Accomplishments

From the time babies arrive, we track all their accomplishments. 

It starts in the nursery at the hospital when they grade babies with an Apgar score. Named after Dr. Virginia Apgar, the score is based on all the signs of a healthy baby. Dr. Apgar's name even became the acronym for what the nurses look for:

Appearance (skin color)

Pulse (heart rate)

Grimace (reflex irritability)

Activity (muscle tone)

Respiration
 

Biscuit scored very well when he was born, thank you very much.

Then after you get them home, you can't wait to see that first smile. 

Then one day, you're changing a diaper, and he starts rocking back and forth, and next thing you know, he's flipped himself over.

Well, that's not actually how it happened with Biscuit. We were at the doctor's office for a checkup, and we had Biscuit lying up on the table. As we were talking and cooing with him, he flipped right over. The doctor was asking us all kinds of questions, and he said, "Has he rolled over?" And we said, "Yes. He just did." And the doctor said, "When did he start?" And we laughed and said, "No, you don't understand. He JUST did it."

Then they sit up. Then they crawl.

And next thing you know, he's 11 months old, and you get video of him strolling down the hall.

All of these things are huge accomplishments, but at a certain point, you realize that the biggies are all taken care of. He can eat by himself, and go to the bathroom by himself, and put on and take off his clothes by himself.

But there are some smaller tasks that Biscuit has mastered lately that are making my life easier.

 Carrying plates and cups to the sink. When Biscuit is done with dinner or a snack, he can get up from wherever he was eating, carry his dishes into the kitchen, and put them in the sink. Granted, when he puts the dishes in the sink, it's more like dropping them in, but seeing as he doesn't eat or drink from anything breakable, that's perfectly fine with me.

Operating the remote control. Unlike most kids I've known, Biscuit was never really interested in the TV remote control. Maybe he had enough toys with buttons to push that the remote didn't hold any appeal for him. But that means Jeff and I have to stop what we're doing to turn on the TV.

We've taught Biscuit to ask nicely if he wants to watch TV, but he's got a bad habit of asking at the most inopportune times. He's asked when I was in the shower. He's asked when I was cooking. He's asked when I was mopping the bathroom floor. He's asked me when I was in the bathroom.

So I finally decided last weekend that I would teach him how to turn the TV on and off and how to turn it to his channel. He only gets to watch one channel, so he didn't have much to learn. The green button is off and on. Then push 5, then push 4. 

I forgot to tell Jeff that I had taught Biscuit this, so last weekend when Biscuit asked to watch cartoons, I said yes and stayed seated in my rocking chair. Jeff got up and went into the bedroom and was quite surprised to find Biscuit, remote in hand, pushing 5 then 4. Biscuit was very proud to tell Jeff what he could do.

WASHING HIS OWN HANDS!!!!! This one is worthy of all caps and several exclamation points. This one means that while I'm cooking dinner, I can yell, "Biscuit, wash your hands for dinner!" and he can do it. Or more importantly, I don't have to go to the bathroom every time he does. (Well, I do still have to take care of paperwork for the more serious bathroom trips.) 

We have this great little silicone gadget that fits over the end of the faucet that basically provides a ramp for the water, so it flows out closer to Biscuit. He has to stand on his tallest tippy-toes on top of a step stool to reach the water knob, but since the knob is shaped like an X, he can get his little fingers wrapped around it.

We have a pump dispenser for the soap, so that's easy to operate. And we've given Biscuit instruction on washing the fronts and backs of his hands, as well as between his fingers. All in all, he does a pretty good job.

Sadly, Biscuit tackling these tasks means he just keeps growing up and doesn't need me as much. But at the same time, these accomplishments are signs of independence for Biscuit. And that makes me very proud of him.