surprisingly, when he misses that nap, he is cranky halfway through dinner and ready to sleep at 7pm. His teachers clearly adore him, bragging about his latest accomplishments and showering him with affection. He always naps at Mickey’s house, as she uses her Grandma magic to get him to do things he would never do for anyone else. While at Grandma’s house, he takes great delight in getting into everything he can. When Grandma says “come here” he takes off the other way. Each day when I pick him up I get reports of what a little imp he is. Bedtime routine starts right after dinner. The boys take a bath, get to play for a few minutes, then go to bed. For awhile Logan absolutely hated his bath, but after a few weeks of only showers, he is happy again in the tub. Once he starts pouring water on the floor or throwing toys out, he is done, toweled and jammied up. He nurses first thing in the morning and at bedtime. The tiniest distraction at bedtime, and he won’t nurse at all. The time for complete weaning is rapidly approaching. He gets a snuggle, then put in his crib. Half the time he goes to sleep without a fuss and half the time he cries for a few minutes before going to sleep. He loves to snuggle his face in his blankie, often waking with his head wrapped up. I hate this, but am unwilling to take that blankie away since that is his comfort. We peek in on him every night, but very quietly as he is easily woken by this. If he wakes up, it will be awhile before we get him down, with much screaming, and multiple wakings throughout the night. We go in very, very quietly, like Elmer Fudd hunting wabbits. Fillip constantly says "Don't poke the sleeping dragon!"

Logan is such a sweet little boy, often crawling over for hugs and snuggles, trying to kiss us and talk with us. He is still so Delicious, impossible not to respond to. As he grows we see more and more of his very distinct personality coming out, and it is such a joy to get to know him more everyday. His babyhood has passed quickly and I look forward to seeing him blossom into toddlerhood.