Big Changes Afoot

Well, the time has finally come. I head back to work this week... or to work, as it is a new job. On the 15th I start my postdoc at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. It is a two year job that offers mentorship and training... and hopefully allows me to get a foot in the door in this research community.

For Sawyer, this means that he will spend 35 hours/week with his nanny, Carolyn. They spent a couple days together last week and are getting to know each other. So far they are on track for a great friendship. He is eating and napping well for her and they seem to have fun together. Dan and I plan to stagger our workdays such that Sawyer isn't with the nanny for 40 hours/week and Dan will come home from work for lunch whenever he can.

Sawyer continues to amaze and entertain us. Despite another little cold and a terrible night with the croup, he is almost always full steam ahead when he is awake. He has been singing in the car for quite a while now- mostly to the Big Night soundtrack. He is singing more and more. Check out this video of us "singing" together and the video after that in which he spontaneously started singing to Beethoven's violin concertos.





He is really enjoying putting small objects into containers. When he is in the bath, he puts his rubber ducky into a cup and then dumps it out- repeating this again and again. Outside the tub, he likes to put blocks into tins and small tupperware containers and lids into larger containers and large bowls.

His comprehension is really increasing. He is beginning to take suggestions of where to put objects... like putting his blocks away in their storage tins. Check out this video of him putting his cheerios where I ask (Bob/Michelle- he is learning these skills for his new Cheerios book!!!).


He is also learning to share and when you ask him to hand you something he is playing with he usually will give it... though he generally is slower to give up a ball.

His communication is also improving. He is using pointing to communicate things that he wants. We are using basic sign language for words like "up" "more" "down" "drink" "bottle" "eat". He has clearly understood "bottle" and "up" for a while now and it seems that he may have his own version of the sign for "more" that he has just begun using. I imagine it will take a while to see if it really is a sign he is using.

And of course, he still loves knocking blocks over. Sometimes he will pick one off of a precarious tower but mostly he knocks them over with gusto. He got some good giggles in this afternoon.