Ari is 17 months!
June 26th came and went and I didn’t realize that Ari has turned 17-mo until the day after. It’s been a very exhausting month due to his newfound separation anxiety, molars, change in sleep pattern (including unpredictable night wakings), and increasing playfulness during the day. Now it’s nearly impossible to get on the computer or call someone while he’s with me. He’d come and grab me when I’m in the office, and as soon as he sees my iPhone, he wouldn’t stop until I give it to him. I’m finally updating the blog at 4am, when no one is needing my attention except me!
A few updates on Ari’s development this month… He’d give me the iPhone and indicate to me that he wants me to launch his app. He’d tap my arm when he wants me to repeat. He’d run away and hide when he hears me counting. He loves to play hide and seek, loves to read (flip the pages and sometimes eat them too), loves to run and hug mommy, loves to take his guitar everywhere. He can finally drink (suck) from a sippy cup with the valve in place. He would walk up to any stranger demanding their phone. He would locate the remote controls in any homes. Oh and he did a Wells Fargo print ad with mommy.
Ari playing with massager from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
Playing the guitar with grandpa Mark from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
Rocking with mom from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
Happy Days & Sleepless Nights
It’s been one week now since the last time I slept in my bed peacefully through the night. However thanks to the sleep deprivation boot camp every new parent has to go through, I am doing relatively well on little sleep. It took me 5 days to realize that it wasn’t separation anxiety finally hitting him or an ear infection. It’s teething. Ari has one molar coming out, and it’s been bothering him and affecting his sleep at night. He’d wake up every 1-2 hours crying, standing in his crib waiting for me to go in and comfort him. Poor thing would fall right back to sleep as soon as I hold him. So the last few nights I’ve been camping on his floor so I can provide comfort as soon as he wakes. The pediatrician said that this can last a month… *yawn*
During the day time thought Ari is a happy camper, playing & laughing & eating well. Here is a video of him gliding across the floor at a friend’s party. Need a floor mop anyone?
Ari sliding on his back from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
May Update
I just realized that I haven’t blogged here for a whole month! Life has been busy. Let’s recap what we did this past month…
We spent the last week of April in Vancouver. It was our first family vacation. The weather was wonderful, sunny and warm on most days, and Vancouver is such a beautiful city. Unfortunately Ari got sick and was unusually fussy the whole time we were there. We tried to enjoy the aquarium and Stanley Park, as well as explored the different areas of Vancouver in our friend’s car. At the end of the week we finished watching 10 DVDs and decided not to vacation with a toddler again. :P Well not until he’s a little older and more communicative.
Sick Baby in Vancouver
May is THE birthday month for the Golomb Family. Marina, Stanley, Alla… and of course my dear husband! We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Masa’s on Vitaly’s birthday this year with just close family members.
Happy Birthday to Vitaly!
My big job this month was a TV pilot called “Parenthood”. My character is Lisa, whose teenage daughter Stella got into trouble and had to be picked up from the Oakland Police Station. The pilot will be airing on NBC this fall. I’m crossing my fingers that the show will continue to include Lisa and Stella!
One big blessing this month is my parents visit. They have been here for almost 3 weeks, and it’s been so wonderful. Ari loves his grandparents and grandma’s excellent food! I will definitely miss having the extra help too when they leave tomorrow night… Gosh I am already looking forward to their next visit in November!
Ari is now 16-month-old, and ever since he recovered from his Vancouver cold he’s been happier and extremely active. I am having trouble keeping up!!! Here are some videos of Ari doing various activities. He still loves everything that has buttons, lights, and/or music. One big goal for me right now is to unspoil him during meal time. I’m going to stop feeding him while he’s playing so he can sit like a normal person and eat at a table! I’m done chasing him with a spoon. Oh and I’m not going to keep picking up his toys when he throws them. Time for mommy to get tough!
Spit Bubbles from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
A walk on Union Square from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
Diaper Pianist from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
Must…Get…Remote from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
Ari is 15-month-old!
We went to his 15-month well checkup on Friday, and here are his stats:
Height: 33″ (95+ %)
Weight (with clothes): 26lb 7oz (75-90%)
Head: 18 3/4″
Most toddlers at this age have a few words and point to let their needs known, but Ari hasn’t shown any signs of those even though he babbles plenty. We think it’s due to the fact that he is learning 3 languages simultaneously, and many multilingual kids are late talkers. Also because of this Ari still acts more like a baby comparing to his peers around the same age. We’ll try to read and talk to him more from now on to help him develop his language skills.
We’re heading to Vancouver tomorrow morning for a week-long vacation. Yea! Hope we’ll get to relax and enjoy the change of scenery. Below are some recent pictures:
Ari wearing a backpack
Ari loves splashing water
Wet face
Playing a little piano
Posing with piano
Oh so tired after playing
Funny Toddler
Ari is so much fun these days. He’s interactive, curious, and active. No talking yet, but I know he’s thinking and learning. He loves to climb onto the couch, fall onto the pillows and walk around (while I nervously watch). Once I found him standing on the back of the couch pounding the wall!! I almost had a heart attack. He was having a great time though.
Fun!
Ari laughing on the couch from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
I took a picture today while Ari was sitting in our building’s shopping cart. You can see how much he’s grown since December last year!
Here is a video from April 4th, when Stanley and Ari met up in the SF Zoo after the Egg Hunt.
More Stanley and Ari from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
The next hotness: nano blogging!
GGMG Easter Egg Hunt
Our first Easter Egg Hunt, first for everyone in our family. Sponsored by GGMG - Golden Gate Mothers Group. We actually didn’t let Ari go into the battle field to pick up eggs with hundreds of other kids, for safety reasons. Maybe next year when he’s more stable on his feet we’ll let him fight for his eggs. :)
Close up with Easter Bunny
Hello Bunny!
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Ari turned 14-month-old today!
Happy birthday to little Ari. Well, not so little Ari. He is still the same mellow baby though. He had to come out with me this evening past his bedtime. I was a little worried because I knew he was tired already when we left the house, but he behaved so well! He quietly played his toy guitar for 2 hours before finally falling asleep around 9pm, with his guitar still clenched tightly by his little hands. My dear angel. :)
Some new skills:
- He knows when to turn pages when I read him his bed time stories. I’ve been reading him the same books since he was only a couple months old, so he’s figured out when he needs to turn the pages just by listening to me.
- He waits for me to sing. One of his bed time stories is “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, and after the book I would sing a Chinese lullaby about butterflies. After doing it for a few days, now when I finish the book, Ari would lean back, turn his head up to look at me, and waits for me to sing.
- He can turn while walking. When Ari first started walking, he’d trip over his toys all the time because he wasn’t looking down. Just the last couple days I noticed that he started to turn and sometimes avoid his toys successfully. I’m not sure if it’s coincidental though. For sure he turns when he gets distracted by toys on his way to get a bite from me! Here is a video of him walking between his toys.
Ari loves music from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
- He can now eat mostly adult food. He has muesli mixed with cow’s milk for breakfast, fruits for snack, yogurt and cereal for lunch, raisins and more fruits for afternoon snack, then dinner of avocado or whatever we eat. Tonight he ate a steamed meat bun!
Some updates:
- He still doesn’t drink out of a sippy cup at all. I have to pour liquid into his mouth, or just let him chew on the spout and hope that some liquid does get into his mouth. Here is a video showing you what he does with a sippy…
Sippy cup is a toy from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
- He played with his cousins this Wednesday in San Jose. Here is a cute video of two boys playing the piano together.
Playing the piano with Luke from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
小天天今天滿十四個月了！還是個懂事安靜的小孩。像今晚臨時要出門、他乖乖坐在後座兒童汽車椅內安安靜靜地玩了兩個小時才自己睡著、手上還緊緊握著玩具吉他。真是媽媽的小天使。天天現在走路會轉彎呦、有時會成功避開一地的玩具而不被扮倒。晚上念故事時他知道甚麼時候要翻頁、甚麼時候媽媽會唱歌。吃飯也吃的不錯、居然連肉包子也能吃喔。唯一麻煩的是喝東西。天天還是不會用杯子或吸管、老是啃得起勁渾身溼透。怕他水分不夠只好多吃水果囉！
Ari’s walk caught on camera
Here it is, Ari’s drunken baby walk. :)
Ari’s walk from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.
Will walk for food from Joyce Golomb on Vimeo.