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Almost 1 Year – August 19, 2015
TWELFTH MONTH
JULY 21 – AUGUST 21
Happy Birthday, Todd!
Todd’s first year is over…I can’t believe it! This is the last of the “Baby Todd” updates. Next month I’ll start my “Todd the Toddler” series!
Starting this final month of the year, I decided to change the format for these monthly updates. At this point it seems kind of crazy to count up the weeks, now that we’re up to weeks 48-52!! Now– I’m just making different categories based on what goes on each month…
OTHER BLOG POSTS FOR THIS MONTH’S ACTIVITIES
- Our Day at FHC Skyfair (Everett, WA) (7/25)
- Summer Fun With Family (8/7 – 8/14)
- Taylor Swift @ Seattle, WA (8/8)
Todd & Ashley – August 10, 2015
TWELFTH MONTH “FIRSTS”
- 1st bus ride (FHC Skyfair, 7/25)
- 1st time in his new Diono Radian RXT Convertible Car Seat (7/28)
- 1st time using toddler toothpaste (7/31)
- 1st time that Eric put Todd to bed (8/8)
- 1st time in pool float (8/10)
- 1st and 2nd dunks underwater at the pool (8/10)
- 1st time watersliding (8/11)
New car seat – July 28, 2015
SPEECH & LANGUAGE NOTES
- 1st word? “Jump” – Eric & I both said it and then Todd did (7/31)
- says “nyam/nyom”
- he said “cat” right after I did (8/4)
- he said “dog” right after I did (8/5)
- he says “ba” and “ga” a LOT. It could be “ball” because we play with balls a lot.
- he combines all of his sounds like he’s making sentences: ba, ga, na, nam, ma, da, gee, etc
FOOD NOTES & ORAL HAPPENINGS
- we’re finishing formula can #68, which means he consumed about 5 cans this month (same as last month)
- he enjoyed eating wild blackberries during stroller walks
- he eats 3 meals per day
- fruit is always a favorite!
- I re-introduced romaine by breaking it into tiny bits (7/27)
- he blows bubbles in his smoothie and other liquids while smiling (see video)
- he curls his tongue to sideways
- he tries to bite me and thinks it’s hilarious
LITTLE CLIMBER
- he climbed:
— partially up the side of the Pack ‘n Play
— on his car then onto a speaker (7/30)
— into the oven drawer (8/3)
— on a 13″ tall bin under microwave (8/3)
— onto the 15″ tall speaker (by itself) (8/4)
— onto the couch (a lot) (8/16)
— up & down from the armrest side of the couch safely (with a 5″ bin underneath)
- he safely backs himself down off couch (he started 7/21 and was proficient by month’s end)
- he backed down off the couch & papasan chair at the condo (8/13)
- I arranged the couch/coffee table with pillows & bins for safety, so he can freely get up/down (8/17)
- I moved the table because he kept wanting to climb on it (8/20)
PLAY
- he sits himself on his Little Tikes car and started to push it with his feet
- he was able to turn his Little Tikes car from standing (8/19)
- he loves playing on pillows, especially on my bed
- he stepped down on bass drum pedal hard enough to make a sound, then jumped up and down
- he loves to play drums and keyboard
- he cracks up chasing us and being chased
- he “dances” by bending his knees and he steps rapidly in place
- he reaches up to put balls/toys in the hoop of Little Tikes basketball hoop
- he loves being outside and gets upset when we come in
Todd at Beehive Reservoir – August 12, 2015
MISC MOTOR
- he stood up on his Little Tikes car and let go
- he did a little bit of walking with both hands on thighs (8/2)
- he stepped over my legs in control (8/4)
- he did a forward somersault off the Aerobed (8/7)
- he’s starting to run!
Todd climbed on a box – August 4, 2015
GETTING ASSERTIVE!
- he does the “tantrum cry” when he doesn’t get what he wants
- he does the “twist & drop” to avoid being picked up
- he does the “full body arch back” to try to get away
July 26, 2015
SHARING & CARING
- he seems to look at me for approval
- I whisper in his ear, “Do you know that I love you a lot? Do you know that?”
- he fed his bottle to my mouth
- he offered his “pillow blanket” to my mouth (Little Giraffe Bella™ Blanky)
- he stood outside his crib waiting and “asking” for his pillow blanket (8/3)
- he keeps his “pillow blanket” with him a lot
- he can’t get enough of Eric when he gets home from work
July 26, 2015
MR CURIOUS
- he got interested in the prints on his shirts (while wearing them)
- he pulled a photo album and an entire (empty) shelf off the bookcase (7/30)
- since he always races toward our dishwasher when it’s open at home, Eric opened all the dishwashers at Home Depot when we went shopping to tease Todd…
Looking at all the open dishwashers at Home Depot – August 15, 2015
RANDOM NOTES
- the left side hair over his ear is longer than the right
- a shopper at Haggen said “You have a picture perfect baby. That’s what a baby should look like!” (7/28)
- he does this funny “shaky thing”
- he put his hands together as if clapping (8/18)
- he laughed when I jump-roped (8/19)
FAMILY VISITS
- he loves his family!
- his cousin Kylie came over (7/22, 8/19)
- his Grammy & Granddad (Eric’s parents) came over (7/24)
- his aunt Karin & cousins Ashley & Eli stayed with us for a week, and we went to Wenatchee for rollerblading, waterslides, swimming at the pool, hiking, miniature golf and more (8/7 – 8/14)
Ashley & Todd – August 7, 2015
SLEEP
- he woke up at night 5x
- he fell asleep on the couch with Ashley (8/12)
- he took 1 crib nap (8/19)
- morning swing naps started a bit later in the morning and typically didn’t last longer than 2 hours
- no other changes in sleep to report
Ready for bed – August 18, 2015
POTTY TALK
- he had 6 “poo misses” and the rest of his poops made it into the toilet
- we bought a new toilet seat (8/15) for $40 at Home Depot that has a built-in child seat (but, for now, Todd still seems to need his Graco Contour Potty Ring because he stays put better with bottom in more of a “hole”)
- one poop in the toilet consisted of 3 balls each connected by one of my hairs…Haha! (8/2)
YEAR END “POO MISS” TALLY
(i.e. number of poops that didn’t make it into the toilet starting December 3, 2014, when we starting toileting Todd at 3.5 months old)
- 7 in December
- 6 in January
- 1 in February
- 1 in March
- 1 in April
- 5 in May
- 7 in June
- 12 in July
- 4 in August (through Aug 20)
Total = 44
EXCELLENT!
Todd in the oven drawer – August 3, 2015
See you next month!
Friday July 5, 2013
For this mountain bike trip, we started from Wenatchee, WA and drove south on Hwy 97 (Blewett Hwy) for about 45 minutes. We turned onto Iron Creek Road #9714, located south of Swauk Pass and the old Blewett Pass Road #9715. The trailhead for Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail #1351 is at the end of Iron Creek Road.
Our final destination for the day was the 6000 ft pass between Earl Peak and Navaho Peak, where you are treated to views of the Stuart Range.
Elisa & Eric at the 6000 ft pass. (Stuart Range)
TRIP SEGMENTS: (This trip is an “out & back”)
- Iron Creek portion of Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail #1351, to the junction with Teanaway Ridge Trail #1364 (1.8 miles)
- Bear Creek portion of Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail, to Stafford Creek Road #9713 (3.5 miles)
- Stafford Creek Rd to Stafford Creek Trail #1359 (about 1 mile)
- Stafford Creek Trail to the junction with Standup Creek Trail #1369 (4.8 miles)
- Continue on Stafford Cr Trail to the pass (1.2 miles)
- Reverse order back to the car (~12.3 miles)
——————————————–
SEGMENT 1 – Iron Creek portion of Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail
From the trailhead, at 8:00 AM, we were surprised to notice that it was only about 33 degrees Fahrenheit. But, I was able to start out in just my short-sleeved shirt because it warmed up fast.
The 1.8 mile Iron Creek portion of the Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail is an easy climb on smooth ground. It starts at 3800 ft and ends at 4400 ft. For the most part, the trail hugs a somewhat steep sidehill. In one place you definitely don’t want to fall off the side. The trail is wide, so you’d have to really screw up big to get into trouble.
Elisa climbs Iron Creek/Bear Creek Trail
Eric approaches the junction with Teanaway Ridge Trail.
Flora
SEGMENT 2 – Bear Creek portion of Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail, to Stafford Creek Rd
From the 4400 ft saddle, the Bear Creek portion of Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail is all downhill. The first half mile is pretty steep, but rideable. I counted about 9 little creek crossings as we screamed the rest of the way down to the Stafford Creek Rd, at 3200 ft. This was 1200 ft of grinnin’ good fun!
Bear Creek and Bear Creek Trail
Elisa at the Trailhead for Bear Cr/Iron Cr Trail, on Stafford Creek Rd
SEGMENT 3 – Stafford Creek Rd to Stafford Creek Trail #1359 (about 1 mile)
This is a short section of road connecting the 2 trailheads. It’s a descent of about 100 ft in a little under a mile.
Eric at the trailhead for Stafford Creek
SEGMENT 4 – Stafford Creek Trail to the junction with Standup Creek Trail #1369
The Stafford Creek Trail starts at 3100 ft. The trail surface is quite varied as it parallels Stafford Creek. First, it’s nice and smooth. Later…it’s not so nice and rocky. It’s a real mixed bag of riding and pushing. In general, the higher up, the rockier it gets. This section of trail is 4.8 miles long and ends at 5000 ft near a wide meadow/camp.
Elisa on the smooth section of Stafford Creek Trail
Who put all these rocks in the trail?!
Scarlet Gilia
Navaho Peak (7223 ft)
near Earl Peak
Meadow/Camp near 5000 ft
Jeffrey’s Shooting Star
SEGMENT 5 – Continue on Stafford Cr Trail to the pass
Another 1000 ft is gained in 1.2 miles to culminate at a 6000 ft pass. We were glad to get a break from pushing and get back to pedaling! The desolate Serpentinite landscape seemed out of place, and the surface was hard and gritty.
The views at the top were worth the effort to get there. Mt Stuart (9415 ft) is the 7th highest peak in WA.
Eric climbing the Serpentinite landscape
Just below the 6000 ft pass– looking past wildflowers (foreground), Serpentinite landscape (middle), over to the Earl Peak ridge (far).
Stuart Range
Stuart Range
SEGMENT 6 – Reverse order back to the car
Elisa descends the Serpentinite landscape
Fortunately, we were able to ride down much of the rocky terrain that we had to push our bikes up. Yay!
On very loose rock, you can’t go too slow or else every rock will try to throw you. There’s a very fine ‘sweet spot.’ It’s actually kind of fun…in a weird, slightly out-of-control way!
Elisa descends on loose rock
Of course, the real fun began once we got below the upper rockier slopes and back onto the smooth trail. This is what it’s all about!
Elisa descends smooth trail
Eric got a flat tire partway down the Stafford Creek Trail. While he fixed the flat, I had the opportunity to watch a butterfly go from one Tiger Lily to the next.
Butterfly on Tiger Lily
Once we descended Stafford Creek Trail, we had a pleasant climb back up to Teanaway Ridge. Before getting to the top, we had to get off our bikes one more time, to walk the ~1/2 mile extra steep section that I mentioned earlier. A shot of caffeine helped get me through the last push with extra energy to spare!
Here’s the Iron Creek Valley. Almost back to the car…
Iron Creek Valley from Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail
Eric descends the Iron Creek portion of the Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail, at the “don’t fall” section.
The Iron Cr/Bear Cr Trail cuts horizontally across that slope ahead. Can you see it?
Would I repeat this trip?
YES!
————————————
TRIP STATS: (Using the Bike Tracks App for iPhone)
- Total Distance = 24.1 miles
- Total Vertical = 10,543 ft (climb 5321 ft, descend 5223 ft)
- Elevation = 6003 ft highest, 2938 ft lowest
- Time = 9 hr, 22 min (start 8:00 AM, finish 5:20 PM)
- Eric had to change his flat rear tire at 2:45 PM during the descent.
MAPS USED:
- Green Trails Mount Stuart, WA – No. 209
- Green Trails Liberty, WA – No. 210
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