Beware....he is climbing

It's been a few weeks since my last update. Clark had his one year checkup today. My oh my do I have a chunk on my hands. Clark is 28.76 pounds and is 33 inches tall. He is getting so big and each day is a new adventure.

Chunk baby with lovey!

Yesterday, Clark got to stay with his Na-Na ( Gram for those of you that know my grandmother) while I went to work. Before I went to work  we got to go to the playground to burn off some energy! Clark loved swinging on the swings- he is finally showing some excitement when swinging! Yay!!! He loves when I push him high and say deee--deee deee and let him go. He was laughing and enjoying himself! 
After the swings he crawled over to the slide. He slid down and then... get this, he turned himself around and CLIMED UP THE SLIDE! Of course Na- Na was keeping a hand near him, but he did it all by himself.. in flip flops nonetheless! It was the best moment. He just did it like a pro. I could not stop smiling. I think the corners of my mouth were touching my ears! To many people this might not be a big deal but to see my child doing alot of gross motor activities settles my already nervous nerves! 

Starting up the slide

Almost to the top

He made it to the TOP!

Not only has Clark made huge strides in his ability to climb at the playground, but he is making strides in "communicating" with people outside as well. Using his new found climbing ability Clark found that if he climbs on a box near the radiator covers that he can stand up and yell at the sanitation engineers (trash picker-upers).  He loves seeing the trash and or recycling truck. A few weeks ago they were waving at him and talking to him about the trash. He was laughing at them and could not take his eyes off of the truck.

Hey... where are the sanitation engineers?!?!?

It's funny, I have been thinking alot about gender neutral toys, clothes and things of that nature. When I found out I was having a boy, I had no preconcieved notions about only wearing certain colors or only playing with "boy toys". I never thought for a minute that having a baby doll or wearing a pink shirt or things like that would prohibit my son from being a " boys boy". Clark came out a rough and tumble; big energy kinda guy. He plays hard and crashes even harder. I never enforced Clark to play with certain things, in fact he just got his first dump truck for his birthday a few weeks ago. 

Clark playing with his new dump truck! Happy Birthday!

But nature vs nurture comes into play and I realize that it is his nature to be a boys boy. It would be wrong of me to enforce Clark to play with things that I deem important. Baby dolls, balls, his lovey, trucks and kitchen set are things that Clark enjoys and plays with on a daily basis. I feel that having toys that show and promote a wide varation of play will help Clark as well as other children be able to problem solve better as they grow up. For instance, having a baby doll now as part of his everyday toys helps Clark to learn "sensitive" techniques. Of course, because of his age at the moment, Clark has been enjoying "throwing"  the doll, but through my language and exampling how to pick up the baby and gently caresss the baby and say " are you ok baby?" or " Clark, the baby doesn't like to be hit or thrown" , Clark will learn through positive interactions that throwing the baby is not the right thing to do. Not only is he hearing and seeing the correct behavior, but over time he will learn and be able to use the same language to demonstrate social and emotional development.

Time for sleep!

Raising children is hard, and there are so many parenting styles out there, you definately have to find the right style for you. I realize that my style is the style that helps my child be the best he can be. When Clark needs to nap he naps, 
when he needs a snack he snacks, when he needs to bounce his little heart out we bounce... and when he needs a hug or kiss we cuddle. After a while you fall into the groove and you realize that everything you have read about parenting might not be the right thing for your child...and who best to know what is best for your child than you and him! 
In closing, I have realized over the last few months that I am the best mother I can be and Clark and I are on a wild ride! More adventures to follow!!!