Prom Night

Our work place had an appreciation dinner for our volunteers and we decided to make the theme of the party "Prom Night." Here I am with my date enjoying a stolen moment of whispered conversation....

Christmas riddle

Question: What do babies do at wild company Christmas parties?




Answer: Mess with the copy machine the same as adults.

Halloween 2008

The baby went as a Burmese Buddhist monk. We shaved his head because we figured this would be the last year we could do that without him refusing. But, if he lets us next year, we'll shave it again and make him Nosferatu!

Lil' Lexicon

It is very sobering to be humbled by a plastic $9.95 toy phone. Here you have been mesmerized by your child’s every new word, thinking him so clever, so quick, so unique. Then, you come across this language skills building phone, press the buttons and hear those words that have become so familiar to you. Ball, car, baby…. I guess they must all start with those. Then you notice the words on there that your baby is NOT saying and you think “oh my gosh, I need to start teaching him how to say duck. Why doesn’t he say duck yet?”

Baby’s Current Lexicon at 19 months old

Words he says all the time:

Baby: Used to refer to himself or his stuffed animals. Sometimes used to refer to his father or me, as in he points to one of us, says “baby” and laughs hysterically.
Mommy, Mamma, Mimi: Mother.
Ma: Either means mother or milk.
Dadda: Daddy.
da DA!: Meaning unknown. Perhaps indicates excitement or interest in something.
Car: Cars, gears, machines, anything with wheels, ceiling fans.
Ball: Ball.
Moo: The sound of cows, pigs and sheep.
Yellow: This is a new one. It’s the first color he’s learned to say and it’s interesting because he has always seemed to favor yellow. The placement of his tongue for the ELL sound is, admittedly, still a little unorthodox.
No: Hell no.
NooOoo: Oh my, but you simply mustn’t do that.
Hi: Greetings.
Hello: Greetings (used primarily when he’s on the phone)
Bye: Fare thee well.
Juice: Juice, soda, beer.
Uh Oh: I’ve dropped something; I’ve seen something on the floor that looks like someone might have dropped it there at some time; I’ve thrown my truck across the room (narrowly missing your head) and would like you to go pick it up for me.
Tractor: one of his first, now rarely used since the discovery of “car.”
Oww: (meow) Cat.
Shoes: Shoes.
Bath: Bath.
Tree: Tree.

American Sign Language words: milk, ball, bird, hungry, water.

Words he says infrequently: tickle, light, clock, down.

Words his father says he has heard him say: ABCs (not A – Z, but literally “a-bee-sees”), castle, grandma, zebra, bird, truck, yogurt, banana, balloon.

My Reader's Digest Moment

Don’t we all just love it when our children scream and grab for the phone every time we try to talk on it? Yes, it’s cute, but it sure can be distracting! Here’s a little trick I tried on Junior that I think really taught him a lesson.

“Ring! Ring!” I said loudly and picked up the phone. My little dumpling immediately began grappling for the receiver.

“Oh, uh huh, yeah…. hmmm….,” I murmured earnestly. Now the baby was clawing at my eyes.

“Yes, I see…” Was that a toy tractor that just hit me upside the head? “Well, okay then, thanks for calling.”

I hung up the phone and turned towards Nathaniel very somberly. “Baby,” I said, “that was God. He told me to tell you that…HE DOESN’T LIKE YOU!!!!”

Crib Recall

Oh the irony. We specifically purchased a new crib, rather than considering a used or hand me down one, because everything you read warns of the importance of having one that has been damaged and meets the latest safety standards. The Aspen 3 in 1 (i.e. Wal-mart’s most attractive cheap crib) was recalled partly because of faulty hardware and also because it is easy to attach the drop side upside down. This can cause it to mess up and make a gap that the baby can get stuck in. Needless to say, I ran straight to the crib tonight and checked it out. Thank you, hubby, for putting it together perfectly! And, the hardware checked out as well.

But, you can’t help thinking about the two families known to have lost their babies because of this issue. A 9-month old and a 6-month old. It breaks my heart to imagine those couples happily putting their cribs together for their new babies, and then that moment turning so tragic some months later.

To this day, while on road trips with my mother, she warns me about what I should do if we got into trouble. ”Now, theoretically, if we get abducted, I want you to run if you get a chance,” she’ll tell me. “Don’t try to stick around and save me, just get out of there.” I nod, and say, “yeah, sure, mom,” thinking to myself that she’s nuts. What does she mean get out of there and leave her? Now, though, I’m starting to get it. Imagining something bad happening to your kid is beyond horrible.

Things that make you go...ewwwww

1. You stop your baby in the act of putting something in his mouth, discover it’s a full, blood-bloated tick, and wonder how many times has he done this before??

2. Hearing yourself say, “Okay, Baby, new rule. No more getting your snot in my mouth.”

3. Smiling as you spin your happy, laughing baby round and round like a flying super hero…then realizing you are slowly but surely being wrapped in a spider web made of the long, silvery strings of drool coming from his mouth.

The One Ring

I have a friend who wears a replica of The One Ring to Unite Them All. The legend, as I far as I understand the Lord of the Rings, claims that it is the little piece of jewelry that selects its master, not the other way around, and it will stay with its chosen one until it is ready to move on.

Sitting outside with my baby, my friend’s ring suddenly fell off of her finger, something it had never done before, and rolled across the ground straight to Nathaniel.

Now, I'm not saying he's the "One True King," or the "Chosen One" or even the "Dark Lord." I leave you, Gentle Reader, to draw your own conclusions.

Baby's First Felony

On vacation at Petit Jean, Arkansas

An idea is born...

Getting Grandma's keys was the easy part.

Trying not to leave fingerprints.

Almost there...

This is the face of no remorse.

Stomach Flu?

Baby's been sick for a week! He seems to be slowly getting better, although he's still fussy and, when faced with the smallest inconvenience, erupts into a car alarm combination of rage and grief. At one point, I was actually frightened that he had suddenly lost the use of his legs...then realized that dragging himself around the floor and screaming was just another variation on the "rage and grief" thing.

One of the few times this week that he seemed comfortable and more or less "content" was when Daddy set him down in front of the tv to watch the 1979 musical Hair. Aside from a short nap while The Tribe drove from New York City to Nevada, he actually sat there entranced (or fevered) and watched that entire movie.

One Year Old! (Two months ago....)

I have not been blogging because I thought that there was no way I could add anything more until I got his One Year Birthday pictures posted. Unfortunately, the task of getting the pictures off of my camera and onto the computer seemed an oppressingly insurmountable task.... But at last, it is done!

Birthday Highlights

Theme: Pingu
Guests: Toddlers and their parents
Snacks: Strawberries in chocolate “penguin suits,” pigs in blankets, hummus and a goldfish cracker fountain set at kid level so they could dig in at will
Beverages: juice boxes and mimosas

First Haircut

You may note the highly receded hairline in this picture and wonder "Why does this little lad need a haircut?"

But closer examination will reveal the rattail extensions protruding over the baby's ears.

Lori sneaks up from behind with the scissors. This hairdresser extraordinaire was instrumental in teaching him to hold his own bottle, but how will she handle coaxing him into his first haircut?

Hmmm...so far so good....

In fact, I think he actually likes it...

His "after" shot. The new air of sophistication and savoir faire about him is undeniable.

Ultimate Novelty Toy

Recently I realized that I am addicted to Novelty. I love getting involved in a new interest, purchasing all the required tools, feeling the thrill of expectation and adventure as I look visualize my whole new life as a painter of watercolors, a gardener, a cabinetmaker.

So many things are most fun when just imagined. After a few tries at it, it’s all of a sudden routine, just one of the things that you do – in fact, something that you have to do because you’ve invested all of this money and time in it already, and you don’t want to be a quitter, and finally it becomes just a chore to dread.

What a gift it is, then, to have a baby around. Each morning they wake up another day older and with some new talent or trick, sometimes small, other times startling. Is there a single day that they are not novel?