The Legend of Lobo

Logan has officially become a walker. Yesterday he took his first real stroll! As we wrote a couple of posts back, he has long been “cruising” by walking while holding on to furniture, and more recently walking while holding our hand. He also has taken a few tentative steps here and there by himself, usually when moving from one item of furniture to another. But yesterday he got up and walked across his room, all on his own volition.

Crawling is still his preferred method of locomotion when he wants to travel quickly, but since that first awkward journey Logan is choosing bipedalism more and more. He is also trying out a new method of knee walking—he will simply kneel and walk that way. He usually does this when he has two objects in his hand and he doesn’t want to let go of them. But it’s been wonderful to watch Logan get up and really walk around, especially since his trips are already getting longer—it seems no big deal suddenly to shuffle from his room all the way to the kitchen (usually to try to get a cookie).

Linus van Pelt from Peanuts is the archetypical kid who loves his “security” blanket. Logan is our little Linus. Unlike Linus in his early days, Logan does not hold on to his blankie at all times, but one is always within reach. I say ‘one’ because Logan doesn’t have a single blankie; he has three. But they are not exactly interchangeable—sometimes one will have a higher status than the others. But they all are wonderfully soft and light blue (just like Linus’s). Logan owns several other blankets as well, but they are generally larger and look quite different, and so they receive very little attention.

Logan is also similar to Linus in that he enjoys oral sucking, although he doesn’t use his thumb as Linus does, he uses the blanket itself. This is actually an old habit of his—he did it from very early on, at first chewing the ears of his Lambie and then his Bunny. He abandoned Lambie a few months back, and spends less and less time with Bunny now. But Logan still enjoys nomming on a corner of his blankie. In fact, this is a bedtime ritual for him—once he realizes that he’s in bed for the night, he’ll find his favored blankie and deliberately hunt for the perfect corner to shove in his mouth, and he’s content to gnaw away until he falls asleep. If he cannot find his blankie, he will let out a wail to let us know. Sometimes we’ll know it’s nap time because Logan will shove his face into one of his blankets and nuzzle it.

In the Peanuts strip, Linus had to contend with various characters who wanted to take his security blanket away from him, including Snoopy, Lucy, and his grandmother. Something tells me that Logan will not be holding onto his blankie by the time he’s five, as Linus did. But I think we’ll be okay with Logan clutching a blankie for as long as he wants to.

Logan has a passion for duckies. We have ducks all over the house, in all sizes, guises, and colors. There’s Disco Duck (she’s pink and glittery), Winter Duck, Flower Duck, Magic Duck (he glows when squeezed), and even a tiny Duckie Bride and Groom. And so many more.

Rubber duckies aren’t just for bath time. Logan often wanders around the house with a duckie clutched in his fist or gripped between his teeth. If he doesn’t have one, we’ll ask, “Where’s the duckie?” and he’ll look around, grab the first one he sees and bring it to us. At any given time, there’s probably a duck or two scattered on the floor of each room and at least one in the car. Now we have a water-proof duckie basket, and Logan is getting good at corralling them all inside it. The whole flock joins him for baths, so the the tub is getting pretty crowded.

Logan learned to say “Duck” early on, and he understood the word long before he could pronounce it. Last week we were shopping in a bath store when Logan suddenly got very excited. He turned around and stood up in his stroller and pointed behind me. “Duck! Duck!” he shouted. I turned and, sure enough, there was a shelf of multi-colored rubber duckies behind me. I handed him a white duck with snowflakes and he immediately started nibbling on its beak. Good thing it was on sale, because there was no way he was leaving the store without it.

It amazes me that he already grasps the essence of duckness and comprehends that many different objects share the same label. He seems to identify them by their shape, and he grasps them all the same way (by the head), no matter what size they are. He even recognizes ducks in books, cartoons, and on the computer screen. It’s a wonderful example of his first steps toward abstract thought.

Learning to walk has been a long, gradual process, and although we waited for it, there wasn’t ever an actual First Step. Logan has been standing on his own for several months and cruising for at least three (while climbing on and tumbling over everything in the house). For a while now, we’ve been helping him to walk forward by holding both his hands and guiding him. At first he preferred to walk sideways, in a kind of waltz-shuffle. After a few days we managed to get him moving straight ahead with a bit of help.

Last week he was able to walk a short way holding onto just one adult hand before getting tired and plopping onto his bottom. He quickly worked up to walking with assistance across a room and then throughout the apartment. So it’s been a gradual, incremental process, with quick progress coming after a lot of practice. And today Logan took his first steady, unassisted steps, and both mom and dad were there to see them.

For the moment, he still prefers to have a hand to hold on to. He wobbles a bit, but is becoming more confident by the day.

Logan’s hands are getting more and more nimble. We bought a toddler-sized table and chair set, and it’s done wonders for his development. He can now sit for an extended period, and he’s better able to reach and manipulate toys when they’re on the table. He likes to stack blocks, nest cups, and fit pieces into a wooden puzzle. We spent several weeks teaching him how to play with these toys and guiding his hands, carefully repeating instructions like, “Now stack the yellow one,” or “Open the lid.” He constantly surprised us by how much he understood. When a task was finished, we’d always clap and say, “You did it!” So now after he finishes building a tower or sorting shapes into a cube he claps for himself and cries, “Did it!” It’s too adorable.

We listen to the alphabet song over and over and I slowly count out blocks or rings, trying to remember to stop at three or five. We’re working mostly on numbers, colors, and shapes. All of these are abstract qualities, unlike the concrete nouns he’s already learned, and when he catches on it will be a big leap ahead conceptually. For now, though, he’s happy to put things together and take them apart — and occasionally fling them across the room. At least he’s no longer gnawing on his toys the way he did when his front teeth were coming in.

He seems to enjoy the challenge of a new toy or puzzle, and I enjoy watching him figure out how all the parts fit together. It’s so satisfying to see his triumph when he completes a difficult new task. “Did it!”

Over the holidays Logan delighted the family with his newest skill—a jaunty wave accompanied by loud, emphatic “Hi!” A few days later we were astounded when he greeted my mother with a clear, distinct “Hi, June!” Now he greets everyone, even people on television and occasional pets. “Hi!” is an all-purpose word that serves well as a parental summons. If we’re not looking directly at him, like when we’re reading or driving, he’s learned to get our attention by shouting “Hi!” and flapping his hands vigorously.

He’s a real chatterbox! Logan’s vocabulary is growing each day, with these words repeated most consistently (though not always perfectly): Daddy, Mama, Baby, Duck, Blankie, Bunny, Juice, Cookie, and Cracker. Most of his words are concrete nouns, except for Good and Yum.

He understands many more words and phrases and is responding to instructions—the ones he likes, at least (he still doesn’t appear to understand “No!”). Clear commands given with gestures or music seem to be the easiest to learn. When we’re playing together I like to sing simple songs and add hand gestures and movements. Logan giggles at my dance moves. Lately I’ve been doing a series of steps that end with “Put your hands in the air!” I stand with my hands over my head and he loyally flings his arms straight in the air. Now he’ll raise them when Ash or I ask him to, and we all end up laughing.

His fondness for this kind of game comes in handy. He’ll stop mid-whine to follow a fun instruction. At night after I tuck him in he’ll stand up in his crib and whimper a bit as I leave the room. So I’ll tell him to lie down and “Push” Glow Worm (his little musical toy). He’ll press the button to start the lullaby and they both settle down for the night. He likes Push in general, along with Take and Give.

And then there’s my favorite, Share. He learned this word very quickly and loves to share food with his parents. It’s so touching when he holds a cookie to my mouth and smiles, waiting for me to take a bite. And when he wants one himself, he’s not shy about asking. “Cookie” is a word we hear often.

Logan is still babbling, too. His baby talk fills entire paragraphs as he tells us long, emphatic stories in Loganese. He uses lots of hand gestures and gets quite animated when he’s talking! We’re starting to catch individual words and beginning to sense the intention behind his pronouncements. Sometimes he cracks himself up and we laugh with him and enjoy guessing what he might be trying to say. He’s got a lot on his mind!

Word books are very popular in our house these days. Logan’s favorite is “First 100 Words,” with big, bright photos of common objects and animals. He can identify many pictures and will point correctly when we ask, “Where’s the baby?” or “Where’s the duckie?” It will be fun to watch him learn all 100 words and connect the pictures with real-world objects like Grass and Sky.

Now that he’s speaking we’re getting to know him in new, wonderful ways. I can’t wait to see what he’ll learn next.

We celebrated Christmas Day in Austin this year at the Bowie household. The grandparents were there, of course, and we were joined by all the Moores, including Bill and Rosemary (grandparents-in-law?) who came by for Xmas dinner. Opening presents was a blast…cousins Claire and Vivian got awesome “pillow pets” and pretty princess dolls, while Logan received some great books, a barrel of blocks, and various other toys and knick knacks that he had no idea what to do with. As usual we all had a great time—it was a cyclone of shredded wrapping, ribbons, and cardboard boxes with plenty of Just-what-I-wanted!s and Thank-you!s. Grandma Betty once again served up a fantastic supper and everyone ate too much, which was a perfect end to the festivities.

One of the presents that Janet and I enjoyed was seeing several movies during our trip, and after dinner we went to the Alamo Drafthouse to catch The Fighter. Surprisingly (to me) the theater was completely packed, so we had to sit too close to the screen and off to the side. While not ideal, the movie was fantastic and we went home happy.

The day after Christmas is significant as well, since it is my folk’s wedding anniversary. They have taken a photograph marking the day every year since their first, which makes for a wonderful visual journey through their life together. One day I will scan in those photos and post them here. Until then, here is the photo I took for their 47th anniversary…

Ash, Logan, and I went to the Revels last Sunday. It’s a holiday tradition that Ash and I began back in 2007, and we have lots of good memories associated with the songs and stories of the Revels. In 2008 we braved a snow storm for the 2-hour trip to Cambridge to see the show in Harvard’s Memorial Hall. I was soaked to the bone and more than a bit grumpy when we finally arrived. Imagine my surprise when Ash proposed during intermission!

Last year we were too occupied with our tiny preemie to make the long trip, and I missed our special tradition. But this year it was just a short jaunt to the other side of the lake to see the California Revels at the Scottish Rite Temple. I can see the Temple right now, from my window, just about half a mile from here. The Revels was something I thought we’d lose when we left Massachusetts, so it was a wonderful surprise to find a troupe so close to our new home. It was odd to be attending in sandals, but the old winter magic was there, even in the bright California sunshine.

We were a bit worried about how Logan would behave, so I chose a matinee. For the most part, he had a great time and enjoyed the dancing most of all. He did get squirmy after a while, so Ash and I took turns walking with him in the lobby and letting him work off some energy. At one point while I was standing with him near the exit, Logan broke free and crawled down the aisle at full speed, practically galloping. He was having a grand time and shouted “Ai-yi-yi!” at the top of his voice. Fortunately, the audience laughed. Logan loves to clap, but he was startled by the thunderous applause after each song. By the time he figured out what was going on, he was a beat behind. He ended up clapping after the applause each time, as if he were delighted by it rather than by the performance. Maybe he was!

We left before the end, but I was content to hear my favorite songs and to introduce Logan to our family holiday tradition. Next year we’ll go again, and maybe he’ll have a seat of his own.

Welcome Yule!

Logan’s fifteen-month check-up was last week, and he’s looking great! We truly have a lot to be thankful for this year.

He’s 32 inches tall, with a head circumference of 19 inches. Both of those measurements are in the 90th percentile for a 12-month baby, which is his “adjusted age,” or his age if he’d been born full-term around his original due date. This means Logan hasn’t lost much growth, if any, to the stress of prematurity. He’s a tall guy! At 23 pounds, he’s still lean, but his doctor isn’t worried, and being a bit underweight isn’t such a terrible problem to have. I’d happily trade with him. To help him along, we feed him lots of good, healthy fats like avocados, yogurt, coconut milk, and peanut butter. Sometimes I envy his diet.

I think he’s headed for another growth spurt soon. He’s been sleeping a lot recently and eating everything he can get his hands on. He just cut two new teeth, bringing his total to 8 — a full grill! He likes to use them to defoliate tiny broccoli trees and bite into crisp gingerbread people. He also loves to smile. Those teeth have transformed our little baby into a small child. It’s amazing how expressive he is now — I keep seeing glimpses of the young man he’ll soon be.

I’ve been taking Lobo on more outings so he can get somewhat socialized. It’s hard to remember that this time last year I was afraid to bring him to church for fear he’d catch a virus. He’s so hearty and sturdy now that it seems nothing could slow him down. Still, we’re careful about germ exposure, and we have a collection of hand sanitizers scattered in the apartment, stroller, and car.

Logan is standing on his own and doing his best to take his first steps. He’s lunging from counter to chair and sidling along the bed and crib. He will even use our hands to steady himself. As long as he’s not aware that he’s standing unassisted he does very well. Once he looks down and realizes that he’s only held up by thin air, he loses his balance and plops on his rear. It’s very exciting to see him on the brink of true independence.

He’s playing cooperative games, like handing objects to us when we ask, putting toys into baskets, and closing the door behind him when we come inside. It’s very cute how eager he is to do this each time. He can eat from a spoon and drink from a cup, though not without a lot of mess.

We’ve discovered the electronic babysitter, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Dad isn’t a big fan of Barney or Elmo, so of course those are Logan’s favorites. Cartoons are fun for a minute or two, but they don’t hold his attention as well as the Sesame Street puppets. He recognizes faces on the screen and on his toys, and he loves greeting new or returning stuffed animals when we bring them into the toy rotation. He has a growing collection of rubber duckies and he usually has one of them in his mouth or fist. He’ll fetch one when I ask, “Where’s your duckie?” I think he talks to them, too.

He loves dogs and seems to view other children as magical beings. During story time at the library the other kids face forward, watching the story teller. Logan looks backwards, at the kids! He’ll crawl up to each of them in turn and gaze at them, sometimes putting up hand out to gently touch their faces.  Then he laughs with delight or claps his hands.  The children seem confused, but the parents laugh. I think we need to find some regular playmates soon.

Logan makes growing up look easy, but it’s been a long year for all of us. I’m looking forward to the holidays, when Logan will meet his cousin Adam for the first time. The boys are almost the same age, and they both got off to a rough start in life. But now they’re thriving. What a difference a year makes!

Uh-oh. These days we spend most our time trying to stay one step ahead of Logan. And we usually fail. “House-proof” is a verb, something we do constantly, not an adjective that describes a final state.

Logan’s a true Houdini. He escapes from any enclosure, opens all doors, drawers, and boxes, and breaches any barrier. Last week when my back was turned for a moment, he climbed onto our pantry shelves and secured a box of Graham crackers. Within seconds the box was open, a bag was removed and torn, and a cracker was in his hot little hand. He’s serving himself now! Tonight Ash put away a new box of dried fruit (Logan’s favorite) on the shelf. Logan watched and remembered where it was. Later he climbed up and grabbed it. Unfortunately, he’s also learned how to open a bottle of aspirin Ash keeps on his desk. Make that kept. After watching Logan climb on the desk, grab the bottle and quickly remove the child-proof cap, I moved the aspirin to a secret, secure location.

Last spring I remember thinking that Logan was about as smart as a cat. He responded to his name and to several words or suggestions regarding food. Everything else he ignored, except a few toys. By summer he was more dog-like—affectionate, playing happily with people, showing interest in our actions and conversations, and understanding many words related to activities, especially going outside. Now his development has reached the chimpanzee stage. He uses tools, plays games, moves about freely, and completely dominates his environment.

I recently bought him some beginner musical instruments, and he loves them. He has a jingle bell wand that he loves to shake, and he keeps pretty good time. He plays the tambourine like a pro, holding it in one hand and hitting it with the other. And he loves to crib-dance and beat time on the rails. We’re bracing ourselves for the inevitable drum set.

Any object becomes a toy once Logan gets a hold of it.  He’s still gleefully destructive when it comes to knocking down block towers or emptying buckets and baskets, but now he’s also learning how to put things together. He’ll put food inside his bowl as well as dump it out. He’ll gather as well as scatter blocks and balls, and he’ll stack rings on a stick and nest cups inside one another almost as joyfully as he’ll pull them apart. And he plays catch! If I toss a toy into his crib, he’ll throw it back to me and wait for me to return it.  Along the way, he’s developing a wonderful sense of humor.

He’s developed a complex system of sorting the pieces of food on his high chair tray. If he has absolutely no interest in something, he flings it to the floor, to his left. If he might want to taste it later, it goes into the “maybe” pile on the dining table, to his right. He may pick it up and sample it, so if we hide or remove his morsel he’ll look for it and whine until we put it back. He’s started practicing eating with a spoon and using a plate and bowl; so far the results are mixed, but he improves each day. Needless to say, we find ourselves entertained by his quirky habits and amazed by his growing abilities.

We’re a bit daunted by our son’s energy and zeal. Physically, Ash and I are both pretty relaxed, verging on lazy. We’re going to have a hard time keeping up with our little monkey man, so it’s a good thing he’s such fine company. There’s no one else we’d rather chase after.

November 7th was Logan’s original due date, and it serves as his birthday when he’s measured or tested. So, while Logan is almost fifteen months old, his “adjusted age” is one year today. Next week his pediatrician will evaluate his size, abilities, and health, and we’ll have more marks for our growth and development charts.

For now I’m looking back on all the things that doctors don’t measure. Infancy goes by so quickly. It’s really just one amazing, intense year, and even with those three extra months Logan’s babyhood has flown by. And all our life-changing efforts and accommodations—nursing, pumping, making home-made baby food, the sleepless nights we thought would never end—they’re all in the past now. I know we have so many new discoveries to look forward to in toddlerhood and childhood, but something special and unique has ended.

He’s outgrown so many things. First it was the bassinet, baby gym, and plastic bath-tub. Now I’m re-gifting the exersaucer, breast pump, and small car seat. He hasn’t needed a burp cloth or pacifier since last winter, and now he’s left behind his rattles and teething toys. A few months ago he started ripping off his bibs and flinging them like an angry stripper, so we don’t even bother with them any more. Bottles will go next. Diapers, alas, are with us for at least another year.

Shopping for babies is no long-term investment. I spent hundreds of dollars on newborn clothing and have nothing to show for it (other than a few photos). Logan has outgrown six sizes of clothes, starting with his special-order micro-preemie duds. Gone are the cuddly baby blue sleepers with teddy bears and yellow duckies. It’s sad to pack away all these sweet little things, and I understand why baby-fever often strikes mothers around now. Toddler boy clothes are jeans, jerseys, and sneakers in bold colors, rough-and-tumble wear made for miniature men. Or big brothers.

I’m changed, too. I’ve stopped taking special vitamins and counting milligrams of caffeine. I drink wine with my husband. My body is my own again (though somewhat worse for wear), but I often miss that special connection with my little baby. Instead of nursing he’s now getting cow’s milk from a bottle, but I’ve preserved his morning rocking-chair feeding ritual. It’s the only time of day when he’ll lie quietly in my arms and let me feed him. After he wakes fully, he prefers to feed himself or to sit upright in my lap, facing outward. There’s a big, wide world out there, and it’s much more interesting than mommy. I’m savoring our snuggly mornings, knowing they will end abruptly when Logan’s patience runs out.

It’s humbling to remember that I wasn’t especially looking forward to the newborn stage. I expected it would take a tremendous effort to care for a demanding baby, and that it wouldn’t be very rewarding. To be honest, I thought it would be a drag. I looked forward to the creative, reasoning years and thought infancy would be the dues-paying period—get the child off to a good start now and then enjoy the hugs and conversations that come later. But this first year was deeply rewarding, including those early months when Logan was just an eating, sleeping, shrieking little bundle of id. Even when he couldn’t smile, grasp, or roll over, there was a powerful connection and intimate communication.

I’m so glad we’ve had this amazing experience. Every day was a blessing. Congratulations, Lobo! You’ve come a long way, baby.

Last month Logan was evaluated by an Early Start team, and he was judged to be on track in all areas except for gross motor skills, which still show a slight delay. So he doesn’t qualify for Early Start’s therapeutic services, but his prematurity automatically makes him eligible for the Prevention Program. He has a case worker who will check in once every three months to see that he continues to do well and who can help if he needs any additional care. It’s a relief to know he’s developing normally, and I may almost be to the point where I stop worrying.

Regarding his gross motor skills, he’s been hypotonic since birth. This means his muscle tone is low and his limbs are naturally more floppy than flexed. It’s a common condition in premature babies, and some of them have a very hard time. Fortunately, Logan’s hypotonia is mild. Starting from his core and radiating outward, his muscles have gradually strengthened as he’s developed more control over his chest, shoulders, hips and knees. His tone has improved quite a bit over the last year, but the muscles still aren’t as springy and ready for action as a full-term baby’s. So it took him a bit longer to roll over, sit up, crawl, and stand. He’s doing all of these beautifully now, but there was a period before each milestone when I was anxious. Or maybe just impatient. I think it will be a while yet before he walks, as his lower legs and feet aren’t quite ready. His full-term cousins didn’t walk until 15 months, so it’s not something we’ll fret over until then. We’re also too busy chasing him and cleaning up after him to fear that he’s lagging significantly.

Although he can’t walk yet, he’s unstoppable on all fours. He opens, scatters, or knocks over everything within reach. He escapes from the stroller, high chair, and any barrier we put up in the house. I’m surprised that he still tolerates the sling, because there’s almost no other way to contain him. His favorite new toy is a giant cardboard box, but he won’t stay in it for long. He’s a climber! All our shelves are bare up to about 4 feet off the floor. And I keep finding him splashing around in the toilet. Arghh!

His fine motor skills are progressing well. He pulls his shirt over his head, turns pages in his books, opens and closes doors and drawers, and manipulates small objects like spoons, flip top bottles, cookie boxes, and my roll-up measuring tape. He’s even pushing the buttons on the tv remote control. I’ve started helping him self-feed with with a spoon, but he has a way to go before he keeps it level.

He changes each day. Two new bottom teeth came in last week, for a total of six. He understands several new words—cookie, shoe, bunny, blankie, book, phone, and he responds to a few phrases—”Clap your hands,” “turn the page,” and “over your head,” (the last one is for lifting his arms while taking off and putting on clothes). And yet he still hasn’t figured out what NO means. I think he’s playing dumb.

He’s becoming a distinct little human, with a unique and engaging personality. We like him!

With Autumn in full swing, the days are growing shorter and the weather is a bit cooler (we’re in the Easy Bay, so the temperature variations aren’t like they are in Massachusetts). It also means time for Halloween, and Logan has his first costume. He’s too young for festivities, but there is no age limit on wearing adorable outfits. I can’t wait until he’s old enough to go trick or treating…

I suspect it will be more tricks than treats…Logan is rapidly turning into a holy terror! He is pulling himself up on his feet all the time now and on every piece of furniture, which allows him to come into reach of all kinds of things not intended for babies. And he’s full of energy all the time, so he’s constantly on the move and grabbing at everything. Logan’s favorite pastime is pulling down all the food from the bottom three shelves of the pantry case (which doesn’t have doors…we need to correct that). I put on cabinet locks in the kitchen today because Logan finally figured out how to open them (thanks for sending them, Mom). He’s smart, energetic, and curious, which is all wonderful, of course, but also exhausting! We don’t know how we’re going to handle him when he starts walking.

Logan is still a ton of fun, too. He loves the music toy sent by his Aunt Kate, although a lot of his favorite toys aren’t toys. His favorite right now is actually the remote control for the television, which he can’t do too much damage to except for the scratches he leaves when he gnaws on it. He also loves getting into my office space and flinging papers all over the place. He and I have a new chase game where I’ll crawl away from him down the hall, and he’ll squeal and come after me. Bath time has also become a big deal—Logan sits in the tub by himself now, and one of us will wash him from the side. He absolutely loves it; he splashes and plays with his ducky and all the bottles, and has a ball. We have to keep the door closed now because he keeps crawling in the bathroom and tries to climb into the tub.

Logan is a bit more crabby lately because he has two new choppers coming in on the bottom (his top two have come in nicely). Now that he’s sprouting teeth he’s uncomfortable a lot, which is making meal time a lot more challenging. Gone are the days of the easy eater. He is becoming more finicky…he has a pretty broad diet now, but sometimes he’ll only eat a few bites of something before he demands a new food. I have to give Janet a big hand—she does a great job of making sure Logan has lots of fresh fruit and a variety of healthy foods. In fact, she’s just all around awesome…she looks after our mad man most of the day, does a lot of the domestic chores, and finds the inspiration to cook dinner for us most nights. Logan and I are incredibly lucky to have her.

No first words, yet, but he continues to babble up a storm. He’s hitting more consonants now and producing more complex “phrases,” mixing speech-sounds with grunts, chirps, and coos. We aren’t in too much of a hurry about it, but it will be nice for him to express himself with something other than his ever-louder Whine of Death when he isn’t happy about something. It actually makes me laugh sometimes because it’s becoming so over-the-top dramatic. But that’s Logan—everything with him is over the top!

Our Logan was named for his two maternal grandfathers—on his father’s side is Logan Smith (1904-1969). He was born on a 100-acre farm in Buchanan County, Virginia, the second son in a family of eight children. Buchanan County is located in the Appalachian Mountains and remains one of the poorest areas in country.

As a child he had a rough life working on the family farm which prevented him from attending school for more than a few years. Farm work was so unpleasant for him that, as an adult, he actually enjoyed being a coal miner. He married my grandmother, Pearl Mullins, in 1924—she was 17 and he was 20. They had seven children together: Dorothy, Verne, Lorene, Ray, Pat, Betty (my Mom), and Roger.

He grew into a kind and generous man—my mother recalls a time he bought shoes for a local boy with winter coming on (which can be especially brutal in the mountains). Logan tried to stay informed about the goings-on in the U.S.—he always kept up with the news, first by newspaper and radio and later by television. Logan was respected in his community as a man who voted, was literate, and could help neighbors with civil matters.

Logan was unusually well-read, sharing stories by Mark Twain and Zane Grey with the family. In fact, he loved to read; his personal favorites were westerns and mysteries. He had a great sense of humor, too, and was a sucker for slapstick; he would roar with laughter at the antics of the Three Stooges. His grandchildren were also a source of delight for him—he would play with them for hours. My mother says that he “might have been a bit of a romantic at heart.”

As much as he liked his job, it probably contributed to his early death, along with his smoking habit. Sometimes he would try to quit but he never did. He was only 65 when he died, the same year I was born.

On my maternal side, our knowledge ends five generations back. We do not know precisely where that side of the family came from or under what circumstances. We do know that the majority were Scot-Irish, as were most folks in the region. Based on studies of the population of the Appalachian Mountains, family researchers have estimated that our ancestors arrived in America sometime in the early 19th century. My own reasoning concludes that they were likely indentured servants since there would have been no way they could have afforded the trip over on their own.

By all accounts Logan Smith was a stand up guy, intelligent, social, independent, and witty. In all, a great role model for our little guy.

In the last couple of weeks, Logan has really come a long way developmentally. For several months he’s been able to roll over easily and also to sit up, but he hadn’t been able to move from a prone to a sitting position without help.  And when he was sitting his method of getting down was just to plop over, which often didn’t have a happy result. He’s been doing his military crawl since his trip to Texas in July, although he rarely kept his belly off the floor.  Well, all that has changed! As you can see in the photos, he’s not only able to seat himself, he’s able to get up onto his knees. He’s also pulling himself to his feet in the crib and on furniture.  It was quite a surprise the first time we saw him standing up in bed!

He’s babbling more than ever, but not using recognizable words yet. It sounds like he wants to, and sometimes we think we hear English in the baby-talk. He does have standard babble phrases he repeats…duh-gt, duh-gt, duh-gt…tick-um, tick-um…and so on. It’s quite hilarious how he can hold forth at length.

Logan’s been a little grouchy lately because he’s teething again. His two bottom teeth now have two companions coming in up top. I think his smiles will be funny looking for a while, but hopefully the remaining teeth won’t take as long to appear.

The little guy is rapidly becoming a rowdy toddler. It’s wonderful to watch, although we have no idea how we’re going to keep up with him. Logan has so much energy and enthusiasm and curiosity…he’s always on the go and he gets into everything. And the cute is never-ending.  Now if only he’d grow some hair…