(Actually, this year was definitely the first year where "New Years Letters" from friends (as opposed to family) were abundant. In other words, enough of our friends are now "grownup" and they're sending out those year-end wrap up letters about their own families. We still aren't grownup enough to have done such a thing, or maybe we just aren't grownup enough to have organized ourselves in time. You decide...)

 

But the real reason that we are past due for an update is that, about three weeks ago, Arden started to crawl! It began one Saturday morning when we was pushing himself backwards and somehow got his feet stuck enough to the rug that he pushed himself into a sitting position. Despite trying since two months old to do a sit-up, he never developed the abs to make that happen. But sitting up from lying on his stomach by pushing back onto his legs seems to have started him off to the races. By that evening, he had sat up so many times that it was already old hat and he was starting to crawl. The next day, he was a wobbly but experienced crawler. (Ironically, this major milestone won't figure highly in the photos we add to the website, but stills of crawling look very similar to stills of a baby just playing. And we don't have the bandwidth to put up video. If you want to see him crawl, come visit us!)

 

In fact, in a very short time, Arden has become "all terrain." He can crawl onto and off of the futon in his room (more on that below) at will. That means that if he wanted to, he could crawl over legs or pillows that were placed in his way, though we're not sure if he realizes that yet. (Especially since it's usually easier to just go around.) We are blessed with a child who loves to play by himself, and now that he is totally mobile, he can do it for hours at a time, with just the occasional glance to make sure we're there and a quick goofy smile. He crawls over to the corner where the toys are, strews them about, and then goes exploring. We've started to babyproof the house, but he's still showing us things we've missed...

 

As for the futon in his room, those of you who visited before probably remember that the futon is in the basement as the guest bed. Well, Arden decided that he hates (or fears) his crib. Despite the fact that he had slept and napped in it for months, around the same time that we were trying to get him to sleep better, he decided that he didn't want to be anywhere near his crib. We aren't prepared for him to sleep every night in our bed, plus even letting him nap there has become dangerous now that he can crawl off the edge. So we had to improvise. Uncle Lou was drafted for schlepping duty and the Futon of Lethargy (sans frame) moved back upstairs to become Arden's new bed. Now he goes to sleep without a single tear or scream and we can leave the room without fear of that loud thud that all parents dread. The power of the Futon of Lethargy should not be underestimated. (Actually, it seems to have less power over Arden than over adults. He sleeps pretty well now, but he can also happily play on and around the futon forever. Adults joining him for such play quickly find themselves lying down on the futon and hoping they can nap soon...)

 

And eating! He does that now, too! (Boy, it really has been a busy couple of weeks.) Around the same time Arden started crawling, he also started to show interest in solid foods. He's a big fan of yogurt, squash, sweet potatoes, applesauce, and a few other things too. In fact, if you say "applesauce" when you've got a spoonful of anything, he'll open his mouth. Well, as long as the food's not really green; he's NOT a fan of peas or avocado.