Look What Lidarose Sent Me!

Aren't we cute, Curtis, his parrot, and me?

I've Got Nothing to Tell You

Except that Mr. Mucus left for work, though Thomas, Beckham, and I are starting a pool on how long he makes it before he comes home. Since, I got nothing, I will distract you with a sleeping baby. TAKE THAT!

Babies

1. Little baby wants fed. He does love to eat and I'm surprised by how much solid food he'll eat at a time. I really should measure to see how much it actually is.

2. Big baby continues to wallow in his sick bed and run through the world's Kleenex supply.

3. Just found out that a recently-married friend is expecting a baby. Yay! Too bad they live halfway across the country, so I won't be able to hold the new baby. I love holding little babies, because after Thomas, they feel so light and easy to carry.

UPDATE: For his first solid meal of the day (2nd meal overall,) Thomas ate 1 whole banana mixed with a quarter cup of rice cereal flakes (plus water to make a paste) and then two tablespoon of mashed sweet potato.

Toothy Picture

Curtis has transformed into Mr. Mucus, but here's a cute picture of Thomas. You can see his teeth.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

Step 1: Curtis brings a minor cold home from school. Runny nose, some coughing. Duration: 1 week.
Step 2: Jenny develops sore throat and runny nose with fatigue. Duration: 2-3 days.
Step 3: Thomas starts sneezing with congested breathing, general grumpiness, and occasional snot dripping from nose (total gross-out). Duration: 2 days and counting.
Step 4: Today, Curtis has a sore throat and runny nose.

Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Dogs are the New Children

It shouldn't surprise me anymore, at least in California, but there were more Halloween costume options at Target for dogs than for babies.

More Company

Sam's here (Yay, Sam!). It's nice having company and seeing good friends. Plus, it gives an incentive to cook better meals. Tonight is Mex-travaganza. We're having nopales (cactus paddles), chayote squash slaw, beans and rice. Yum, yum, yum.

Brilliant Ideas and Not So Brilliant Ideas

I decided that I'd get some exercise and stroller over to the bank (1.4 miles away) with a stop at the post office along the way. I looked outside and saw that it was still fairly windy, so I bundled Thomas up to protect him from the wind. He had a long-sleeved onesie, corduroy pants, socks, and his new tomato hat. Once out on the street, I realized that it was in the high 80's and that the wind was blowing straight from the desert. I strip Thomas down to his onesie, and stupidly, decide to soldier on. We made it there and back (with many breaks for water), but now I have two lovely, swollen blisters in the center of my foot. And, wouldn't you know, Thomas seems to only be happy if I'm walking him back and forth.

While I was at the bank, I stopped at the grocery store next door (mostly to suck in some air conditioning). I got Curtis and I new toothbrushes. The Wall Street Journal has a "tricks of the trade" feature where they ask experts how they perform common tasks. Recently, it was how a dentist cares for her teeth. She recommended using an electric toothbrush with soft bristles for two minutes twice a day and changing toothbrushes every three months. It turns out that a battery-operated toothbrush is only $6.50, so I got us each one and put a digital timer in the bathroom. I have to say, the vibrations are really weird and may take a while to get used to, but my teeth do feel cleaner. Curtis noticed the same thing. I still need to find us a dentist, though, since we are overdue for checkups. Anyone have any tips for finding a good (reasonably-priced) dentist?

No More Heathen Baby!

My mother crocheted this baptismal gown for me and both my sisters were also baptized in it

Thank goodness it had a ribbon on the front to keep the baby entertained

Thomas didn't cry a bit, but we had practiced pouring water over his head during each of his baths

School's Out for the Fire

Curtis came home at 9am this morning. Apparently, school had been canceled because of the fires burning in northern L.A. county. I guess a good number of the students live in that area. So, we're fine, nowhere near any of the fires (though we can see the smoke cloud), but Curtis gets a bonus day off.

Fun in the Kitchen

Since Svan and her mom have been here, they can't complain that the dinners have been boring. Tuesday we went out for burgers. Wednesday was Mexican; I made chayote squash and nopales. Thursday was Indian, rice, daal, and an eggplant dish called bharta. Tonight we're having cioppino, which is Italian. Thank goodness for help doing the dishes.

A Second Tooth for Banana Boy

The left front bottom tooth (how's that for confusing) made its first appearance yesterday. It was also a very bad baby day with much wailing and very little napping. I'm not sure if the two are related, but hoping for better today in the race to finish unpacking and cleaning before the houseguests arrive this evening. We've also established that Thomas REALLY likes bananas. Possibly even more than nursing. I was trying to nurse him, but he kept fussing until we gave him some banana. He ate half a banana and was a happy, cute baby again.

Emotional Eating

There's a common stereotype about emotional eaters. You know, the people who eat when they are down. The image is that after being dumped by her boyfriend, a woman sits home and eats an entire lasagna, a half gallon of ice cream, and a package of cookies. Of course, everyone recognizes that this type of eating is unhealthy and will lead to serious weight gain. Food is not actually a substitute for love, companionship, or happiness. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get this idea across to Beckham.

We were away from the house for 40 hours this weekend. From 8am Saturday to midnight Sunday. Before we left, we made sure the cat had full food and water bowls. Normally, I only fill the cat's food bowl every 5 or 6 days. But sure enough, when we open the front door, the cat is yowling it's so happy to see us, and the bowl is empty. The cat immediately started eating the second more food hit the bowl as if it was starving. I have visions of the cat just living with its head in the bowl while we're gone. "I'm so lonely; nobody loves me; I'll just devour everything in sight."

No Posts This Weekend

Packing up the car for a mini-roadtrip. Going to a wedding near SF tomorrow, then brewing up a Christmas beer in Fresno on Sunday. Now if only the guest room would magically appear from the den/junk room while we're gone.

Six Month Checkup

Thomas had his six month checkup today with his new pediatrician, Dr. Rodriguez. He's right at the 50th percentile. He weighs 16 lb 9 oz (an increase of only 3 oz from two months ago) and is 25 1/2 inches long (an increase of 3/4 inch). He also had to have his immunizations. One by mouth and four(!) shots. He did not like the shots, but less than a half hour later, he'd already started playing with his band-aids, pulled one off and tried to put it in his mouth.

The DMV Can't Kill the Excitement

I found out yesterday that two different friends are coming to stay with us in October. Add that to Thomas's godparents flying in for the baptism and we're going to have houseguests for two weeks straight. It'll be great, like a big house party! I'm so excited, but it does mean I've got to get everything put away in order and the last remaining boxes unpacked. It's so much more fun cleaning for company. Unfortunately my cleaning bonanza must be delayed to deal with the DMV. I just realized that our registration is about to expire and I need to switch states. Fun, fun, fun. I got the $mog check$ for both cars done and now I need to find the tools to get the plates off. I'd rather be cleaning.

Flicking

This post is being made solely to delay having to go into the kitchen and do battle with the dishes. I hate washing dishes. I miss having a dishwasher. Where's one of those poor street urchins who'll work for food when you need one? Send me Oliver Twist!

Football Update

On Saturday, Curtis's team lost, making them 1-3. They did pretty well considering that the other team had 2.5-3 times as many players. It was a low scoring game for the first half to three quarters though we never had a lead. Then our team just ran out of players to substitute in after two went out with minor injuries. Then they started to cream us. My favorite remark was from the head of school's assistant you thought that we did remarkably well considering that we had NO cheerleaders and the other team had at least a dozen.

A Tiny Glimmer

marks where Thomas's first tooth has broken the surface.

Here at Last!

Thomas finally has a high chair. I had bought him one before he was born, a really nice wooden one. It was one of the most expensive pieces of baby gear he owned. I waited until they were on sale at Target and used some gift cards I had gotten at a shower. Since we knew that we were going to move before he'd be on solids, we just left it in the box. After the move, I was really excited to finally use it. When I opened the box, it had a manufacturer defect. The back of the seat was split and splintery. It took a while to get a hold of the company's customer service. I had to send them back some parts of the chair, then they would send me a whole new chair. I'm never buying anything manufactured by the DJG Juvenile Group ever again. The new chair also has a defect, but it's in a place Thomas can't get to and doesn't make the chair unsafe to use. I'm probably the only one who'll ever notice. But I'm glad that he finally has a seat to eat in and beat toys on.

Explore Your World

He was rolling around in the living room, when I heard a weird scratching sound. He was sucking on one thumb and scratching the underside of his dresser with the other hand.

Teething Tuesday

His teeth must be bothering him today, since he's being very scream-y. It was hard, getting him down for his morning nap. Here's a picture from a couple of days ago. He's actually sitting on Curtis's foot, but I think it looks like he's just hangin' out and chillin'.

6 Months Old

Today Thomas is 6 months old, and Curtis and I have survived half a year of parenting. I think we'll open a bottle of wine to celebrate.

Here's a picture of Thomas's bath last night. He's outgrown his baby tub and likes to lay in the big tub and play merbaby. He wriggles, smacks the water with his hands, and throws his legs out to make big splashes.