Halloween Costumes

One thing I've learned is you can never have too many costumes for an 18 month old. Especially when he can even make a paper bag look good!

Flavors of Nature

Works been pretty slow for me the past month but has brought with it the bright side of being able to spend more time with Dylan. We took some time away to Big Bear. Marci and I were amazed at how different our visit was this time versus our last visit in late February. Not only the lack of snow, but it was only 5 months ago Dylan wasn't able to crawl let alone walk (which is not up to a very unstable trot). The last trip was a lot of fun because it was the first time I was able to get Dylan to laugh. It took some snow, a kick, and some brilliant comedic timing on my part. Thankfully, I've heard a lot more laughing since then.

All of the other times we've been to Big Bear Dylan had always needed to be held, but now that he's walking he's also exploring. It's crazy fun to watch him interact with stuff he's seen just for the first time. Every large bushel of grass is a

maze, every gate door is a puzzle, and every creature must be chased with a resounding "Jaavaa", every rock a phone he can use

to call his grandma....

The tough part is letting him interact within even a semi-controlled environment knowing that every spider web, rock, acorn, bark, and unidentifiable ground cover has the potential of being consumed. We do feed him, but he's like the guy on the show "Culinary Adventures"; he's not afraid to taste a rock to see how it might enhance the flavor of leaves. Being a kid before I recognize a lot of the experiences are good to have and help him classify and identify the best methods to interact with the world. But I remember distinctly that there was not way I was going to put a rock in my mouth unless it was dipped in chocolate first (the same holds true today). We're also finding another challenge of being parents is having to lose sight of a fully awake baby for the first time. Having him running around outside to pick up twigs and pine cones may sound like an easy thing but it's tough even lose site for a few seconds. It's both rewarding and traumatizing. I'm sure it's good for his Independence. Gives him the chance to see the world on his own. He doesn't need his silly parents monitoring every move. That is, until his desire for Independence results in a black eye and a lot of crying! Ahh sweet gravity bringing my baby back!

I guess it's tough to tell when you're 17 months if you might be big enough to go down a step big boy style or play it safe and do the baby back down maneuver. I think he'll wait until he's 18 months before he tries again.

Dylan the Natralist

These pictures were taken back in February when we introduced Dylan to our lawn:

President of the United States?
Maybe.

Medical Scientist who discovers a break through cure?
Possibly.

A naturalist who solves global warming? Perhaps.

Bear Grylls? Nope.

Pulling Up on a Chair 2010 03 11

Dylan joined a MyGym class last week. Dan and I both went with Dylan. There were many different activities for kids Dylan's age. There were swings and tunnels and balls of different sizes. One of the kids had just learned to walk, at the class the week before. Dylan watched everything and just took it all in stride. By the end of class, he was singing and clapping (of course, when there were no songs) and enjoying himself.

There was a small trampoline with a bar just above his head to hold on to. Dan had to hold Dylan's hands onto the bar. Dylan didn't really jump at all, but I moved the jump mat up and down to jiggle him a little.

Starting the day after the class, Dylan started many new tricks he learned from watching the other kids. He moves easily from a crawling position to a sitting position and he explores toys while sitting. He had already figured out how to pull up on his toy table and his play chair, but that was pretty much it. Now, he pulls himself up on a windowsill. He also pulls himself up on flat surfaces, like the wall and the sliding glass door. He is pulling himself up on unstable objects, now, too. In this video clip, he's pulling up on a dining room chair. This evening, he pulled himself up on a little light canvas storage bin I use for his laundry basket.

It's been a very busy week because of all the new tricks.

Wake Up Dylan 2010 03 11

This is when you really know you no longer have a little newborn baby in the house. You come to pick him up after his nap, and there he is, standing in the crib.

Dan especially likes the jumping up and down for emphasis.

Home Haircut 2010 03 08

Dylan's hair was getting long again.

Dan and I took him to a restaurant for lunch.

"Would she like a high chair," the hostess asked.

"Sure," we answered with a shrug.

We looked over the menu for a bit, then the waitress came by and introduced herself.

"Oh, she's beautiful. Would she like some crayons?"

"Sure," Dan accepted, as I looked back at Dylan, trying not to laugh at the nice lady.

Dylan thought that the crayons looked very yummy. As Dan colored the kiddie menu, Dylan tried to grab the crayons out of his hand and put them in his mouth.

You can't see it in the picture, but the hair was growing down below his eyes. It was just at the level where it poked him in the eyes when he moved his head. He kept lowering his head to try to see under his hair. Then he would squint and rub his eyes, then lower his head to look out from under his hair again.

I have no real experience cutting hair, except for the dogs, occasionally. I cut Java's hair a couple of weeks ago, and his right ear is almost an inch longer than his left. I haven't had the opportunity to fix it yet. I hope I did a little bit better with Dylan's hair. I can see the difference from when I did it and when he had it done professionally the first time. Oh, well!

Five Teeth 2010 02 27

This is Dylan, showing off his five teeth while playing with his grandma. Thanks to Grandma, Dylan was laughing and laughing, and I was able to capture the picture of his teeth that I had been vying to catch. Dylan's sixth tooth popped out the next day.

Dylan's Doorstop 2010 02 18

Since Dylan can now climb up the one step to get to the entryway, there's no stopping him from exploring that area anymore (or crawling out an open front door, although that's not allowed). On a visit to the entryway with his dad, Dylan found a great toy.

Up and Down 2010 02 04

This is a little game that Dylan sort of made up by himself. He loves the sliding glass door next to his play area. He loves to look outside at the trees and the dogs. He especially loves the sliding glass door at night. It took us a while to figure out what excited him so much about the glass door at night. It's dark, so we can't see outside. What was he looking at? As soon as night fell, he'd look up and crawl as fast as he could to the sliding glass door. When he saw his reflection, he smiled and laughed and screeched in excitement. Ah, my vain little boy! He loves to look at himself in the mirror, and at night, the glass door became like a gigantic mirror, where Dylan could practice making faces at himself.

I would sit behind him while he stood with his palms on the glass. As I slowly edged away from Dylan and the door, Dylan would suddenly realize I wasn't behind him. He would turn and stare intently at me, as if to say, "You're not playing the right way!" After a while, he stopped turning around. Unable to tear his gaze away from the handsome boy in the reflection, he just waved his arm behind him, to feel if I was still there. If I wasn't, then he'd scream, threatening to cry. (How do kids learn that trick so quickly?)

Then, he stepped up his little game. Instead of waving his arm behind him to keep me near, he jsut pushed off the glass with both hands, and waited for me to catch him. This kid knows how to play me!

I tried to teach him to do this on command, and used the words "up" and "down" as cues. He still maintains the control and timing, but I tried.

Dan doesn't like this game so much. Shortly after this game started, Dan was doing something and needed to go close the window next to the door. Dan propped Dylan in a standing up against the glass, turned to close the window, and bam! Dylan fell flat on his back and started to cry.

So we don't play this game as often anymore. However, I have used it on occasion to make Dylan let go of something. For example, one day, he was standing up against his play table. He was very tired of playing and wanted to rest. He called out to me and looked at me with sad eyes. The trouble was, though, that he would not buckle his legs or let go of the table with either hand. I came up behind him and held on to him behind his waist, and said, "Dylan, down. Remember?" He looked around relaxed, and pushed off with both of his hands and fell back into my lap.

Chair Dismount 2010 02 04

Dylan had been performing this trick for a while. He took some time to perfect it, and then some time for me to get a good video of it, so I didn't just show him doing an ungraceful faceplant. He no longer needs to land on the pillows. I can't "trap" him anymore in his little chair; instead, he uses the chair as a climbing stepstool. It's a totally different game now.

Climbing 2010 02 02

First opening the kitchen doors, then climbing. It was a busy week, full of new discoveries! My hands were literally full, trying to keep Dylan out of trouble. I had even less time to do anything around the house, and no hands to do it with! Dogs were neglected, the refrigerator emptied, the dishes stayed on the counter, and laundry was not done. I am truly amazed at anyone who has more than one kid in the house.

Dylan and his Dad

Dylan, at about 10 months old, and Dan, at about the same age.

Dylan Learns to Open Kitchen Doors 2010 02 01

This month has been full of new tricks, and I believe it all started here. Okay, well, maybe after crawling, it all started here. It used to be so easy. Once Dylan could sit up on his own, I could leave him in his little play chair that we inherited from friends. Since he could sit up, but didn't know how to get off the chair, I could leave him there while I prepared his food in the kitchen. He soon learned how to get off the play chair, and since he was crawling, he would find a target and cross the room in no time to get to it, whether it be a toy or me in the kitchen. I found that I could prop him in the standing position, leaning against his play table. Once again, since he didn't know how to get down, he would continue standing there for what seemed like ages. But that didn't last long, since he learned from the chair that there was nothing about the floor to fear.

I would close the kitchen doors and watch him though the louvered slats. Dylan would think that I had gone away and he would entertain himself with his toys until I returned with his food.

And then he found me. It just so happens that the space between these kitchen doors is wider at the bottom than at the top. There is about a half inch of vertical space between the doors at the bottom. The space is perfectly size for a little hand with little fingers to grab on to the door.

Once Dylan learned to open the doors to the kitchen, it was a brand new Peek A Boo game. He was so happy to see me, but in complete awe of all the new adventures that the open door presented. Since his discovery, he's learned about the dog food and the dog door. Mocha-dog tries to unsuccessfully "herd" Dylan when he's in the kitchen. Maybe she just wants him to rub her belly.

Generally, though, for Dylan, a visit to the kitchen results in being swiftly picked up and returned to his play area.

Snow Fun with Dad 2010 01 29

Dan took Dylan out to look at the snow, even though night had fallen and it was very cold outside. There were several feet of snow, so it was neat to see. Dan was carrying Dylan and they could only go as far as the front porch, because the snow was so high. Dan kicked some snow, and Dylan burst out into laughter. So Dan kicked some snow again. More laughter, plus squeals. Dan looked around and decided that it wasn't that late, so the neighbors shouldn't mind. Dan kicked the snow, so high that it showered both him and Dylan in snow. Dan braced for a reaction, and Dylan laughed louder and harder than ever. I grabbed the camera, ran outside and started taking video.

Hide and Seek Cheerios 2010 01 24

Dylan LOVES Cheerios. Most of the crawling over, around, through and under things is usually encouraged with Cheerios.

Here is Dan trying to teach Dylan about object permanence.

Learning the Lever 2010 01 19

I like this video because it's so interesting to watch Dylan figure out how things work.

Dylan seems to love spinning things. He has a wind spinner above his bed in the shape of a hot air balloon that he has watched spin for hours at a time. He also loves ceiling fans, probably because we have one in almost every room of the house. When we take him somewhere that has no ceiling fans, he searches the ceiling for one, until we leave. If we are somewhere new and there is a ceiling fan, he smiles his beg smile, as if acknowledging a dear old friend.

Dylan got a Learning Table from his grandparents for Christmas. He wasn't quite ready to stand with it, so we left the legs off and let him explore it on the floor. Initially, the only two toys on the table he liked were the clear spinning roller with the small colored pellets in it, and the round spinning "banjo." The first toy reminded him of some other toys that he was familiar with. The second toy had the spinning that Dylan enjoys so much. Dylan would attack the round spinning part and hit it repeatedly with his hands. But it is covered with a clear plastic round cover. The only way to spin the round part is to move a yellow lever handle that looks like the banjo neck. And the lever can only move down. When it is released, it springs back to the top position again. Complex stuff for a little baby. Dylan would hit the round part and yell at it, to try to make it work. He would put his head on it and stare it down, to see if it would turn. He would turn around and kick it with his feet. If I pulled the lever, he would hit my hands to move them away, and yell, as if to say, "No, I wanna do it myself!" A lot of attitude for a little baby, but we can address that when he's bigger.

When he finally figured out the little lever, he pulled it again and again. And again and again and again. He still does it today. And he watches his little banjo toy spin and spin.

Then I turned the table around. Dylan leaned across the table, but the banjo handle was on the opposite side, because from Dylan's point of view, everything was upside down again. Now, the banjo handle could only be pushed UP in order to work. That upset Dylan a lot.

Now he has it all figured out. And the banjo is still one of his favorite toys on the enitre table.

First Baby Swing at a Park 2010 01 16

Dylan was invited to my friend's seven year old son's birthday party. Always thinking of everyone else's needs first, my friend calls me and excitedly tells me that she made sure that there were two baby swings at this park. The other kids at the party were all school aged, so she specifically noted this point so I could bring Dylan.

Here is the video of Dylan's first swing at the park. After his colic went away, Dylan has been a very easy going little boy. He takes everything in stride as if it's not new or scary. Dan and I joke that we have to do everything at least 15 times, and then maybe we'll get a reaction out of him. It's usually laughter. But only after 15 times. Until then, he stares and chills.

First Baby Cookie 2010 01 15

Dylan is loving the introduction to Real Food! One of the perks of having teeth is eating baby cookies. Do you see how he smiles with his eyes as he stuffs his mouth full of cookie?

Singing Lessons 2010 01 12

Dylan found his singing voice. He was "singing" all day. And all night. This happened to be taken hours after he was supposed to have gone to bed. He looks happy enough, doesn't he? You might also notice he keeps stroking his throat with his left hand. He must have had a sore throat, because he was singing at the top of his lungs, all day long. When you finally decide to do something, go big! It's the Burnett Way!

Two Teeth! 2010 01 06

Showing off his two teeth at Grandma and Grandpa's. It's just a funny picture.

SpiderMan Car - sitting unassisted 2010 01 03

Dylan received a SpiderMan ride-on toy for Christmas. All that hair makes Dylan look like a bigger kid than he is, so he received a bunch of Big Boy toys for Christmas. At Christmastime, we held him up on the little car and pushed him around in it. He could barely sit up unassisted, so this was very advanced. He stared at the car, and that was pretty much it for his reaction to his new toy. Mommy and Daddy thought that the car was very cute and fun, so we continued to put Dylan in the seat and see how he would react. Then, one time, we put him in the seat, and.... he STAYED! You can tell from the picture that he's as surprised as we were.

Dylan and the Dogs 2010 01 01

Pictures of Dylan and his dogs, and his daddy, too!

Happy New Year!

First Sledding 2009 12 31

This was Dylan's first sledding experience with his cousins up in Big Bear. There was plenty of snow and the weather was sunny and not too cold, but not warm enough to melt everything into slush. Dylan, however, was not quite sitting completely unassisted yet, so we were being extra careful that Dylan didn't fall out of the sled. His cousins, uncle and dad all went barreling (and crashing) down the long and crazy hill, but Dylan will have to wait until maybe next year for that.

The Very First Time Crawling - 2010 01 05

By pure luck, I happened to catch the actual first crawl on video. Some very good friends of ours gave us the toys Dylan was playing with: the soft letter and number blocks with the clear plastic inserts with things in them like the yellow key and the colored little pellets. They have been some of the favorite toys recently, and I wanted to get a video to show our friends how much he really loved the toys. Dylan was playing with the clear box with the yellow key, and I whipped out the camera. He loves shaking the clear plastic box and listening to the key clacking against the sides of the plastic. He dropped the box (or threw it?) and then rolled over to chase it down. Then he pushed it away again. And he crawled over a bunch of toys to get to it. The toys were in his way, and when he finally reached his target, he accidentally pushed away the yellow key with his hand as he tried to reach it. He decided it was too difficult to reach, so he went after his other favorite toy, the triangle box with the colorful pellets inside, which happened to be nearby.

So I guess that means our good friends taught Dylan how to crawl, right? Thank you, Eddy, Sara, Lily, Loki and Hurley!

The entire video was too big to upload, so here's the end part, which is when he really got moving.

More interaction with his dogs

People still think I'm making up the stuff about Dylan and the dogs. Seriously, the dogs love Dylan. He moves a little quickly for Java's preference, but you have to understand that trees, walls and furniture move too fast for Java's liking. Queen Mocha loves the attention she gets from yet another of her servants. If she could only teach him to rub her belly.

First Snow - Big Bear 2009

Christmas 2009

The Little Turkey

Dylan and Rock Band on the Wii

Dylan's First Haircut 11/18/2009

Dylan and the Dogs 11/10/2009

Daddy - end of Sept, beginning of Oct

Halloween 2009

Lots of Love 10/17/2009