The Hanschkas

• First swim lessons. His only experience with bodies of water so far have been where he could touch bottom (Lake Billy Chinook Beach, Seaside Beach, bathtub, shower). When we got into the pool, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it and kept kicking his legs as if to try to reach bottom. Soon, he got the hang of it and began to really enjoy himself. No one in the class cried and the kids all seemed to love the singing, the moving, the splashing. Chase learned to kick as I took him across the pool with this arms around my neck; to reach and grab the little floating balls; and to hold on to the pool edge by himself. Can't wait for our next class in a couple of weeks (we skip Easter weekend)
• Shoes and socks. Chase LOVES to go outside. He seems to know that putting shoes and socks on means that we're going outside. If you ask him to get his socks and shoes, he gets so very excited and will go find them. He's good about remembering where they are if he's recently seen them. And just this week, he's figured out that they go on his feet. He will get them, and put them on his feet - not put his feet inside them but put them on top of his feet. It's so cute and we were very impressed. We'll still have to help him get his feet into them for quite some time yet ;)
• The stomach bug. We're not sure where he got it from (party, park, pool??) but he got it. I got puked on for the very first time and it was unpleasant to say the least. He's a bit clingy right before he gets an upset stomach but otherwise, is still himself... still sleeping and eating on the same schedule and easily distracted - especially if we take him outside. After he threw up 4 times, we put him on a Pedialyte-only diet for 6 hours. Then introduced a little formula and crackers. He did fabulously. Now, he's on a bland diet of applesauce with rice cereal, crackers, cheerios, Gerber puffs, Pedialyte and formula. Luckily, his diapers aren't too bad and we haven't as many as I thought we would. Pedialyte tip for others: mix 1/3 flavored (I like the apple because it's not colored... who wants to see purple grape flavor come back up if it does??) and 2/3 unflavored. When Chase was really thirsty after being banned from eating/drinking anything but Pedialyte, he would guzzle the apple flavor straight but afterwards he seemed to think it was too cloying. He'll drink the apple/unflavored mix no problem now. One funny thing that happened when he was on the 1 tbsp every 15 min dosage: he got SO thirsty that he would get upset, push off the couch where we were sitting, walk to the fridge and stand there crying until I got up and got out the cup of Pedialyte. It wasn't so funny at the time but it's just amazing how clever he is. I think he's on the mend now - fingers crossed!

• Chooses which books: Chase gets 3 books before bed and I let him choose between two books for each selection. I'll hold up two books and he'll point to the one he wants. The past week, his selections have been "The Going to Bed Book," "The Little Quack" and of course, "Goodnight Moon" - in that order. Generally, 1/2 way through the Goodnight Moon, he looks at the lamp as the signal that he's ready for lights out and we say goodnight to all the grandparents, the cats, to each other and into the crib he goes. I love that he's able to communicate what book he wants even though he can't yet speak. It seems to make reading time a bit more special.
• Baby sign: We've been doing some sign language with Chase since he was about 6 months old. He seemed to understand the sign for 'milk' and 'all done' pretty early on. But now he's really consistently signing 'more' and 'all done' himself. He's not doing the signs perfectly but close enough and at the right times that we understand what he's saying. And I'm told by my baby sign instructor that is development. He's less consistently signing 'milk' when he wants it... he signs it sometimes when he wants it but mostly when he's drinking it. I don't know what I find that so funny but I laugh every time he does it because well, at by that time, I already know he wants the milk ;)
• Running: With his baby waddle, he walks like a duck. And more recently, he's been running like a duck. And he's falling a lot. Most times he doens't seem to mind but I forsee lots of bruises in our future - especially on his knees. He's picking up a lot of speed but his balance isn't quite there yet. He looks like the cutest little drunk.
• Following instructions: I didn't really notice it until Zlatka pointed it out but he understands so so much now. More than I expected. He actually listens and follows simple instructions. It's blowing me away. Point and say "go get the ball/duck/frog" and off he'll go to get it for you. Say "roll the ball" and he'll push it away from him (but not necessarily towards you :) Say "let's go brush teeth and wash face" and he'll trot off to the bathroom. Tell him "it's diaper time" and he won't squirm on the changing table. Hold him over his crib and say "drop Froggie; Froggie says in bed" and he'll drop his beloved Frog back into his crib. He's not yet listening to "no" yet though (will he ever?). He LOVES the spice drawer in the kitchen and my makeup drawer in the bathroom. So far, my attempts to teach him those are off limits have failed.
• Favorite foods: So far, his favorite foods include plain full fat yogurt, texas casserole, peeled grapes, kiwi, plums, Fig Newmans and tonight, I found that fish sticks were a hit. He'll eat lots of other foods but these are ones that I've noticed that he gets super excited about. He used to love bananas but seem to prefer these new fruits now. Funny enough, I've found that he will get more excited by a food if I have to blow on it first. Not sure if he just thinks that's funny or if he has a positive association with something he liked that was too hot to serve right away.  It'll be interesting to see how his tastes change as he hits the pickier stages. For now, it's kind of fun to experiment. He was less than impressed with my attempt at making coconut lentil soup but I'll try it again and see what happens.
• First real shoes: On the 14th, we took Chase to Nordstroms to be fitted for his first pair of real shoes. They measured his feet, gave him a stuffed "Nordie" doll (anyone know what that thing is??), and a balloon. We walked out of there with a cute pair of blue Stride Rites. And wow, seriously? $50 for a pair of shoes he'll grow out of in a few months? That's more than some pairs of my shoes! He seems to like them though.
• Makes friends: Chase doesn't get to see his grandparents as much as we'd like him to so when he recently saw my mom, step-dad, dad, step-mom, grandma fir the first time in a long while, I was happy to see that he didn't shy away. He was cautious but didn't cry or hide. He did take his time to study each less-than-familiar face and look at my reaction to each person before warming up. Once the analysis was done, he'd be happy to play, laugh and stay with them if I left the room. It's important to me that he know his grandparents well so this was really great to see.
• 6 teeth: Somehow Chase got another tooth on the bottom and another on the top without either Chris or I noticing. Zlatka didn't even notice. Looking back, he was clearly teething in Sun Valley but I thought it was just a cold and I also assumed we'd get more of a break after his first 4 came in. I'm glad that these 2 didn't give him as much trouble. I hope it gets easier with each tooth. I remember how sad he was when his first one came in!
• Have baby, will travel: So far (knock on wood) Chase has been pretty easy to travel with. Maybe it's because we've tortured him with so many darn roadtrips to Oregon, it's now built into his nature. Maybe the routine we have at bedtime helps. Whatever it is, I'm really thankful since we have him sleeping in a foreign room about once a month between trips to Portland, Eugene, Sun River, Sun Valley and soon, Scottsdale. Aside from that horrid 6-hour drive to Portland during the holiday snow storm, Chase has also be super tolerant of us strapping him into his car seat for hours. We'll have to reward him with a trip to Disneyland in a few years.
• Ankle-biter! Well, thigh-biter. I forgot to mention that I have a contusion on my thigh from Chase biting me! I really don't think he did it on purpose. He was pushing his face into his little stuffed frog while hugging my leg. He really chomps down on that frog, especially when teething. Well, I think he got me instead. OUCH!! He hasn't done it again since and let's hope it stays that way. That little booger has some sharp teeth!
• Peek-a-poo: It seems like Chase has always been a big fan of peek-a-boo. We'd put something over his face, he'd pull it off and we'd say peek-a-boo! He's now initiating the game himself, which is so fun to see. Sometimes he doesn't quite cover his eyes completely but he still expect you to say those magic words. And it just cracks him up. I love it.

I'm super behind in uploading pictures. Perhaps tomorrow. We just had a fantastic visit with my dad, step-mom, brother and grandma too. My dad and Chase just have the best best best time together. It was sad to see them go. Pictures and an update on that soon.

• Little walker. Chase took his first series of steps just before his 10 month birthday but already is walking as much as he is crawling now. He's still doing the funny bear walk (and is quite fast at it!) but has SO much fun on two feet. He keeps his arms out for balance and will clap and laugh and laugh.
• The right way to descend. He's learned the proper way to crawl down the stairs now. He's loved crawling up them since his grandmas taught him over Thanksgiving but it was only recently that he figured out that he needs to descend feet first. He still prefers climbing up though.
• Big laughs. He's developed this hearty and slightly insane laugh. He particularly loves it when I jump out and scare him with a "boo!" Last night in the bathtub, Chris had to come see what was up after a game of "put the turtle in the cup and take the turtle out of the cup" caused Chase to laugh and laugh and laugh. I'd tell him to put his turtle bath toy in, and he'd do it and laugh like mad; then again when I told him to take the turle out. I need to capture his crazy laugh on video. It's infectious. I love finding new ways to get this laugh out of him.
• Real food. He's decided he's done with baby food. No more mush for this little boy! If we're eating it, he wants it. It's as if he knows the food that comes on silverware or that needs to be blown on is better than mush fed by a baby spoon. He's just smarter than we give him credit for :) He hasn't turned away any new food. Last night, he tried and LOVED the gourmet veggie pizza from Papa Murphy's. Tonight, he had curry chicken, carrots and apples with brown rice. I love that he's at the point now where he can eat just about every thing we eat. I still cook better for him than I do for us though ;)
• Knows what he wants. I'm not sure when it happened but he just doesn't seem to be a baby anymore. He's so aware and makes his own decisions now. It's unbelievable to be see him so smoothly see what he wants and know exactly how to get it. For example, he knows his frog lives in his crib and will go directly there, pull himself up and reach through the slats to pull him out. He knows which drawers are his to play with in the kitchen and our bathroom. He goes straight to them and opens them. He just knows and does it. As a result, he's so independent now.
• Smarter than I expect. Along these same lines, I am constantly surprised when he proves that he knows more than I think he does. When I read to him, I often point things out. Now when I read certain books he'll point or touch the pictures I'm talking about. He knows the red balloon and the kittens in The Goodnight Moon; the eyebrows and paws in That's Not My Monster; the fins and tail in That's Not My Dinosaur; the duck in The Little Quack as examples. If I point and say follow the cat, he goes. It's amazing to see his little mind work.
• Bad mommy moment. Sometimes I stupidly leave him on his own because he can mostly handle it. But one morning, I turned my back while he was playing in our closet (not baby proof because the door is usually closed) and pulled a shoe rack on top of himself. It was my first awful bad mommy moment but we luckily escaped without a black eye. He got a little scrape on his eye lid and I learned a big lesson. I can continue to let him play by himself but need to keep him within sight!
• Sun Valley. He's taken his 3rd airplane flight and visited his 4th state. On the trip out, Chase had his own seat but on the return, he was on my lap. Chase had a good time looking out the window, snacking and took a short nap on the flight home. Over this last weekend, we went to Sun Valley with the Knolls and Stemmermanns. Three couples and three kiddos 9-10 months old made for quite a trip. We made quite a sight going through security! All the kiddos did amazingly well on the plane (no tears/screaming) and adjusted well to the new environment, despite runny noses due to colds and/or teething. For some reason, Chase and Taylor took especially long naps during the day and still slept their usual 11-12 hours at night. The altitude maybe? All the adults got a ski day in as well as a night out. It was a great trip! Chase will add a 4th airplane ride and a 5th state when we head to Scottsdale in May.
• Kisses. Since my return from my first business trip away from Chase, he's been very generous with kisses. He won't always give them on demand but what's so darn cute is that he always give me a look like "I'm going to give you a present now" and then bestow an open-mouth kiss on me. He can make the kiss sound but he hasn't yet connected that with his kisses. Zlatka tells the kids that fishies make those kissy noises.
• Accident-prone. Now that Chase has moved beyond a hesitant few steps to trips across the room or down the hall, he's picking up speed and perhaps becoming a bit over-confident. He's bonked his head more times over the past week than I'd like to see. I'm trying hard not to be "that" overprotective mom and he helps by recovering quickly. He's wails when it happens but then is easily distracted. More to come I suppose.

I'm sure there are more but it's getting late. If I think of more, I'll have to update so I capture the memories before I forget them. Like Lisa, I plan to print all these out to supplement Chase's baby book. Pictures and new videos to come soon (I hope).

• They now recommend 2% milk beginning between 11 and 13 months. There's enough trouble with childhood obesity without whole milk she said.
• Whenever we run out of formula after 11 months is when we can start milks. Just no need to repurchase. Switch cold turkey.
• No more than 25 oz of milk a day; less is great. They usually worry more about kids getting too much rather than too little. If they don't eat much solid foods, she prefers to give it to them between meals; if they eat solids without issue, she's fine if you serve with food.
• Since we don't have flouride in our water (WTH?), we're to give Chase flouride drops every day. Shouldn't give with cows milk because the milk binds the flouride.
• The longer you face kids backwards in the car seat the better; but some kids start to get car sick facing backwards as they get older; car seats differ but many require you face the seat forwards once the kid is 30 lbs; otherwise, turn them around when their legs get to cramped facing backwards.

• "All I want for Christmas are my 2 front teeth": Santa delivered early. Soon after his first tooth popped, the 2nd one started pushing its way up. (Popped on 12/8) Chase was again crankier than normal but definitely not as unhappy as he was with the first one. He now has two real teeth on the bottom and looks too darn cute. He seems to enjoy them too - he'll bite down on Kix or Cheerios with them and smile when he hears the crunch!
• Speedy, speedy, speedy: Once he figured out how to crawl forward, he never went backwards again - which is a shame because he also climbs any set of stairs he can get his greedy little hands and knees on and I'd like him to learn how to go back down them backwards. Instead, he will drive right down head-first. The baby gates are up. He's also really darn fast on two feet if he's pushing something. He'll push anything and can cover a room in seconds. Sometimes he forgets he isn't supposed to stand unsupported yet and will stand hands-free for a few seconds before sitting himself down. We're bracing for the day he takes his first step... chris is thinking about putting weights on his ankles.
• La Tigre: Chase has developed the funniest darn expressions. Such personalithy! He'll tilt his head down and stare up at you disapprovingly; or he'll tilt his head to the side, look up and smile adoringly; and his latest one is sitting back suddenly with a little shake of his head and look at you like he's surprised. It's hilarious. One will come right after another like he's just trying them on for size. Part of me wonders if Chris or I do this often enough that he's mimicing. We need to capture them on video.
• Applause please: Chase has been knocking two toys together to make noise for a couple months now but over the past month, he's perfected the open handed clap. He had the grandparents wrapped around his little finger - he'd do something (anything), look at them and smile and then clap clap clap. Of course, they'd laugh and clap clap clap for him. He has everyone trained.
• Fisting cereal: Chase has been pretty good about using a spoon to get food in his mouth if we put food on the spoon for him. But he's been enjoying finger foods even more now that he's figured out how to pick them up and get them into his mouth. He got the hang of it the week before Christmas. He's developed this "modified pincher" grasp. The Cheerio or whatever will start off between his thumb and finger but he somehow moves it up to the top of his closed fist and pops it in from there. He's got about a 75% success rate so far.
• Baby signs: We've been doing a few basic baby signs with Chase and he seems to recognize a few now: milk, eat, water. Chris and I both need to be more consistent so he'll sign back but I'm feeling pretty encouraged so far.
• More bathtime please: Ever since he learned to sit, bathtime has been a treat. And now he's figured out how to crawl into our shower (frameless door has no resistance). He goes in whenever he can and will sit there happily playing while one of us showers.
• Learning cups: Speaking of water, Chase has mastered the sippy cup and loves water. We haven't given him juice yet and don't really see a need to. He's also now pretty good at drinking straight from a cup but we need to hold it for him. He just this weekend figured out how to get water up out of a straw for the first time so we'll begin to give him his straw cups to practice on now. I've read that straws are prefered by dentists over sippy cups in the long run - anyone know the truth about that?
• Lots of food: I really want to avoid raising a picky eater so I'm really happy that thus far, Chase hasn't turned his nose up at anything we've given him. I realizes that this all will change when he hits toddlerhood but I'm enjoying while I can. He's already tried so many different foods: brocolli, melon, mango, pork, turkey, zucchini... he even liked cottage cheese. It's amazing to me that he'll be off formula in just 3.5 months and will be eating regular meals like the rest of us!
• First snow: Chase was fasinated by the snow that hit on 12/17. He sat in his highchair for a long while looking out the back doors. Even though it was cold, he was fascinated while crawling around in it - until he went to rub his eyes and rubbed cold snow onto his face :) He sure did look cute in his snow suit though. Who could have guessed that what started as a pretty snowfall would soon turn Washington and Oregon into such a mess? Over 15 inches in our front yard, 20 inch snow drifts in the backyard, almost 2 feet at Chris' mom's house on Pete's Mountain. I wish I'd been better about taking pictures of it all.
• First sled ride: Chase's grandpa Wayne bought a sled just for Chase so when we got to Portland for our holiday break, Chase got to go for a ride. He seemed more bewildered than anything else but at least he wasn't scared. Given the 2 straight weeks of snow, Chase has gotten used to wearing hats and doesn't mind them.
• First Christmas: We reinstated the Hanschka Holiday Roadshow for Chase's 1st holiday season. All the grandparents wanted to see him of course so we hit Portland/West Linn, Eugene and Sunriver. It was quite a trip but Chase did amazingly well. He's so good in the car - he really only got upset twice: once at about 4.5 hours into our 6 hour drive from Sammamish to Tualatin during the crazy snow storm (without Chris) and the 2nd time when his diaper leaked on our drive from Eugene to Sunriver. Can't blame the kid in either case. Over the course of the many xmas celebrations, Chase watched us open a ton of presents for him. So many fun toys and cute clothes from loving friends and family. He now has 6 "vehicles" parked in his "classroom" here at home. For him, I think his favorite parts of Christmas are the tree ornaments, lights and ribbons :) Such a special Christmas - I'm so happy that we were able to share it with all the grandparents.
• We (heart) SeaPort Air: Because Chase and I had plans to drive down to Portland earlier than Chris was able to leave work, he had a confirmed seat on Amtrak before the snow hit. But the trains were not running with any dependability so he booked himself a flight on newish SeaPort Air. What a great service! From Boeing Field to Flightcraft in Portland -- no security lines, no baggage hassels, no crazy parking fees. We'd do it again in a second.
• First overnight without Chase: Chris and I left Chase with his PoPo overnight while we stayed downtown at The Nines for NYE. We met the Emmetts and Alfreys for dinner at El Goucho and then waited for the new years countdown at the (very strange) bar at The Nines. PoPo did a great job with Chase, even following my neurotically typed out instructions :) Surprisingly, neither Chris and I were nervous about leaving him. I guess we knew he was in good hands.
• Welcoming Cameron Jeffrey: While this isn't really related to the holidays or Chase, I can't forget how fun it was to visit Cameron on his birthday. I've missed all other friends' births so this was really fun. Lisa looked incredible for having just had a baby and Cameron, well, he's just perfect. Health and happiness to Lisa, Jeff, big sister Makenna and little baby Cameron!

Now that the holiday is over, we're looking forward to getting back into the rhythem of everyday life. Chase stayed on his regular schedule up until the very last couple of days of our roadtrip and after a weekend at home is just about back on track. He's back with his nanny tomorrow and I hope doesn't give her a hard time. He's spent a lot of time with me the past couple of weeks and I'm crossing my fingers that he doesn't decide now is the time to develop separation anxiety. And since it's snowing and sticking AGAIN, I'm also crossing my fingers that Zlatka is able/willing to drive up the plateau in the morning!

Hope to have pictures posted soon.