Moments/Things to Smile at Today...

Having an incredibly busy 12-month is a lot of fun… most of the time. It also provides many moments that induce panic, frustration, worry, but mostly, joy; often in retrospect. Here are some moments from today:

1.     Jett had 2 appointments today. The first one was his 1 year immunizations and the other, his 1 year check-up. I was a little nervous about his ‘shots’ and how he would react, based on how he’s reacted in the past. A total melt-down was not outside of the realm of possibility. He did freak out, as expected as he got, not one, but THREE needles; and this time in the arm, not the leg. BUT I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly he settled down. There was a poster of Nemo in the room. My heart melted as Jett said “fshhh, fshhh”… and all was right in his world once again.

***Side note – We went to the Vancouver Aquarium during our BC trip last week and Jett LOVED looking at all of the FSHHH!

 Nemo

2.     We had several hours to kill between appointments, so we spent some time with uncle Tim. We took Jett to The Fun Factory for the first time. Of course, it was a huge hit, but I got a kick out the fact that, out of all of the many, many toys etc, one of Jett’s favorite things was… the gate. There is a little white picket fence enclosing an area for smaller children and he was the gatekeeper. Jett enjoyed opening and closing, opening and closing, opening and closing the gate repeatedly.

3.     Still at the Fun Factory, Jett loved the ball pits and climbing through the maze of tunnels. His favorite part of the jungle gym, though, was the slides. My little man thinks he can be so independent and he would just dive down head-first if I would let him (or not catch him in time!). Our compromise is to send Jett down feet-first, on his belly, with an adult at the top to send him off and an adult at the bottom to catch him. He LOVES it! To, watch his smile swallow the rest of his face as he goes down, and to hear his shrieks of pleasure would make anyone smile.

***Side note – Uncle Tim received a lecture from a 5 year old about being up in the play center. Were we not supposed to be in there WITH Jett? Maybe I don’t know the rules???

4.     We picked up scrumptious take-out from Thiens for lunch and went to see Aunty Sherry at her Sliced Decadence kitchen space where she was baking up some delicious masterpieces. (Look at me, learning to use links on my blog) We all went to the playground across the street to enjoy the fabulous 21 degree afternoon when we were finished eating. There were swings, slides, stairs etc, but I think Jett’s favorite part was… the sand. I was still digging sand out of crevices as I changed and pajama-ed Jetty for bed.

5.     Also at the park, there was a hill. Do you remember how much you loved hills when you were young? Jett discovered this simple pleasure today, and I loved watching him. He could trudge up the slope (somewhat, I think he was carried most of the way up) but going down… we all know the joy that is running down-hill. He giggled uncontrollably as his little legs moved faster than he’s ever experienced. Of course, that would only last a few steps because he would inevitably tumble. Luckily, uncle Tim ran with him and caught him each time his little rockets failed. Yay for uncles! (and aunties)

6.     Jett and I got to his appointment about 10 minutes early. That allowed enough time for several laps around the waiting room. Chairs were tapped and tasted. Windows were kissed and sung to. Every time the outside door was opened, Jett would bee-line and try to make his escape. He started banging on the door, I think he was trying to convince it to open. Then, he stopped and calmly walked to the left and pushed the wheel chair access button! Everyone in the waiting room busted up. My little smarty pants. I did catch him around the waist and thwart his escape efforts, but that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t proud and cracking up on the inside!

7.     While Jett was weighed and measured, he grabbed at anything and everything he could reach! The Kleenex, the posters on the wall, the little samples of Materna vitamins they were giving away, and the paper towel that shielded the scale was torn to shreds. He really hasn’t gained much weight in the last couple of months; big surprise for my little mover. He weighed in at 24 pounds and he was 31.5 inches long. He IS getting taller. I do feed my little train-wreck, I promise. He’s actually a really good eater.

8.     Once we were in the little hospital room waiting for the doctor to come in, Jett joyfully ran circles around the small room. He had only his diaper on, which he loves, and he checked out the stool on rollers, the cupboard that housed the trash can, and any poster he thought he could reach. I drew the line when he picked up the stirrup that’s used for women’s examinations. He then proceeded to crouch down in the corner while doing some pretty serious grunting and pushing. He very thoroughly filled his pants, which was disappointing because I had just changed his diaper when we had arrived at the clinic. I was sure that the doctor would enter just as Jett’s putrid aroma filled the room, but thankfully, she didn’t and I had time to change my squirmy wiggler.

These are only a few of the special moments I was able to share with my little man today as we also visited Future Shop and Costco. AND we tried out Jett’s new backpack carrier. I think he loves hugging mommy’s back. He tickles my sides with his chubby little fingers. I love that. All of these moments make me smile and I hope they bring a smile to others, too.

Anyway, here are a few comics I was emailed today that I also got a kick out of: