Mark of Fridays: Special delivery!

A Mark story that has nothing to do with this picture:

The other day, Mark was standing against the wall near Jack's food and water bowls. Mark fell backwards and when his butt plopped down, it bumped Jack's food. About seven pellets of food got knocked out.

Mark turned around, picked up a pellet and...dropped it back in the bowl.

Never tried to put it in his mouth. Then he picked each of the other pellets, one by one, and dropped them in the bowl.

Is this kid great or what?

The Eleven-Month Mark

Mark Hanley, at Eleven Months

The measurements: About 22 lbs, 28.5 in. (measured with a yard stick and a home scale). Grandma Sue says I'm starting to look "average" rather than "chunky," but Mom and Dad aren't convinced.

Best Friends: Books (when Mom snapped the picture on the right, she wondered if I'm a blooming young scholar or displaying early signs of A.D.D.), tiny plastic balls, and Jack. I say "hi" to Jack constantly (even when he's not there) and chase him around the house as fast as my hands-and-knees will carry me. I can tug Jack's rope (although he often pulls me over) and play fetch with him. I can only throw his ball a few feet, but he brings it back to me nonetheless. Playing fetch makes me laugh like crazy.

Enemies: Naps! Why would I want to sleep for three hours every afternoon when I could be spending that time playing with Mommy and Jack?? Nay nay, I say. Instead, I've built some amazing Bed Sensor Technology. I might fall asleep while I'm drinking my bottle or riding in the car, but no matter how Pinocchio-without-strings my body may seem, I can sense that bed coming. As soon as my bottom (or side or belly) touches it, I wake up and start screaming like my leg has been severed. Then I start laughing and talking, ready to play again.

Just found out about: Talking. This is a skill that alternately confuses my parents and truly blows them away. So far, Mom is sure that I can say "hi" and "Jack" (dad is not so sure). But sometimes I try out some other things on them just to see if they're listening (or maybe test their faith in me). For example, the other day mom told me to stop banging on the dishwasher door while she was loading it. I sat down, and she said "thank you." I looked at her and said something that sounded a whole lot like "thank you." She was skeptical. It couldn't be, she thought. But I just might have said it. Other words I might have said: mama, dada, hello, bye.

I'm not so sure about: Standing. I can do what Dad calls a "Road Runner Stand." Road Runner (I'm told) can run over the edge of a cliff, suspended in midair, as long as he doesn't realize he's gone over the edge. I can stand by myself, without holding onto anything, as long as I don't realize I've let go. So Mom and Dad are always trying to distract me with toys or funny dances, then timing how long I can stand on my sea legs.

Favorite activities: Crawling, swimming, reading books about animals, pulling grass out by the roots, going to the zoo, singing songs (or at least doing the gestures while Mommy sings), being tickled, tapping people on the shoulder and waiting for them to turn around.

I have a crush on: My Auntie Laura! She just moved from Florida to Illinois so she could spend more time with me! I am so excited to get to see her and play with her whenever I want!

Major accomplishments: Saying my first words, standing on my own, learning to "blow kisses" (although it looks like I'm slapping myself in the mouth), cutting my two front teeth, using the sign for "all done" when I'm finished eating, and--Mommy's favorite--understanding the word "no." When I start to climb up the stairs, she says "no" and I sit down. When I try to put the dog's food in my mouth, she says "no" and I stop. At music class, another boy kept crawling out of the room and down the hall, forcing his mommy to chase him. On the third try, I started to hightail it out of the room behind him. But Mommy said "no," and I stopped. I sat in the doorway for his other two escape attempts, just shaking my head "no" and thinking, "Didn't you hear my Mommy say no?" All of the other mommies in the room agreed: I am a very, very good boy.

Mark of Fridays: Moving pictures

By all accounts, and according to the best scientific testing available, Mark is a pretty cute kid. We have photos that can prove it. But, occasionally, photos just don't show off his full range of skills.
So, it's time to an old friend the mix: video. And now that Mark actually has a mobile skill set, it's worth watching.

Mark is not saying hi: a rebuttal

Recently, on this very blog, the credibility of Paternal Verbal Conclusions were challenged. At issue was the claim that The Son (common name: Mark) is not only able to say "hi" but also "hi, Jack" (or, at least "Hi Ja").
We wholeheartedly refute these claims as preposterous, slanderous, irresponsible and illogical. Our reasons are summarized in the three points below.

1. Babies cannot speak. It is not in their nature. If they could speak they would be saying things like "Sir, my diaper is very full of poopy." And that would ruin your dinner. So, since Mark is clearly a baby, he cannot be speaking.
2. People cannot talk with animals. The very claim that Mark is speaking to animals should be, on its face, ludicrous. Humans and beasts cannot communicate, except for Eddie Murphy and those monkeys that know sign language. Jack is a dog. Dogs lick themselves in public. They don't chat with kids.
3. Those aren't words! We will concede that Mark is saying a sound that resembles "hi" very closely. What does that prove? Nothing! Even our esteemed opponent admits Mark says "hi" to nearly anything, including fans, books and other inanimate objects. He also says "hi" while staring off into space and while falling asleep. What the previous post fails to mention is that Mark also says "whooo" - like an owl - constantly. All the time: "whoo whoo whoo". I suppose our colleague would have you believe that he is asking Who? or maybe requesting a song from Roger Daltrey. It just isn't so.

Therefor, in summation, we conclude that even though this presenter would think it is totally awesome if Mark were starting to talk, that does not make it so.

"Hi!" and Hi Denial

Mark has always been a pretty big fan of saying hi. He learned to wave at 6 months, and we've been practicing ever since.

So when we walk into Grandma's house, we look at Mark and say "Mark, can you say hi to Grandma and Grandpa?" He thinks a minute, then sticks out a paw and ardently opens and closes his fingers. Everyone claps. When we walk into a room of friends or family members who have not seen Mark in a while, we ask him to "say hi." He obliges with the big wave, and everyone oohs and ahhs. Sometimes complete strangers approach us in a restaurant or the grocery store or even while we're walking the dog around the block. They tell Mark how cute he is, and sometimes they even tickle his feet or pinch his cheeks without asking our permission. And to help Mark be confident and unafraid of strangers as he grows older, we look at Mark and ask him to "say hi to the nice lady." He always does. And the stranger always smiles or cheers or otherwise rewards his effort.

For a while now, Mark has seemed to understand that "hi" is both a greeting--used when you see new people or when they're leaving (we haven't taught bye-bye, just hi for both coming and going)--and a party trick. Sometimes, when he senses he has an audience, he busts out the "hi" out of nowhere. When he gets really excited, he shows off the Double Hi. And if that goes well with the crowd, he tries Hi With The Hand Behind My Back (less successful, usually) or The So-Big Hi (which rolls several tricks into one). If the crowd likes it, he follws up with the Big Clap and Laugh (also a great success).

Then, the other day, Mark and Lynne were playing on the living room floor, when Jack walked in. Mark turned, waved hi to the dog, and said "Hi Ja!" Lynne couldn't believe it. She thought her ears must be deceiving her: Mark simply couldn't be talking yet. Besides, whose first word is hi? Mama or dada, maybe. But not hi. And JACK's name, on top of it? No way.

But then Lynne and Matt took Mark to West Virginia. Each time they asked him to "say hi" to new friends or family members, he would stick out the paw and wave as usual, but he would also say "hi." Out loud. It was always done in a little voice that might be mistaken for a sigh, but the verbal "hi" was consistently there with the wave. When they got home from the trip, Mark said "hi Ja" to the dog every time he walked into the room. When he went to visit Grandma Sue and Aunt Leslie, he waved at them both and told them "hi." Later in that week, he said "hi" (with the wave) to Grandma Diane and Aunt Megan. He said "hi" to his books, his house, and the kitchen ceiling fan.

So Lynne is convinced. Mark has said his first word, and (she thinks) it bodes well for the rest of his life. Perhaps he'll be a very welcoming, social little boy who makes everyone feel special and at ease. Matt, on the other hand, is not so sure. He's reserving judgement on whether or not the hi's are for real. Or maybe he's just aching to hear that "daddy."

Mark of Fridays: Fussiness

Some West Virginia/Indiana/wedding pictures coming soon (like this weekend), but in the meantime we didn't want you to think Mark is always smiling. Behold, a photo of the rarely seen Fussy Mark.

He doesn't like putting on his pajamas.

Mark of Fridayish: Catching up

Lots of fun posts coming up over the next week, including updates on Megan and Josh's fantastic wedding, meeting another Illini baby and a great trip to Lynne's West Virginia roots. In the meantime, we're about two weeks (or more) behind on Mark of Fridays, so this will have to serve as an appetizer!