The baby is gone.

Dance, Monkeyboy, Dance!

Stephen Won’t Let Me Film Him

There. Now you know. I turn the camera on and he squeals until I let him take it.

Here’s a highlight reel of everything he’s filmed so far. Yes, he knows which button to press.

Here are a few scraps of what I’ve managed to film myself.

A tour of apartment and its many fine appointments including a toddler who wants the camera.

Temporarily fascinated that he can walk on ramps before he goes for the camera.

Strong enough to go over a bench, not smart enough to go around it.

It’s still something new every day–a new word or a new mannerism, the realization that he can climb stairs, walking on the sidewalk outside of the stroller. He’s adorable and humbling.

Oh, hi! Yes we still have a baby. He’s trying to eat our couch right now.

Catching up.

Very first birthday. In case Stephen’s been missing all of the hints he’s been tossing his way, Jim made a special cake.

Cake. Exhausting.

The next day, sugar hangover at the golf course.

With Bill and Kelly at the zoo.

He’s walking, mostly right into us so that he can step on our toes. His newest word is “papacito”, though he says “Bleu kitty”, “NO!”, “Nana”, “Dada”, “Mama”, “bear” and “doo swick sish”. Baby food is out. Fish sticks, chocolate milk and melons are in. He feeds us when he’s done eating. And he can dance. I didn’t know that babies danced.

Enjoy!

What’s up? Baby butt.

Why I Got Dressed in the Corner of My Bedroom Behind the Dresser This Morning

Stephen’s walker just clears my toes and goes on to scrape off the tops of my feet. Stephen knows this somehow and chases me around the apartment while I dance like Yosemite Sam is shooting at my ankles. When he corners me, he gets all glassy-eyed, wondering why I would run away like that. I go around to kiss him, he turns and I have to jump away again. I hope he understands.

He’s not really scared of anything really. We’re all in trouble.

By the way, all of the clothes he’s wearing in these are for an eighteen-month-old.

A Real Boy

He’s crawling, but not crawling. As Jim likes to say, he’s doing a wounded-soldier-on-the-battlefield drag. He can get where he needs to go though, and fast. He has one tooth coming in, the front, left incisor. In the back seat on the way to the nanny’s, he takes his sock off and waves it in the air proudly. He says things like mamma, baby, papa and his current favorite, brrrrrrrrrrlah! He smiles constantly, mostly because we demand it. He was with Jim’s mom and sister last weekend in Detroit and tomorrow… tomorrow he takes his first plane ride. I apologize sincerely to anyone on this plane. Off to see Grandma and Grandpa Knight!

But you don’t care about that. Here are the pictures.

With Auntie Bethie and Grammie Bonnie.

With mommy.

In the sink.

On the swing.

Completely unsatisfied with bubbles.

Prepare to be destroyed by cuteness.

On Monday, Stephen learned to clap. On Thursday, he learned to say mama. Jim managed to get them both on film this morning.

By next week he should be typing and julienning your carrots.

More Stuff

Stephen’s first definite word was not “mama” or “dada”, but “baby”, which, I hope, bodes nothing, but I’ll be sure to tell his pissed of girlfriends of tomorrow in case they ever write an autobiography. Would be funnier if it was “Stephen”, but we work with what we have.

He continues to grow, fitting into clothes just two months ago I would have thought were for the Juniors section at Field’s. He’s in that rolling stage, so well illustrated in this video (not Stephen-Stephen is much bigger than that).

Here he is taking a bath.

Roly-poly as heck.

More pictures:

Bonnie bought that shirt and shorts for him in Hawaii. I nearly died of joy.

With the rubber duckie before he realized it squirts.

Monkey hat! Monkey hat! Monkey hat!

Stuff

Stephen got to spend Christmas with all of his grandparents, and loved it.

This picture was my mother’s idea, not mine, okay?

But he’s so darn cute.

Here he is under the carrier cover on a very cold day.

Which he doesn’t resent at all.

And here he is with his daddy.