My baby just turned one. It's amazing how quickly the time flies - even when you're home every day watching it happen. One week ago, he was a baby. An infant, by medical standards. Now he's firmly in the "toddler" camp (even though he hasn't gotten enough courage to take that first solo step).
We have only bought him 2 toys since he was born. A plastic stacking ring thing, and a plastic Harley trike for his birthday (the one they have at Wally-world). Everything else he plays with, he's picked up from around our house. He has a remote to an old TV (with the batteries removed), plastic food containers and lids, a toothbrush (new from the package, but it's far from clean now), an old Dell keyboard from a old computer of my husbands that he pulled from a box in the garage, small plastic Halloween buckets, a Batman BatCave that he dragged out of the back of my oldest's closet, his baby monitors and the pillows from the couch. He's been given books, plush animals and toys from all the Grandparents (they sure do LOVE to spoil him). But I can tell you, he rarely plays with them.
He's happier pulling all the plastic trash bags off the roll, or flipping the lid to the trash can back and forth, or opening the lid to the toilet and splashing in the bowl, or getting underneath the bathroom cabinet and pulling out all the soap and shampoo bottles, than playing with toys that light up and make pre-recorded sounds. He makes his own sounds, coos his content, and plays happily. He's much more interested in finding out about this wide new world he's in than accepting something that was "created" just for him.
He loves being outside and bouncing the dogs' ball back and forth. He loves crawling through the grass, picking leaves off our rosebush, smacking his chubby little hands on the tractor tire in the back yard (an exercise tool of my hubby's), even practicing his climbing skills on the cement steps from the back patio to the garage.
I love him at this age. I know that the hand-held video game stage is coming. I know he's going to fight his brother on Saturday mornings for control of the remote (I refuse to allow TV's in kids' bedrooms). I know the stage where Mom just doesn't "get it" is on its way. If I could, I would keep those stages at bay indefinitely. (Realistically, I know I can't. But a girl can dream.
If you want to get something for our youngest pumpkin, Mommy and Daddy could do with a night away a couple times a month. But you have to call Daddy. He's less likely to actively request babysitting than Mommy is (he uses the excuse that "no one wants to babysit for us" - which is total crap. All the grands have offered their services!). Spend your time with him, and not your money. Teach him a life skill that he will need as an adult. Have an activity that is uniquely "yours". Help us raise him to be compassionate, sweet, considerate, well-mannered, eloquent and fearless. Help us teach him to be a good man. Impart your wisdom. Be silly. Encourage him. Support him. Delight in his adventurous nature and can-do spirit. Love him. Those are the gifts that will always stay with him.
Happy Raising.
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