The Adventures of Baby Arthur

by Lincoln

Arthur
born: 6/24/2008
weight: 7lbs 7oz
length: 21 in.

Wylie
born: 5/9/2008
weight: 7lbs 14oz
length: 21 in.

Who here is keeping score anyway?! Cousins Arthur and Wylie may only be apart by 1.5 months, but Wylie has thus far proven to be the "advanced model."

At a mere 5 months, Wylie was crawling all over the place. By 9 months, he was walking. Soon after, he was taunting everyone around him by walking circles and drinking from his sippy cup hands-free!

Arthur has taken his time so far with such things. Perhaps it's my obsession with sports and statistics that causes me to keep score in the back of mind. I can't help it! I don't think I'm alone as a parent that anxiously waits and looks out for developmental milestones, such as speech and walking. I am also well aware that all kids go at their own pace too!

I guess always thought that "first word" and "started walking" were fixed and unambiguous events before Arthur came along and I didn't realize that there were gray areas of what counts and what doesn't count. Starting at about 5 months or so, Arthur started babbling "dadadada" and "mamama." Yes, in that order! I figured that the first word would only count if Arthur spoke the word on command or answered a question, so I didn't take those encouraging noises to heart.

By 8 months or so, there was more or less the same babbling going on with no clear signs of a first word. We try to read to Arthur as much as we can to help with his development, so we had been anxiously awaiting for some results! At about that time, my good friend and mother of two, Dina, came to visit me from the West Coast. As we discussed the first words dilemma, she informed me that her children took quite a bit of time before they would speak a word on demand and that Arthur's babbling words should count if he looked like he was trying to communicate. Just a few moments later, Arthur enthusiastically looked up at me, reached up and exclaimed "Da!". Dina, an authority on kids, counted the word.

I WIN! HE SAID DADA FIRST! And by 8 months too, not bad! :-D

By now Arthur has definitely said Mama and Dada. I swear he even said milk once as he pointed for his bottle! We've also made out a some Chinese words here and there (thanks to Grandma). This weekend has also brought even more excitement as Arthur has unquestionably taken his first steps. He stood up from a sitting position with nothing to hold on to and took 2 or 3 steps all by himself before sitting back down.

I couldn't be prouder, and it isn't because I'm unconsciously keeping score!

Labels: arthur, fatherhood