Baby Got Sand

• filed under: Personal Ramblings
• posted by Anne-Marie
• Sunday, September 2nd, 2012

Jamisen has had a busy few weeks, trying to pack in all the glory of summer in fifteen days (or less). Summer came to Washington State a few weeks ago and we have done our best to introduce Jamisen to all things sun, water, and sand related. Throwing rocks in the water is his new favorite pastime (well, that and finding any remote and immediately absconding with it).

We have had so many visitors this summer and Jamisen has loved meeting them all, especially the family that had 3 little boys similar in age. They generally ran around like a pack of wild pint-sized animals and completely tired themselves out at the end of every day. Jamisen has also picked up an affinity for dogs, large and small. He peals with laughter when they bark and chases them around until they submit to his gentle ministrations. Despite multiple animal allergies in our family, I’m guessing Jamisen will have a dog in the next few years.

Jamisen was less interested in helping to steer the boat and way more interested in the buttons on the fish finder. He is obsessed *obsessed* with anything that has buttons. His favorite devices with buttons are remote controls but the fish finder held his interest for quite some time.

He is a joyful little guy, generally bellowing at the top of his lungs if he’s happy. I prefer to think of it like a sort of like a happy singing, rather than a noise that scares birds and cats away. He still only has three verbal words in his repertoire (Mama, Dada, Ba – shorthand for ‘bird’) but he’s added two awesome sign-language signs: more and all-done. All-done has been particularly helpful. He uses it when he’s tired, when he’s done with food, when he’s done with an activity or generally any time he wants some aspect of his situation to change. Like tonight, when I was taking his temperature, he kept signing ‘All-Done!’ He was not a fan of sitting still for his mild fever to register.

We spent some serious time chasing him around the dunes and sand in Seabrook, Washington. The sand there is soft and squishy, perfect for a little unsteady guy to run around and make merry bellowing noises. He loved the sand, plopping himself down in holes and trying to cover himself in it.

Though this picture does not show it (batteries died right before), Jamisen happily waded into the cold (so so so cold) water, up to his thighs and would have continued going if his Mommy had not stopped him. And he went back for more many times until we physically carried him far from the water and distracted him with sticks to play with. We can see glimmers of his ‘terrible twos’ arriving and it’s a little terrifying. He has a fiercely independent streak and does not like to be told what to do; he makes sure his displeasure is known to all in a 500 foot radius when he is told ‘No.’

Jamisen doesn’t leave the house without a remote. The last two nights, he’s screamed in bed if he’s missing his precious remote. He’s never seen one operate since we don’t have a working television so the irony of him loving the remote is not lost on me. This weekend, we’re headed to the Farmer’s Market, planning a lake s’mores fire pit and hoping to get in a hike tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the weekend; get that last bit of summer in before school starts!

tagged as: Family, Kid Friendly