So, here's a little Devin update.

We started him at Montessori a few weeks ago and he LOVES it. We love it, too. We were a little worried it would take him some time to adjust so I had worked out a fairly complicated "ramping up" schedule. I should not have bothered. He was ready to go full time from day one. That was both unexpected and awesome.

He's been thriving there. We've even noticed huge changes outside of school. It's like he's found HIS thing and it is making him feel more confident in general. Again...awesome.

And! And, he's learning so much and the actual school year hasn't even started yet. Today he came home and told me he had learned about the solar system. "I learned about the planets. Like Jupiter! Jupiter is made of gas and liquid!" He went on telling me more about other planets. "First there's Mercury and then Venus." Cat and I were floored by how much he retained. We are so excited for him and we can't wait to hear about what he learns next.

On Wednesday he is the "Helper of the Day" which means he gets to share during circle time. I have no idea if he will actually share or not given that he is still very shy (and has gone entire days without uttering a word to anyone). He wants to take our talking globe, though, so maybe it will do the talking for him.

The put puzzles in front of him and he solved them in no time. They gave him a peg board to see if he could figure that out. He did. They gave him blocks and asked him to stack them and to "build a choo choo" and he did. They gave him a baby doll and told him she was hungry and then they gave him a spoon and he pretended to feed her. He then found a bottle and pretended to feed her that. Then he tried to drink from it and shoot me the stink eye because, "Really woman? You mean it when you say no more bottles for me?"

After he played with toys they asked me about other things he can do. Can he go to another room and find something? Can he follow instructions? So I had him go to the kitchen, get the red ball, and give it to Ann. And then I asked him to bring me a diaper and some wipes so I could change him. He did both with not problem because this is the sort of thing Devin does. Yes, he will pitch a fit because I have given him the wrong color of sippy cup (or some other mystery reason) but he will happily do things you ask him to because he looooves to be helpful. At one point he spilled a little milk and started jabbering wildly and pointing and I sort of off handedly said, "It's ok, Dev, just get a towel and wipe it up." So he waddled over to the laundry basket and rummaged around until he found a small hand towel and he took care of the mess.

Apparently, most of those things are a little bit advanced for a 19-month old. They are activities appropriate for a 23 to 25-month old. Sweeeeet.

But remember: this was about his language development as well. The boy doesn't talk much. And now I have an actual measurement to help you understand what I mean when I say this. His expressive language is that of a 9-month old baby. He is a full year delayed on talking.

So, to recap....waaaaay behind on talking but advanced on receptive speech, cognitive understanding, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and social skills (HA! I know. Devin....social?). So he will be getting to do speech therapy once a week until his language is age appropriate at no cost to us. He'll have a single person who will come see him at our house which will help a lot with getting him comfortable with them.

Excels at pointing and stacking but does not want to talk about it.

I am not amused. This is not fun. Furthermore, you suck, mom.

I am excited for this opportunity as much for the promise that we will learn some things that will help my little one along on his path as for the potential hilarity that could ensue given how much Devin LOOOOOVES meeting new people. I think he'd rather have his toenails removed with pliers but mommy is fresh out of pliers so this is how we are going to spend our Thursday.

Wish us luck!

Today's focus was, as I expected, on his verbal development (or, rather, his lack thereof). The boy just doesn't talk much and by now he should be. We are not worried about it and neither is Dr. Jain but we are going ahead with having his hearing tested and we were also referred to Alta Regional for a speech evaluation. Cognitively, he seems just fine but we would rather play it safe and get the help he needs (if he needs it) sooner rather than later.

We've also been trying to help our shy little one to come out of his shell a bit. Last weekend I took him back to My Gym. I participated in their test program for babies back when he was teensy and I took him back again about 4 months ago. He hated it. He cried the entire time, tried to climb me like a tree, and ended up melting into a tiny puddle of woe before I carted his sobbing little diapered behind outta there. I was fully expecting more of the same last weekend but he did much better. He only cried once and he (sorta) participated in most of the activities. His favorite things: hiding from everyone in the ball pit and swinging on the Winnie-the-Pooh swing. A huge improvement.

I caught a bit of flack because he's still drinking from a bottle. That's right. I have FAILED weening 101. I also have not cut his hair yet. Do you see a pattern? No? Let me make it clear: all the things that make him seem more baby than toddler or (EEEEEP!) little boy are things to which I find myself reluctant to change. When I look at my little one's messy curls as he clutches his bottle I can imagine that I still have a baby. If I cut those curls off and give him a sippy cup he will suddenly be enrolling for college. See? Simple math.

He remains very shy, though. He creates very close bonds with those he knows well and if someone he doesn't know so much as makes eye contact with him he is apt to crumble into tears and attempt to climb directly into the chest of the closest known adult.

This means the talking thing is still slow going. He says "this" when he is asking you what something is. He says "that" to indicate that he wants something. He can say "eat" (and do an accompanying sign with it that is sort of a combo of "help" and "more"). He says "juice" but it indicates any beverage. He says "shoes" pretty well. He has been known to say "cracker" but it is rare. He says "outside" and "hi" and "mama" and "dee" (daddy) and "Dax".

He says none of these things consistently. Why? My thought is that he simply doesn't wanna. I don't think there's any issue at hand because he understands everything we say and he manages to communicate in his own shy little martian baby manner. But we will talk to his pediatrician about it at the end of this month when he has his 18 month appointment (and by when he should use about 20 words).

Devin is at "THAT AGE". No, not the age by when the Terrible Twos start to develop (although, come to think of it, he has been practicing fit pitching lately). He's at the age where people feel it is ok to ask if we are going to have another baby. Seems like when your baby starts edging toward 2 years old people start to ask.

For the record, I am having so much fun with my two boys that the answer to that would be a resounding yes if not for the fact that I have fertility issues and I just turned 39. You are reading this correctly. I would absolutely want a third child if I did not think the effort would be beyond difficult and heartbreaking and unlikely to result in pregnancy.

My sweet baby Dev woke up very early on my 39th birthday. I think his gums were bugging him. So he and I sat together in the dark living room, snuggling and listening to the train's whistle off in the distance. I was tired but I felt so blessed to be up at that ungodly hour with a child who wasn't even supposed to be possible. When Cat and I were trying to get pregnant the second time a fertility specialist actually told us that the only way we'd have another is if we spent thousands of dollars taking a chance on IVF with ICSI. We did not take up that advice. And yet, here he is. My little miracle boy.

Do I want another one? You bet I do. Wanting and having are two entirely different things, though.

If you didn't know, I had quite a challenge getting pregnant with my two boys. The second time around we were actually told we wouldn't have another one unless we did IVF with ISCI. They were wrong. Dalon has Down Syndrome and was born with some very serious heart issues that were recently surgically corrected. It's amazing he is doing as well as he is. All three of the boys are, truly, little wonders.

http://www.vimeo.com/4953513

He especially enjoyed this pasta and ham dish that Laura brought (and, for the record, Laura is the one whom Devin will allow to hold him).

Our boy, he loves to eat. He will eat anything. ANYTHING. This includes things that I think are pretty obviously not edible but he will try it anyway. The weirdest thing he ate at the picnic was pickle relish. Not on a hotdog or anything....just with a spoon.

If I remember right, Dax was already getting picky by this age. I am really hoping that doesn't happen with Dev. It is just so nice to not have to worry about whether or not he will eat something. The answer is yes. No matter what. He will eat it.

Every day when I pick the boys up I'm greeted by both of them running to me with arms outstretched and happy little voices. It is the very best part of my day.

Devin is big enough now that he walks to the car rather than having me carry him. When I say "walks" I really mean that he does this crazy, out of control, frankenbaby run that makes me both laugh and cringe because I'm always afraid he's going to go tookus over teakettle and faceplant on the sidewalk.

The other morning Cat went to wake the boys so we could get them ready for school. He came right back and told me that I needed to come see them. I needed to see them because, before we know it, they will be grown. And he's right. It just goes by so fast.

It seems like yesterday Dax was asleep in the crib with his tiny diapered butt up in the air.

And now his great, long grasshopper legs are always sprawled across the bed and I can't help but see a glimpse of the teenager he will someday be.

Meanwhile, there's this little lump just next door to him with his tiny diapered butt up in the air and I can't help but see a glimpse of the "big kid" he will too soon be.

The boys' rooms are right next to each other which means that you can stand in the hallway and watch both of them sleeping at the same time. This is so awesome because then I can get misty eyed over both of them at the very same time.

That's right. Pneumonia. See, we went on vacation to Colorado and spent the majority of it with a sad and pathetic little baby. Fortunately, my friend Tori referred us to an awesome Urgent Care (SHOUT OUT to Integrity Urgent Care in Colorado Springs) and he made a fairly speedy recovery. There was a moment of "OH NO WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO" when I thought we were going to have to change our flight to the tune of about $1,000 but it all turned out fine in the end.

Highlights for Dev: He got to meet his great grandmother, his great aunt, his great uncle, his cousin (and my friend Tori who met up with us at the Urgent Care - not the meeting we had in mind). He got to see his Nana and his Poppa. He got to see snow for the first time.

More pics of the trip will be posted to Dax's site soon. He? Had an AWESOME time. Even though he keeps telling everyone that "We went to Colorado and Devin got an ammonia!" He is already making plans for his next trip.

So, back to Devin. Our boy is 15 months old now. He is 2' 7 inches and weighs just over 23 pounds. He is almost the same size as Dax was at his 18 month appointment. His lungs are clear and his oxygen level is back to normal. Mr. Shy actually interacted a little with the doctor and waved bye-bye when she left. Had he known she was leaving to make room for The Shot Lady he may not have been so friendly.

At 15 months, Dev doesn't say much. He understands everything we say to him and he communicates his needs quite well non-verbally. He loves music and television but has not yet embraced books like Dax always has. His favorite toys at the moment are balls and cars. He can point at his nose, cheek, head, and belly. He thinks that THE MOST HILARIOUS joke ever is to stick his finger INTO his nose when you ask him to point at it. He has an incredibly delicious laugh. He thinks that Dax hung the moon and the two of them have been playing together more than ever and that is, perhaps, my most favorite development of late.

He also enjoys flinging things. He flings blocks, toy train tracks, books, food, clothing. Grab and toss, grab and toss.

To keep himself energized for all the flinging and wrasslin', he eats a lot. Cheerios are one of his favorite snacks but, because of THE FLINGING it can be a bit messy. So......I just bought him these nifty little snack traps.

See, the point is that the lid allows the kid to reach in and grab the snack while keeping him from spilling it everywhere. Great idea, huh?

Sure, it would be. If my kid would refrain from pulling out every morsel and then FLINGING THEM HITHER AND YON.

Now it looks like we've set up some pathetic boobie trap in front of the door to trap wayward ducks or hungry toddlers or something.

For one thing, he won't stop trying to eat things not meant for consumption, to put things in the toilet that certainly do not belong there, and to clock his brother with hard objects while laughing with glee.

For another, he keeps getting sick so he varies between being so stuffed up that he sort of sounds like a percolating coffee machine to simply having a free and flowing stream of snot dripping down his face.

Just yesterday we made plans to go to Carmel so that we can finally meet our adorable nephew, Dalon, so I am hoping this latest cold Devin has picked up will go quickly and will not hit any of the rest of us. (Shut up. It could happen.)

So your wishes for a healthy family are much appreciated because I really MUST get my hands on this baby.

Not sure who took this picture but I think it may have been Pam so giving credit to her.

This means he's not sleeping very well. Last night he woke three times in the night (twice requiring me to get up with him) and he didn't nap well today at school. You would think that this would mean we have one cranky baby on our hands. You'd be right, of course, but a cranky Devin is really not that bad.

Mostly it means a few fussy moments here and there, the previously mentioned trouble sleeping, and an increase in the number of things he tries to gnaw on (including my fingers and, well, ouch).

This past week there were a few more "did he just say that?" moments. I think I may have heard him say cracker (finally) as well as Cheerio but until he starts doing it consistently? Eh, who knows. He gets his point across, though. He's becoming quite adept at getting us to follow him and then sort of signaling what he wants (like patting the fridge door when he wants milk or standing in front of the pantry door and saying "mmmmm" when he wants cereal). He also nods his head yes and shakes it no and that is surprisingly helpful.

Yesterday he was half walking/half running with his arms stuck out in front of him like a tiny baby zombie as he followed Cat back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room table. Yes, I did just compare my baby to a reanimated human corpse but there really was a resemblance. Neither Devin nor a zombie have all their teeth, their speech is unintelligible, and their motor skills are lacking. Fortunately, Devin is a lot cuter than a zombie and (usually) smells much better.

Eh. Not so much. He says "mama" but I'm still not convinced that he really knows that's me. Chef Michelle says he says cracker and I do think I heard him say it once. I could swear I've heard him say both hi and bye. None of these things are consistent, however. Verbally skillful, he is not.

Emerging skills for a 13 month old include holding out arms or legs to help you dress them and he does that. He also does one of the advanced skills of rolling a ball back and forth. There are some skills listed for 14, 15, and 16 months that he does. So, I'm not worried about his development.

I do wonder if he may have his daddy's "shy gene". If you know my husband very well, you know that he can talk a blue streak. But most people would describe him as quiet and shy. He was, in fact, so cripplingly shy when he was a child that he once had someone drive him nearly all over God's green earth to find his home because he could not bring himself to speak to tell her where to go.

Some things are very difficult for my husband because he's so shy. He's come a LONG way since I first met him but sometimes it is still a struggle for him and some of the stories he's told me about his childhood are heartbreaking to me.

Devin is definitely not as social and outgoing at this time as Dax was. (But, let's be honest, sometimes Dax is just a bit TOO social and outgoing.) Sometimes he is clearly overwhelmed when too many people are around or if someone new is around. I know this is normal at this age but I confess that I do find myself wondering: Is this normal or is he shy?

Those of you who have been with us since the very beginning will recognize the first and last pictures here as they were pulled from Dax's journal (September 27th, 2005 to be exact). And, yep, that's Devin in the middle making the same face his brother made when he was about the same age.

I really think it has to be genetic.