Friday the 13th, Part XVII

Once again, the 13th fell on a Friday, the same day of the week Kyle was born. The little guy is 17 months old now, and, despite Jennifer's insistence otherwise, he is no longer a baby. It's tough to swaddle him these days, and his legs dangle off the baby carrier. Chances are, if we put him in that carrier, he would just stand up and run away, with the seat still tied to his back. It's a funny thought, and perhaps I will try it sometime just for kicks.

Our kid has developed quite a bit since my last post on this blog. In fact, on the very day I published that post, Kyle decided it was time to start walking on his own (click here for that story). Since then, he has perfected the art, moving faster while doing other things at the same time: carrying shoes, drinking water, or programming the DVR. The following video shows Kyle's newfound walking skills, and his obsession with having closed baby gates in our home:



While he may be talented in walking, he could use a little help when it comes to being a modern-day vampire. These days, blood suckers seem to be everywhere, from TV to the movies to the federal government. The most popular of the film bunch are played by young, attractive, brooding types who apparently have spent more time at a mirror than at acting school. They're the big thing right now, and since Jennifer and I never shy away from the trendy, we thought it would be appropriate for Kyle to be a vampire this Halloween. Unfortunately, he didn't get the look quite right.

Kyle instead was one of those old-fashioned vampires, the kind made famous by Dracula and Sesame Street. He even learned the "ah, ah, ahh!" laugh the old vampires used to give after informing a victim of his doom or counting to ten. Kyle neither instilled fear nor had the teenage angst that modern vampires have. However, he still managed to put the ladies under his spell. There was a costume parade just a block from where we live, so Vampire Kyle was able go through the neighborhood and work his magic. He certainly received a lot of attention that night. No doubt his fans would have given him their necks so that he could take a bite and suck their blood. However, that wouldn't do for Kyle. He prefers to drink blood from a straw cup, with a nice bowl of Cheerios on the side. Again, he wasn't a very threatening vampire.

There are plenty more Halloween pictures, as well as other highlights from the past two months, in my newest photo album:

Kyle's 16th & 17th Months

By the way: the smaller pictures in the album were taken with my out-of-date camera phone.

Enjoy, and see you next month! Expect the next post to be a little later than usual. I will want to include photos from all the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah/Boxing Day activities. Happy Holidays!

Sweet sixteen

We have been really working on this whole "walking" thing with Kyle, and we seem to have achieved some success. However, by "we," I mean my parents. All it took was a trip to Kyle's Pepere and Memere's for him to end the stalemate. Up until the weekend he spent there while Jennifer and I were in Maine, Kyle would refuse to walk on his feet, outside of a few instances including his first steps. He did not see the point of it, since he could get around just as quickly walking on his knees. Every time we would try to get him on his feet, he'd bend his knees and dangle his legs in the air until we'd give in and place him down on the floor. Even a nurse at the doctor's office thought the behavior was odd. The doctor himself said Kyle's just doing what comforts him, and he'll start walking once he felt like it. In the meantime, we have seen plenty of kids his age and younger walking, running, and pole-vaulting.

Then, suddenly, Kyle changed his mind. Feet are good. When Jennifer and I arrived at my parents' place to pick up the little guy, my Dad walked out, holding Kyle's hand as our son walked alongside him to to greet us. We couldn't believe it. In the two weeks since, he still walks on his knees a lot, but now all you need to do is grab his hand, and he'll get up on his feet. We practice each time we go out, having him walk up and down part of our block. We shot this video during one such stroll last weekend:



The next milestone: Kyle's first time stepping in doggie doo. Being a city kid, it's only a matter of time.

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, Kyle officially turned 16 months old on Tuesday. Kyle is now eligible to get a learner's permit for his toy train. Hopefully he'll pass his driver's test, though I must admit his parallel-parking skills need some fine-tuning. Once he masters that, I'm sure he'll be out all night with that thing, cruising for 14-month-old girls (he likes the younger ladies). I'm sure they'll dig the squeaky noises his wheels make.

As for us, we're coming to terms with the fact that Kyle is not really a baby anymore. He's looking more and more like a little person, and he's showing a lot of personality. So far, he doesn't seem like a jerk, which is a relief. Kyle still enjoys a good joke, and it's not too difficult to get a good laugh from him. You don't even have to throw socks at his head anymore. Here's another video to prove my point:



All in all, I'd say things are going well. I'll have a photo album in next month's post, including a picture of Kyle in his Halloween costume. I won't tell you what it is, but I'll give a hint: it involves blood and a bow tie.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Feelin' alright

It's been three months since Kyle's birthday, which means it's check-up time. Yesterday I took Kyle to his pediatrician, and I got him to go along by pretending we were going to an amusement park. You should have seen the look on his face when he realized that, instead of going on the ferris wheel, he was going to be poked, prodded, and shot in the arm. It was a good laugh... well, for me at least. Kyle didn't do much laughing, especially after feeling the needle.

I am happy to report that the little guy is in good health, which is welcoming news for us, considering a few days earlier he had a fever with a temperature that shot over 104 degrees. A week before that, he threw up for the first time. Jennifer and I were a wreck over both instances, hardly sleeping through the night, listening for any sign that things were getting worse. Kyle took it with stride, acting perfectly normal after the heave-ho, and still drinking plenty of fluids through the fever. While I feared the worse (an infection, the plague, premature cooties, etc.), the doc pretty much said that these things happen to kids, and after inspecting him, determined that Kyle was completely healthy.

The doc also addressed another concern of ours: Kyle's behavior. As the picture to the right may or may not reveal, Kyle has been a bit more rebellious lately. As many of you know, he's been giving us lots of trouble during meal times. He's also starting to do things we thought we had successfully convinced him not to do, such as touching the radiator, crawling into the bathroom, and gambling on baseball. The doctor said that children at this age like to play the "no" game, and that telling Kyle not to do something only entices him to do it. Basically, we have to either not make a big deal about something, or we have to move him away from the "bad" spot and distract him with something else. Eventually we will be able to get him to behave by telling him "no" or flushing his toys down the toilet, but that time has not come yet. The doc also gave us some pointers on getting Kyle to eat more foods. Apparently he won't eat other things because we're making him full by giving him too much milk. So it looks like I will have to return the cow. We'll see if that works.

In other news, I have put together yet another collection of photos for your viewing pleasure:

Kyle's 14th & 15th Months

Hope you enjoy them. See you next month!

The heat is on

It's August, and you know what that means. It's hot out. The temperatures have been rising almost as fast as the Red Sox have been falling in the AL East. The humidity is making everything wet and sticky, and the searing sun has toasted the skin of any foolish person to walk outside unprotected, like myself. Kyle has been wearing plenty of sunblock - he's a smart kid, taking after his mother.

Staying cool hasn't been easy on these scorching days. Kyle and I have tried to beat the heat by drinking plenty of milk and iced coffee (I won't say who drinks what). But often that's not enough, and after a half-hour or so of walking outside, my shirt is soaked in sweat, and Kyle is partially melted. At that point we go back inside and worship the air conditioners.

"Oh, great and powerful air conditioner," we say, "How you rumble with the power of a thousand armies! Your cold air dances from your mouth, showering us unworthy servants with a cool breeze that has become extinct in the outside world. You suck our electricity with no restraint, but we will gladly forfeit our suppers to pay the power bill and keep you satisfied, oh mighty one!"

We have two glorious air conditioners in our apartment: a window unit in Kyle's room, and a floor unit in ours, and each one receives the proper respect each day. I'm not saying that we have turned completely pagan. We understand that these are merely appliances, and outside of the occasional animal sacrifices, we don't really do anything extraordinary to pay tribute. Often it's just a simple gesture, as Kyle demonstrates in the video below...



Since that video was taken a couple weeks ago, Kyle has perfected his worshipping skills, doing them much faster, much more frequently, and with less support from the bed. The air conditioner has seemed to appreciate the attention and gladly sprays him with more cold air. The practice has given Kyle strength, while keeping him from developing smelly armpits. Of course, this will all come to an end shortly. The heat waves will end, September and the fall will arrive, and cool air will return outside. The air conditioners will shut down for the season, and the one in the bedroom will once again become just the annoying obstacle that I stub my toes on in the middle of the night. By December, Kyle won't remember the air conditioner's generosity and will likely ignore it or deface it with a crayon. Such is the circle of life.

It's been a busy month for us, and we actually took a good amount of pictures (see DaveWeekly.com for stories of our vacation, beach trip and crib recall). However, I'm sticking to the "every other month" schedule with the slide shows because I don't want to spoil you... and I'm also just too lazy to put together an album with captions right now. I blame the heat for that.

See you next month!

Sleepless in New York

I love nap time. Beautiful, wonderful nap time. The apartment is silent, except for maybe a little bit of music, and there are no objects (stuffed animals, pieces of food, toasters, etc.) flying through the air. This is the time when the world is still, the baby monitor is on, and the dad can feel like his own person again. This is also the time when I sit down and get serious about the blogs, crafting a lot of bad jokes for them.

Alas, a threat to my sanity has been building. Kyle has turned 13, and like the weather in the northeast, he has suddenly changed. Granted, we're talking about 13 months here, but he's definitely showing the traits of a teenager. He's rebellious. Though he's been working on giving kisses, he's no longer giving them to Jennifer on her way out the door. When I try to rock him, he fights any effort of mine to put his head down on my chest - he now wants to face forward. He now crawls into parts of the apartment that have long been off limits, looking back to see how long he can get away with it. He has refused any solid foods we've tried to give him, looking at us with an expression on his face that reads "this is what I say to your food" as he flicks it onto the floor. He has stopped posing for pictures. He's embarrassed to be near me, and wants me to stop the stroller several yards away from the swing set so none of his friends could see me as he crawls to meet them. Worst of all, he no longer wants to take naps.

For nearly a few weeks now, he's been crying every time I put him in the crib for his morning and afternoon snooze sessions. We had been following a routine that has worked for a few months, but for some reason he no longer likes it. It's not that he's not tired - believe me, he's tired. He rubs his eyes. His eyelids are droopy. He nods off mid-sentence. Yet, as I try to slowly lower him down to his bed, he feels tug of gravity, and that sets off the alarms. He wrestles to a sitting-up position, wrinkles his face and drops his lower lip, and shatters the windows with his cries as his face turns Elmo red. I try to calm him down but with no luck. Sometimes, if I leave him alone, he pauses for a second, realizes that he is, in fact, tired, forgets what the fuss was all about, and then falls asleep. Most times, though, it's war. It's a battle between me wanting him to go to sleep, his body wanting him to go to sleep, and his mouth saying "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" (or, in other words, "I don't want to go to sleep"). At least once a day I still win, but a lot of times his mouth takes the victory, and after about an hour of trying, I give up on the effort, and Kyle and I go for a walk outside. The crying ends, and suddenly Kyle's back to being his happy, talkative self, smiling at bus drivers and flirting with old ladies.

Now, don't get me wrong- I'm nowhere near my wit's end yet. As I've said before, I worked in news, so I've experienced a lot worse. It's just something I have to get used to. At some point, I'm sure he'll push me to the brink of insanity, but considering that I spend much of my day snacking on his food and speaking in baby talk, I may be already there without realizing it. I know this is just a phase. I'm sure he'll eventually back down, since I'm really the boss, and - oh no - I think I hear him now. He sounds angry. I hope I didn't do something wrong. Dear me. I gotta go.

Here's a new photo album:

Kyle's 12th & 13th Months

Enjoy... and have a great month!

Year One

On Saturday Kyle celebrated his first birthday. There were balloons, there was cake, and there was a little guy crawling around, laughing and entertaining his guests. He's a far different person than the tiny baby above, who rested next to Jennifer just hours after his birth. So much has happened to us in the past year that at times it feels as if an eternity has passed since those early days, and yet I can remember them as if they just happened.

Kyle, as you may remember, was a bit hesitant to come out of the womb. His due date was June 10, but he had no intention of coming out then. Since Jennifer's doctor wanted the little guy out before he hit puberty, she scheduled an appointment for the 11th for us to go in and be induced. That was a bizarre day. Jennifer and I went to Baskin-Robbins to pick up an ice cream, and later that same afternoon we went to the hospital to pick up a baby. There was no dramatic water break, or me rushing around to pack a suitcase. It was an oddly typical day leading up to this major life-changing event. We even were stuck in traffic for a while. The day stopped being average once we were given a delivery room and nurses hooked Jennifer up to several tubes and monitors. By the time we were woken up in the middle of the night by a woman in another delivery room, shouting "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" as she gave birth, we had fully entered crazyland. You could say the nervousness started to kick in at that point. About 24 hours later, our little guy arrived, and we haven't had a "typical" day since.

Now here we are, one full year later, still learning the ropes of parenthood. Every day there's a new lesson, as Kyle tests his boundaries, and finds new dangerous places to check out, places I didn't even realize existed in our apartment. I've discovered that the little guy loves to take long naps on beautiful days, and then can't sleep at all during days of horrible weather, when going outside isn't a very good option. He tends to sleep through the night, except on days when Jennifer works really late or I'm not feeling well. On those days, he wakes up at 4:30 am and can't fall back asleep before breakfast, no matter how hard we try to coax him. Occasionally he sleeps late into the morning, too, but only on workdays. Our kid is ticklish, enjoys making silly noises with other people, and is a fan of exploring things, though at times certain objects have caused him to scream for no apparent reason. Among those are car keys, candles, and a disturbing toy my brother gave him for his birthday, which makes noises and spits out plastic balls. Apparently, he also has a problem with cake. Those of you who read my other blog, DaveWeekly.com, know the whole story. For you Baby Beaudry readers, here's a special treat: the actual video.

Of course, Kyle isn't sour on all foods. He's a big fan of sweet potatoes, squash and the "chicken and rice" meal by Gerber. He loves his toast, Cheerios and banana puffs... that is, when he's not throwing them on the floor. Kyle also enjoys long walks outside, the swings, and sunsets. And he doesn't spit up much anymore! So, ladies, this is one guy you don't want to pass up.

Next month I'll put together pictures from his 12th and 13th months. For now, you can check out this photo album of his special day:

Kyle's First Birthday

Enjoy! See you next month.

Almost one

It's about time Kyle accepts the truth: he's getting old. Last week the little guy hit the 11-month mark, which means we have less than a month to go until his first birthday. It's an important milestone. Even though we'll probably still refer to him as a "13-month-old," "18-month-old," or "55-month-old," beginning next month we can also simply refer to him in years, which will be the preferred measurement. That means the "monthies" are nearing an end. Kyle's five-month-old and six-month-old friends are already harassing him about it and sending him "over the hill" cards and black balloons. In the meantime, Kyle's trying to enjoy what's left of the monthies as he reflects on life and questions whether it's too late to follow his dreams.

This was quite an eventful month for Kyle. His 11th month included his first Easter, his first Mother's Day, and the first time he could refer to his mom as an "esquire." He's eating more, crawling more, and demanding more from his dad, who finds himself worn out most evenings, after spending the days chasing the little guy around. I am finding myself drinking more and more coffee. College didn't do this to me. A stressful job didn't do it. Even the overnight shift didn't do it. No, the one thing that is pushing me into the pit of caffeine addiction is a little guy who can't even walk yet. Incredible. At least he still sleeps from time to time.

Anyway, I have a new photo album for all of you to enjoy:

Kyle's 10th & 11th Months

That's about all I have right now. Time for me to start preparing for a birthday!

The baby & the bunny

This past week was very exciting for the Beaudry family. Jennifer's alma mater became NCAA champions in basketball, my alma mater became NCAA champions in hockey, and infant formula was on sale. We also celebrated Kyle's first Easter on Sunday. Like with Thanksgiving, Christmas and Groundhog Day, Kyle did not seem to understand what was going on or why everyone was so excited. When we tried to explain to him the resurrection and salvation, he concentrated more on eating his socks. The Easter Bunny concept appeared to go a little better.

The dentist's favorite rabbit did arrive for Kyle, and a basket was waiting in our living room Easter morning. Kyle seemed intrigued by the new object in the room, though it contained some of the animals he already owned (the Easter Bunny was kind enough to not want to clutter the Beaudry home just yet). I was there with my video camera for the big moment, only to learn that its battery was all out of juice. Fortunately, my digital camera has a record function, but, since it was manufactured in the early 1920's, it shoots only silent movies. You'll have to imagine the "oohs," "ahhhs" and occasional passing of gas in the video below:



Now you may be wondering what was in Kyle's basket, considering that he's too young for jelly beans or chocolate. Well, the wise and powerful Easter Bunny came up with an alternative - baby food and empty plastic eggs!



The little guy was absolutely thrilled.



We promised Kyle that this Easter ritual will get better. The Easter Bunny eventually will put jelly beans and chocolate in the basket. Hopefully by then, through a careful upbringing, we will have convinced him that those foods taste awful. That way he will reject them, and force his dad and mom to eat them for him. It's a sacrifice we're willing to make.

Yesterday Kyle turned ten months old, though he doesn't look a day over nine months and three weeks. Age suits him well. We're now less than two months away from his first birthday, which is hard to believe. He hasn't quite said what he wants for his birthday yet, but I'm guessing he'd like a new video game system to use on his new TV. Just a hunch.

Nine months later...

Last Friday Kyle became nine months old. That means our son has been out of the womb longer than he was in it. It's a very exciting milestone.

We're still debating whether this is a good thing. Of course, Jennifer's happy to have him out, but I wonder whether Kyle truly is. Sure, he seems to be enjoying his time on the outside, but he certainly appeared to enjoy the womb, too. After all, he was in no rush to get out - labor lasted more than 30 hours, and Kyle was still kicking around and having fun during the delivery.


(Above: Which Kyle is happier?)

There are pros and cons to both sides. Since entering the world, Kyle has learned how laugh, crawl, and make funny noises at his dad. He enjoys going places in his stroller, playing with toys in his crib, and flirting with waitresses and nuns. Before his birth, Kyle could not enjoy any of that. Back then, the outside world was just a collection of garbled noises, mostly from Jennifer's law classes. Most people on the outside don't understand what goes on in those classes, so Kyle didn't stand a chance. He'd also be bothered by garbled silly talk and a few pokes, which came from his dad. Kyle was trapped in his cocoon, forced to undergo this harassment whenever his dad felt like it. Sadly, his dad enjoyed doing these things and did them often.

On the plus side, the womb was very comfortable for the little guy. He could sleep whenever he felt like it, he never had to fret over a dirty diaper, and didn't have to rely on a filthy New York City pool for a good swim. When his parents suffered through a cold winter or a heat wave, Kyle didn't notice any change and would be content just kicking away or resting comfortably on his mom's bladder. It's hard to imagine wanting to leave that lifestyle, especially when the outside world can force you to deal with terrible weather, sleepless nights, and American Idol.

So perhaps it's a trade-off. Though, looking down the road, I'm guessing it's better for Kyle to be outside. Adolescence won't be fun, but at least he'll be able to stretch his arms during it.

This month I have a new photo album for you to enjoy. Check it out:

Kyle's 8th & 9th Months

That's all for now. More to come in April, when Kyle hits the double digits.

Crazy eight

Today Kyle turns eight months old. We have just a few months left on the warranty before the hospital won't take him back. That is, if the warranty's still good. I may have broken him - he's been acting awfully silly lately, and he often goes haywire. Maybe some formula accidentally spilled on his circuits.

Kyle just can't sit still these days. He'd rather squirm around or climb up your shoulder - sometimes when you're standing and holding him. When he's in his crib, he must use some of the new skills he's perfected this month: crawling, standing, and shooting flaming arrows. Keeping on top of all this is making his dad very tired. Each day I try to figure out ways to get Kyle to wind down and take a nap... so maybe I could take a nap myself. Sometimes that requires the exersaucer or mechanical bull, while at other times I just have him crawl over the same piece of rug over and over and over again. Check out the video below to see what I mean...

This seems to be working, and his drool helps clean the rug, too. It has caused me to get rug burns on my elbows, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make as a parent.

I don't have a photo album to share with you today, but I do want you to take a close look at this official portrait of our son:

I know what you're thinking: "I can't believe Kyle's already wearing glasses!" Yes, it's true. It appears that he was seeing everything two-dimensionally, and that had to be corrected. It's an affliction we Beaudrys have. But that's not main reason why I'm showing you this picture. Take a close look beneath the glasses, right here:

That's right - the little guy is sprouting teeth. It used to be that Kyle's bark was worse than his bite, but that's not the case anymore. Our kid is gnawing on everything he can get his mouth on, and he's even removed some of the crib's finish. I'm sure we'll soon see teeth marks on tables, chairs, and the refrigerator. Nothing is sacred.

Yet even though Kyle is single-handedly ruining all of our furniture, I guess I really can't complain. His teeth are essential to living, after all. Plus, he certainly comes in handy when you can't find a pencil sharpener.

The beginning of the end

This January is a month of transition, a month of change. The status quo will be put aside soon, and we'll have to learn a new way of approaching things. There's hope that better times are ahead of us, though some of us at times will long for days' past. The future may be bright, but at the same time it's also a bit scary. Who knows what will happen to us?

Of course I am talking about the impending end to Kyle's use of the bouncy seat. It breaks my heart to say this, but I don't think it's as safe as it used to be. Back in the day, we were able to use the bouncy seat to "stick the baby somewhere" - by our dining room table, near the living room couch, or in the closet. There he'd lie back quietly, rhythmically kicking his left leg, rocking himself for hours on end, turning our home into his own personal deep-sea cruise.

(Above: Our living room, from Kyle's perspective)

Kyle in his bouncy seat was the envy of any adult. I mean, who wouldn't want to lie back all day, rocking yourself? If every office cubicle was equipped with an adult bouncy seat, I'm sure most jobs would be far more enjoyable. But apparently Kyle doesn't realize how good he has it. He now prefers sitting up, and he hardly ever kicks anymore. These days to rock himself, he just moves his head up and down. It's like having your own living bobble head doll. He also fights against the restraints of the bouncy seat. At first, the seat was still able to hold him in, as this picture from New Year's demonstrates:

But Thursday night the seat came close to losing the little guy. He was in it, playing with some toys as I was taking care of the recycling (that's about as much fun as it gets these days, being a parent). As I was folding up one of our boxes, I heard a cry. I looked up and saw Kyle, still in the seat but lying horizontally. He was fighting his way out and nearly succeeding. His arm was stretched out, trying to grab one of the toys he had thrown onto the floor. He was not bouncing.

"Uh, oh," I thought. "This can't be good."

So now Kyle's using the bouncy seat even less and will soon stop using it altogether. He's moving on from the bouncing world to the sitting world, a move he'll come to regret once he spends enough time in a church pew or one of those metal fold-up chairs. By then it'll be too late, unless someone takes my adult-bouncy-seat proposal seriously. Maybe I should write the new president about it. A surge in the bouncy seat industry might be just what this economy needs.

(Above: A tribute to the bouncy seat)

On a side note, Kyle turned 7 months old this last Tuesday. Here's a new photo album from the past two months (and a few more bouncy seat shots):

Kyle's 6th & 7th Months

Enjoy!