Fort Zain

Shif's family came for a visit today.  Zain had a fantastic time playing with Naeem ("Nee"). 

Naeem made a fort for Zain

An age-restricted fort

Maybe the rules weren't so strictly enforced

Zain wouldn't cooperate for the group photo

Playing with Naani

Bigfoot

Attempting a cousin picture....

Naeem got the worst of it

Two cuties (and Zain looking for a body part to poke)

Our other big event this weekend was the wedding of one of Shif's med school classmates.  Zain and Shif clean up pretty well!  (Notice Zain's official "dress-up outfit", also used for Aunt Mary's wedding and his own birthday party.)

Practicing walking before the ceremony - still a little wobbly

Waiting for the groom to arrive

Haircut, Part Trois

Zain had his third haircut today.  We had agreed that Shif could try her hand at cutting his hair twice, then we'd assess whether we needed professional assistance.  The first two cuts have been pretty good and lessons have been learned.  For his third cut we decided to take him to the pros, watch what they did, and try to replicate it at home (because $25 for a baby's haircut seems crazy).  We took him to Melonhead, the local kid-cutting chain.  

They are obviously experts at cutting hair very quickly.  You'll notice before and after pictures below, but nothing in between.  Because both of us were engaged in pinning Zain's arms down, consoling him, singing to him, blowing bubbles, and making a toy police car look enticing.  He was not happy.  At all.  From the very beginning.  Tears and all.  By about the halfway point, a combination of Shif's singing and the police car calmed him down.  Shif said at one point she realized her singing had calmed him down but she was afraid to stop, so everyone in the salon got to enjoy her vocals.  The calm lasted until the clippers came out for the final touches.  But he managed to tough it out.  

Shaggy sitting in the pink Cadillac

The new 'do

A horsey ride post-cut helped soothe the traumatized boy

The well-groomed man

 

Projects

True signs of a slacking blogger - bullet points.....  Here's an update on Zain's world:

• Zain loves music.  He has a few toys that play music and he will repeatedly punch buttons to play the tunes.  He even likes it as background music.  He'll start the music on one toy, then play with another toy, and as soon as the music stops he'll reach over and restart it and continue playing.  He's so familiar with some of the tunes that he knows when they're about to end and he's ready to restart them without any break.
• He's starting to get a little separation anxiety for the first time. He's really starting to notice when mommies are and aren't around.  The other day, Shif came home from work while he was down for a nap.  As soon as he got up, he noticed that our bedroom door was closed and he yelled, "Mama!"  He was right - she was in there taking a nap. 
• He went through a week where he was obsessed with a magnet with Naeem's school picture on it.  He would move it around on the fridge and give it kisses (he doesn't give us kisses!).  One day, I looked over and he was leaning in with his cheek on the fridge.  I couldn't figure out what he was doing, then I realized he was "hugging" the picture of Naeem!
• One of his favourite books is This Little Piggy.  The words are obviously sinking in.  If you ask him "what does a pig say?", he says "wee wee wee."
• A few new words in the repertoire this week.  A kiwi is a "wee wee". 
• He's starting to imitate us.  When I sweep the floor, he'll sometimes grab the dust pan and "sweep" with it.  He's also starting to put things in the trash can - we'll have to keep an eye on that!
  
• He likes to tickle us.  He'll walk up to us and tickle our tummies and say something that sort of sounds like "tickle tickle tickle." 
• He learned the sign for "help" this week.  Although he sometimes gets it mixed up with "more", he's doing pretty well with it.  He usually uses it when he's gotten some toy stuck in some other toy and can't figure out what to do.
• He loves to brush his teeth (we're enjoying this while it lasts).  He gets very excited when he finishes his milk at bedtime and knows it's time for "beeee" (a.k.a. brush).  He'll even make a little brushing sign, running his finger over his teeth.  He mostly likes to suck the toothpaste off the brush, but he tolerates a pretty good cleaning, too
• The little guy continues to be super-curious, like he has been from Day 1.  He's always investigating something, noticing something new, or trying to figure out how something works.  Some examples:

He loves a good obstacle, or crevice.

 

He figured out the top the first day he played with it

He loves to get into things, like this drum and his potty, and get stuck in them

He climbed up in a split-second.  We've got to be careful where we put that step stool!

Investigating leaves

This water bottle is the toy of the week.  In. Out. Repeat.

 

He always has a project on the go. 

October Pics

Some recent pics:

Moving!

A nostalgic jolly jump - he's on the last link in the chain and can't really get much amplitude, so we haven't used it in a couple months.  But we gave it one last whirl.

A typical day

More "more" - he's also doing "milk" and "help" now

My assistant - unloading the clean laundry

He's a natural born curler!  Helping me shop for a new curling broom.

Curling broom or Swiffer mop??? (I didn't buy the pink one!)

Borrowing Bapa's hat at the park

This is probably the only instant he was smiling with the helmet on.  Helmet hate started immediately afterward.

Playing with Naeem and Naani on Thanksgiving

Peanut butter is a new favourite

Silliness with Mommy's fleece

Advanced Communications

We've had some major improvements in baby communication in the last few weeks.  Zain is talking like crazy.  He's always been a prolific babbler, but now those babbles are starting to make sense.  

We've been using a few sign language signs since he was just a tiny guy (milk, more, all done, drink).  We figured they might eventually be helpful.  Just when we starting to wonder if he would ever catch on, he has started using the "more" and "all done" signs quite often.  He doesn't always use them in appropriate situations (for instance, he'll say "all done" and then immediately stuff more food in his mouth), but it generally makes sense.  He uses "more" for "more food", "read this book again", and "push me on the swing more more more."   

Using the "more" sign to ask Grandma Shirley to make Ernie move again

More recently, he's learned to say "no" (and he hasn't started to use it against us yet!).  It's usually accompanied by a head shake.  And sometimes with a wagging finger, obviously in imitation of some hardcore disciplining parent.  The no has actually been very helpful in letting us know what he wants, or doesn't, especially at mealtime.  Much more effective than tossing his food on the floor.  

All in all, he has a pretty lengthy vocabulary.  At his 12-month check-up, our doctor asked if Zain had met the usual one-year milestone of using at least 4 or 5 words.  I laughed.  Here's his current vocabulary:

Banana - the most frequently heard word in our house these days

Tea - he says it when he hears the kettle whistling and when I'm drinking from a mug
Mommy - has progressed from "my-my" to "may-may" to "maa" or "mama"
Binda - his first word and one of his clearest
Dog - whenever he hears a bark
Cat
Pizza - learned at the Mexican resort buffet
Button
Ball
Duck
Bee - he has a bee-shaped bath mitt, so when we're heading to the tub we'll say "Who are we going to see in the bath?" and he'll yell "Bee!"
Tree
Baby - we're not sure if he recognizes that he is a baby, too
Teacher - the teacher from the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Nose
Brush - as in teeth, usually said with glee; he loves to brush his teeth

Pee - said in an adorable breathy whisper

Ring
Keys
Wee wee wee - his favourite part of his This Little Piggy book

Kick- a new one (see video below)

He's also working on a few names.  A current favourite is "Neem."  We have a magnet of Naeem's school picture on our fridge and every time Zain passes it, he says "Neem!"  

We're also surprised sometimes at how much he understands, even without having the words for it.  We discovered a couple days ago that he knows my name is Jen.  Shif was holding him and called out to me - "Jen...", and Zain said "mama!"  We also discover other random bits that have taken hold in his mind.  We've read books on animals from the very beginning, and we always do the "cow says moo" thing.  But he's never really shown any recognition of it.  Then the other day, I was reading a new book, turned to a page with a horse on it, and he said "neigh!"  And every horse (and occasionally sheep) now draws a "neigh." Another of our favourite things that he does - if you ask "what does a fire truck say?", he'll make a "woo woo" siren sound.  

Why Just Walk?

Until yesterday, Zain hadn't taken more than about four steps at a time.  Then yesterday, he just went crazy.  I came home after a few hours at the curling club, and the boy was walking all the way across the room.  Less than 24 hours later, he's turning, pivoting, and kicking and chasing a soccer ball!  And yelling "kick!"