A new movie is up. It's choppy (I don't have the editing skills or patience of the Mav) but it demonstrates our boy's current favorite activity: playing with the cat. It's too humid to think so I can't write more now. A cool down is coming tomorrow; maybe I'll be able to write about E's latest "developments" and how they have contributed to my current state of swiss-cheese brain.

Naps are not negotiable!

Little Mr. E missed two naps in a row though not for lack of trying on the part of the Mav and myself. Our boy is typically a good napper, racking up anywhere from 3 to 5 hours of nap a day split between a morning respite and a mid-afternoon siesta. When he's not ready to rest any attempts to go into his room are met with resistance (at least until he's sure we're not trying to begin our sleep-time approach). When he's ready though, he's ready. "Say night-night" I tell him, gesturing to anyone/anything around. When he is good to go, he enthusiastically waves to any and all and smiles up the stairs and into his room. There may be some resistance to being placed in the crib but that is usually alleviated with the proper amount of pre-rest cuddling.

Yesterday afternoon and again this morning we were all-systems-go for nap. Waving, smiling and cooing up the stairs we went. Not a fuss as I left the room. Ready to get to work, I headed downstairs to my laptop and switched on the monitor. My first mistake. E was singing along with the nocturnes playing in his room. Very cute of course but very hard to concentrate on work.

He continued to sing. We checked on him. Changed a diaper. Returned him to his crib. This morning, in my rush to wash my hands after the diaper change, I did not remove the rattle from his grasp. The rattle aids in diaper changes by distracting his attentions (and his hands) from the work zone. Back downstairs, I expected to really get some work done now that baby was clean, tired and ready to sleep.

He sang. And shook that rattle. For half an hour. Until I took the rattle away. Then he just sang.

He spent over 2 hours in his crib, both times, with no crying but also no sleeping.

But how can you get upset with he does this?


The darling is sleeping soundly tonight (he did finally take an afternoon nap, though not the 4 hour one I expected).

Accomplishments updates: E walks well when supported. He stands alone. He chases bubbles (he used to only really care about the bubble bottle). He recognizes dogs, cats, cows, pigs, Daddy, and Mommy (not, I hope, in that order). He quacks if confronted with a duckie, when he feels like it. He repeats sounds (time to really watch what we say!) and motions. He gives amazing hugs. He thinks blowing kisses is funny. He thinks the cat is hysterical. He can "shake it", whatever "it" is in hand at the time. He puts his bottom in the air and his head on the ground - I'm not sure if this is yoga or a misdirected attempt to get to his feet. He has the Mav and me wrapped around his little fingers and we've never been happier.

Revenge of the Carousel

We hit the mall again on Sunday as the hot and sticky weather has returned. E was having an off day, just out of sorts though no concrete complaints. Thinking that our older and braver baby might actually enjoy a carousel ride this time we bought a token and the wee one and I entered the enclosure with the Mav stationed nearby to record the event.

As before, I put the boy on a horse. This time I knew to fasten the seatbelt myself. E was as happy as he'd been that day; wiggling a bit and chatting to me and the horse. Then the ride started...

The cowboy was not so brave today. By the midpoint of the ride I'd removed him from his steed as his angst was only increasing with the revolutions. Such a baby. For a little while longer.

We went home. His spirits returned a bit. E walked (while holding my fingers) from the car to the front door. Such a big boy. Almost.

11 Months Old?!

Little E is 11 months old. I don't have much to say about that except: really? Where has the time gone?

E demonstrating "touchdown" in preparation for the Patriots coming winning season (gesture also means "so big" and "all done" and "wow that cat is funny".) Having an 11 month old around is infinitely more fun that being 8+ months pregnant, as was the case this time last year.

Happy 4th of July!

Mama!

E says Mama! Well, almost. He says mamamamamamamamama...... and sometimes stops after the second "ma". And he's talking to me. Well, at me. Or at least near me. I'm counting it. He says Mama!

New web album up with pictures from our late night at yet another concert in yet another park. The great prairie turns out to be kind of fun when seeking out mild, early, wholesome entertainment. Anyway, the little girl in the pink hat is Miss M, E's new friend and the daughter of our friend and his babysitter (who also appears in one of the web album photos, along with Miss M's baby brother-to-be).

two teeth forward, one rash back

Little E is the proud owner of 6 teeth! After a week or so of moderate teething issues (nothing like the pain and suffering of the first 2 teeth), 2 new teeth made their debut at the end of last week. If you look really hard in the above picture you can see them there on the top. A new Picasa Web album should be coming out soon which will let you see the picture in its fullsize glory if you really need proof that our little carnivore is on his way to his first steak. (If you do not get the Picasa Web album emails from the Mav and want to, send him or me an email about it).

E has had some serious rash problems in the last several months. In short, a seemingly common diaper rash turned into a full body medical mystery that gave the small boy much discomfort, sent us across the state in search of a more knowledgeable doctor and made us try hundreds of (well maybe 5) rash creams, prescription and otherwise, in addition to a couple of ingested remedies. That rash went away, eventually.

The diaper rash is back. Why? Well, I think it is because E prefers to spend his college tuition on diapers. Nothing but the best for this baby's bottom.

I had high hopes, before actually meeting the small boy, that we would happily buy the cheapest, most generic diapers out there so that I could spend small-boy-allotted money on much cuter items. I won't go into details (in case you've just eaten) but only one premium name-brand diapers could go the distance.

When the rash issues struck, in search of any possible fix, we switched to dye-free diapers. Pricey, hard to find, dye free diapers. The rash eventually went away.

We ran out of these wonder diapers (that do indeed go the distance!) and switched to the old kind while awaiting our next shipment. The rash returned.

Though I'm not completely convinced that the diapers are the root cause (I've got a couple of other hypotheses--I am after all supposedly training to be a "scientist"), we've committed our retirement funds to ensuring that only the best diapers money can buy touch our child's tush.

The diapers arrived today, so fingers crossed that this works please. In the meantime, we pursue our old techniques of airing out the affected area and applying athlete's foot cream nightly.

To air the area we rely on a tried and true technique for turning normal, active small children into googley-eyed zombies. TV. We watch the PBS show Curious George. This show is the best tv show ever for small boys. No joke. E agrees. In picture below, E is about to start his airing ...