A Whole Month

Whew! I can't believe it has been a month. It feels like forever and no time at all. We have finally figured out what to do with him all day and seem to be settling into the dreaded 'schedule'. I alway used to laugh at that when new parents would talk about their 'schedule'. For us it wasn't so much for Ike, but really for us to figure out what to do with him all day. He is a constant source of energy and entertainment. He spends about 14 hours a day sleeping, 3 hours eating and the rest playing. Yes, you read right, 3 hours eating. I know I have posted before how much he eats, but it is incredible. The weirdest thing is that he is thinning out. I think he must have grown a an inch and gained several pounds in this month. When will he stop growing?
He is also getting 3 top teeth at the same time. We had a few rough days with the teething, but all in all he has been fine. I can't imagine how bad teething must hurt. Yuck! His gums are all swollen. Other things he has been up to include practicing his steps, although he is not really that into walking yet; he says numerous words; he practices his animal sounds; and reads books.
Also, eating... Here he is eating his favorite snack, a fudge covered Ritz cracker. (Thank you to my uncle Mike for introducing us to these wonderful creations.) He normally will eat super fast, saying "yummm", "good" and clap. With the fudge covered Ritz he will savor it. It takes about 10 minutes for him to finish one cookie. He is the cleanest eater too, but with the Ritz all cleanliness habits are gone. Sculley and Mulder help with his cleanliness by licking his hands.
Ike loves to be thrown around. We call it 'Ike torture'. This includes blowing on his belly, putting his little feet on the cold window (which he thinks is so funny) and playing 'drop the baby' which is what is going on above. He is seriously the happiest little baby I have ever been around. He just laughs and laughs and gives sweet little kisses and hugs. :)
Sculley has started having a rough time. I think it is because she is having too many Ike treats. Ike likes to feed her and then she will clean up after he eats. She only has one kidney and it doesn't function at 100%. We have started really watching what she is snacking on. The hardest thing for her is that we won't let her play with Ike, or Ike play with her. He is too young to really play with her so we will only let him 'pet her'. He says "just pet her" all the time, because that is what we say ALL THE TIME. "Don't grab her paw, just pet her", "don't stick your hand in her ear, just pet her", etc... Anyway, I think Sculley thinks she is in trouble all the time because the 'no's' around her fly like crazy. Luke said tonight that they should have a cooking show where the chef is chasing a toddler and 2 big dogs around while trying to make a great dinner.
Anyway, we are doing great. I feel like things are starting to fall into order around here. Ike seems to be able to understand us a little better lately. Every day I can see his little mind working and he says or understands tons more.

So to re-cap: It has been one month. Ike has turned one. We had a huge birthday party for him. He is growing like a weed. He is eating us out of house and home. He has started hugging us good bye. We love him.