Clap your hands, everybody ready for a Barnyard Dance!

Two things Hayden likes lately, clapping his hands and the book Barnyard Dance.

Every Saturday Mommy or Daddy take Hayden to Gymboree. We sing and play and in the course of that clap hands. We used to clap for Hayden, but recently he'll clap on his own. Even at unexpected times like on the changing table. It's as if he's applauding us for finally changing his diaper. We love positive reinforcement!

Often it takes Hayden a little while to fully wake up from a nap. If you try and change him or play too soon he'll get grumpy. So, Mom and Dad have learned that sitting down with him and reading a few short (to us) books helps him calmly wake up completely. His favorite books right now are "When You Are Happy" and "Barn Yard Dance".

"When You Are Happy" is a self-help book for babies......just kidding! It's a nice colorful book that tells elaborately tells what we would do when he's in his different moods to comfort him. For example.."When you are cold, I will weave you a blanket from leftover sun".

"Barn Yard Dance" is a cool little song book with all of the bard yard animals dancing. His favorite part (at least Daddy thinks so) is "Take another spin with the Barn Yard Dog!!!"

Month 7

It has been a busy month for Hayden. He is getting so BIG. He is officially wearing 12 month clothes now. He just recently sprouted his third tooth. He has two on the bottom and one peaking through on the top. Hayden is also beginning to become more mobile. He seems to enjoy doing the log roll around the family room. He is now able to roll both ways, for a while he would only roll to his right. Because of Hayden’s fondness for rolling, he now favors his stomach when sleeping. The good news is that he is now sleeping 11-12 hours straight through the night. The bad news is now Mom is not sleeping through the night. I am constantly waking up making sure he is still breathing.

The little guy is becoming very tactile. He is picking up, pulling down, and throwing anything and everything he can get his hands on. His favorite activity seems to be making noises by hitting all sorts of things together. His new nickname is little drummer boy. He LOVES playing his new little drum set. Jake keeps calling him Big Ern (a la King Pin), but I’m not too fond of that, so I like Little Drummer Boy better.

This past month Hayden has also started a Baby Sign Language Class through Gymboree. So far, the only sign he has made is light, but Jake was proud when he did. I am hoping he will begin picking up the basic signs for feeding and bathing. Jake and I have also been busy transforming our office into a playroom for Hayden. I didn’t know it was possible to accumulate so much “stuff” in such a short amount of time.