The Adventures of Girl Thursday

Getting Ready for Christmas

2012-01-17T14:48:00.000-06:00

So, back on December 20th, I was trying to get a few nice photos of the kids together while the tree was being decorated. Did not work. The Boy was having none of this (get closer to your sister! no, closer... no, you're not close enough..). So, I decided to take some photos of the Little Girl by herself on the Boy's chair. "No! I want to sit on my chair!!" was the Boy's response to this. I said, ok, here ya go!

The Boy's method for hanging ornaments was really innovative - hang the ornaments from each other! We had quite a few bundles of ornaments hung around the low branches of the tree. Most of these were moved to the upper branches within hours, as Anya discovered these awesome bundles of what she figured were cat toys. All night long I heard jingling and rustling..

We had a lovely Christmas, although the Boy is still asking about presents in his sockin' - which has been put away. He has not quite gotten the idea that presents are only for special occasions. Little Girl got many sets of new clothes and the Boy has way too many toys. Actually, he had too many toys prior to Christmas, but there is so much fun stuff out there!

Sedona, June 12 2011

2011-06-17T03:04:00.000-05:00

Napping on the Kitchen Floor

2011-02-20T17:54:00.001-06:00

Back in September.

2010-11-23T23:58:00.000-06:00

Skype Call with Grandma from Girl Thursday on Vimeo.

..when his hair was shorter. And the weather was warmer. Although, in fact, he's running around without a shirt right now.

This video is long, but at least the beginning is really cute. The Boy is quite animated here! I have not edited this yet.

Dancing in the Kitchen

2010-11-20T19:10:00.000-06:00

There's actually a better video, but apparently I can't edit that sort of video file on my computer. Thus, I can't edit it down to a short enough thing for Flickr. Yet. But, here's the shorter dancing video from last month:

Books and Reading

2010-11-08T01:02:00.000-06:00

Checking out some books while in costume on Halloween

While we were out doing some grocery shopping today, the Boy decided he'd have a look at a Cars (you know, the Disney/Pixar movie) book. It's one with several different stories, rather thick, and has PAPER pages, rather than those board books he usually gets to read. He was entranced with this book for hours. All through Costco. Carried it into the grocery store. And we read one story out of it before bedtime.

He just looks so much OLDER "reading" such a big book! He has a lot of the stories memorized, I would guess, since he can almost always finish the line you're reading. Recently he's actually been mistaken for an older child quite often. At the My Gym Halloween party, one mother thought he was close in age to her own child - who is FOUR. Seriously? Four? I don't think so. Others have thought he's got to be at least three. It's true he's rather tall for a two-year-old, but he still uses his pacifier, and has been known to throw tantrums in check-out lines. Not that older kids don't do that. A woman at the garden said she'd thought he was older because he speaks so well.

Well, that may be the case, but, honestly, I don't understand half of what the little dude says! I'm really amused that he's started introducing himself to everyone at stores - "I sa shude and this is elmo." Sometimes he'll tell them that "this is mommy," too. Nobody understands "Isa Shude." Probably just as well.

'Struction Worker for Halloween

2010-11-08T00:45:00.000-06:00

Dressed up as Bob the Builder for Halloween

Helping to plant a Pansy at the Model Train Garden

"posing" with daddy before heading to the Garden

As dressed up as we get around here...

Bob the Builder has discovered the joys of Lollypops!

I attempted to do some actual dressing up for Halloween this year, since the Boy has become more cognizant of costumes and such. The weekend before Halloween weekend, our landlord asked him what he was going to be and the Boy said "Bob the builder!" I was startled, not realizing how much he understands, clearly. We had discussed perhaps doing Bob, mainly because I figured - hey, overalls, plaid shirt, hat, tools? I can do that! I didn't realize the whole idea had caught on, though.

So, off to get overalls, plaid shirt, tool belt... Not as easy as I'd hoped. As you can see by the photos, the plaid shirt was refused. It was fine in the store, but once I got it home "nope!" The Boy is quite picky about his clothing. He really likes "soft pants" and it was amazing that I managed to get the rough overalls on him at all. The hard hat is really cute and I like having different hats to try on... even though his lego bucket gets as much or more use as a "fire hat" or "struction hat."

We now have a ton of tools, since I picked up a tool + belt set in the days before Halloween... that of course did not fit. It's HUGE. I'm not sure how many years it will be before the belt fits! Three or four? No matter. I stuck the tools in his pockets. He promptly removed them.

Although we did not go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, we did head up the the Botanic Garden for the last day of the model railroad garden until spring. I had no idea there would be treats! They had people stationed throughout with smarties, fake tattoos, and his absolute favorite - lollypops. Everyday since... "would you like some oatmeal or applesauce for breakfast?" says mommy, "ooooorrrrr.... Lollypop!" he'll say.

The garden also gave out flowers as treats - and the Boy got to "help" put the Pansy into a pot with soil. We headed home right after getting our plant, since it was very chilly, getting late, and the little dude hadn't really had a nap. So, no trick or treating, but I'd say still a successful first Halloween celebration.

This evening at home...

2010-10-18T23:30:00.000-05:00

The Boy has noticed the camera...

More grinning from the Boy

He might take after his mother.

Why no color photos, you ask? Well, the lighting was awful and for some bizarre reason, the Boy didn't look at the camera when I used color anyhow. So, here we've got a couple black and white shots! The Boy is really into whatever is on TV right now - Caillou perhaps? We were definitely watching the Sprout channel, but it could have been any number of weird shows.

I need to start weaning him off the TV, since he's become a little obsessive about watching it. He wants to watch bee-oh (video) even when he sits down for lunch or dinner. I suppose he is learning some from the TV (this evening he stood up on his dresser, started singing and said "Wiggle"). Currently the Boy enjoys Thomas (still, of course), Bob the Builder (I build it! Yes he can!), the recently discovered Handy Manny (hanny mundy), and Caillou. Elmo is fun, too, but since Elmo is not the whole of Sesame Street, it's rare that he'll sit and watch the whole thing. Oh, and he's usually happy to watch baseball.

Something new I've noticed recently is that the Boy is getting frightened of certain scenes in Thomas videos - "mommy, OFF!" - and he'll ask to get down out of his seat if he's strapped in. It's interesting because a few weeks ago, he was watching those same scenes without any problems.

See that last photo up there? He likes to pile things. And put them into bags or boxes. Especially bags, though. I wonder if that behavior is actually inherited? It isn't as if he's trying to hide the toys from anyone - he just likes putting them in bags and dumping them out. He also likes putting containers of all sorts on his head (fire hat! struction hat!). Oh, and all sorts of things are "rocket ship!" (such as, an old baby bottle he found). I think he learned that on Caillou.

Waiting for Chester

2010-10-18T18:07:00.001-05:00

At the vet 2 weeks ago. This was awful! The boy was getting tired and kept saying "Right back!" as he tried to go down the stairs, into the restroom, or pushing the elevator button. We were there three hours.

And, no, we still don't know what's really wrong with Chester.

Diagon Alley

2010-10-18T18:05:00.001-05:00

Apparently it's right by our local magic shop.

Apparently It's Fall

2010-09-12T14:07:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago the leaves on some of the trees started changing color and falling. How do they know it's fall? Hard to believe when it's 80 degrees out still...but we've been able to leave the air conditioner off for a while, which is wonderful.

Oh, slide!

2010-09-09T18:15:00.001-05:00

Boy Friday has had quite a time saying goodbye to slides lately. This visit to Welles Park ended poorly. Now he asks to stop for the slides when we see them from the car.

Me and Him

2010-09-06T00:41:00.000-05:00

Photo from mid-July at the Garden

A Trip to the Railway Museum

2010-09-06T00:38:00.000-05:00

So, a couple of weeks ago, we thought it might be fun (or insane) to take Boy Friday to the Illinois Railway Museum for a Day Out with Thomas. Union, Illinois is more than an hour drive outside of Chicago, and in case you were wondering - you should use the restroom BEFORE you get on the tollway. Just saying.

All the kids loved this to climb on. (photo taken by V.)

It was fun to get out of the city for a while, but it was a LONG day - especially for the Boy. He hadn't had a nap, so it was difficult to tear him away from everything he found thrilling. He really enjoyed checking out all of the engines parked in the sheds. He kept saying "that way! that way!" back to the sheds. We got to ride on a Thomas-pulled train, which he found somewhat interesting. Thomas the train himself? Yeah, not so much. Hardly gave him the time of day!

The fun pile of sandy dirt. He just LOVED digging!

Unfortunately, we had to pass this pile of dirt to leave. Huge drama. Screaming, writhing, and yelling "oh, DIG, oh, DIG!" Yep, he was tired out. By the time we got back to the car, he scraped that Thomas tattoo off of his arm.

I think we all really enjoyed looking at the old engines. Some of the steam engines they have housed at the Railway Museum are so huge and amazing!

At the model train garden

2010-08-18T21:56:00.001-05:00

Boy Friday is growing like a weed! At his 2 year appointment he weighed 28 1/2 lbs and is 36" tall. I think he's growing out of 2t clothing...

Today on Lincoln Ave

2010-08-08T05:50:00.001-05:00

Posing by an Iron Maiden poster. You know, for fun. Because it was there.

Eating Breakfast

2010-08-04T11:46:00.001-05:00

This morning, waffles for breakfast. Sorry, no, not made fresh! Fun frozen Eggo waffles. Prior to this was fun with throwing balls! Scared Tyger off from his food dish.

Botanic Garden, June 30th

2010-08-01T19:11:00.000-05:00

Just a few photos for now. More to come & an update soon! Photos by V.

Boy Friday is now TWO years old and acting like it. Crazy, messy, and all boy.

and some photos of the kid, too.

2010-05-15T14:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am aware that it is haircut time! Boy Friday is looking quite shaggy.

Friday apparently knows about half of the letters?! Of course, W is his favorite "da-doo-ee" - and there are quite a few that he just knows the object appoo for A. He keeps going into the kitchen and yanking the refrigerator open. The other day, he decided he wanted KIWI!!! Oddly, he hadn't had any kiwi in weeks. I hadn't mentioned kiwi either... so I'm not at all sure how he suddenly got it in his head that I had kiwi in the fridge. Had to go buy some. I left the kitchen a couple of days ago, only to return and find half the contents of the fridge stacked on the table. He exclaimed "blackie!" when he saw me {that'd be blackberries}. Friday is all about the fruit - no thank you on the vegetables. Except carrots. Sometimes he'll eat a carrot.

The choo-choo addiction is still in full force. We're watching choo-choos all day long here. Sometimes on both the TV and the portable DVD player at the SAME TIME. Boy Friday has favorites, but is learning all of the names - Bertie the Bus, Diesel, Percy, Toby, Thomas (those two both sound like Tibby), Gordon, Mavis (currently Me-me). He's now got three wooden Thomas trains (Percy, Victor, and Diesel), and he'll be getting a few more. Hopefully we won't get pulled into owning fifty trains and train tables and whatnot.

Here's one of the things Boy Friday likes to do:

He'll line them up on window ledges throughout the house. The one in the kitchen is especially bothersome, as it SLOPES and the trains/cars/trucks slip off continually. So he'll shriek. The shrieking is fun. The ledge he's using in the above photo?

Yes, he's standing on the back of the couch.

water's a bit high i'm thinking

2010-05-15T13:59:00.001-05:00

water's a bit high i'm thinking
Originally uploaded by tygerlotus

Went to the Chicago Botanic Garden yesterday. Weather was lovely and cool with a nice breeze. Apparently, however, the recent rains have caused the river to rise a little. Some areas of the park were inaccessible - including the serpentine bridge going out to Evening Island {where the bell tower resides}.

Friday at the Garden

2010-05-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

Boy Friday was not being especially photogenic yesterday. Mostly he just grimaced, squinted, and refused to remove his sucky.

Who can blame him, though? It was hot, sunny, and he was tired. He does enjoy flowers, though, and his word for flower now resembles "flowee" rather than "sha-ee" - what he used to say.

Friday is getting really good at colors, too. Poo-pie (purple), yay-why (yellow), gwee, oofta (that's orange), boo, why (red, I think). He says both one and two, but isn't too clear on other numbers. And he even knows some letters! I bought some alphabet pasta soup thing from Target, and it was a noisy meal. He kept picking up the letters and telling me what they were. Especially "W" - not sure why he likes that letter so much. He can identify E, P, W, O (but he often calls it "eye" because, you know, it's a circle, so it must be an eye). Daduee is vitamin - he really enjoys getting gummy vitamins after dinner. mukum is milk. seewee is cereal. And today (actually, yesterday too) he insisted on the pik bowl (pink). Not sure why he needs his seewee and mukum in a pink bowl, but hey, that's ok with me.

This kid is weird, though - he likes strong flavors. Like see saw (soy sauce) - if you give him rice, he'll insist on seesaw with it. And he enjoys ju (juice) - grapefruit juice! The kind without any added sugar, too! Vinegar? sure! Why not? So, you really can't assume he won't like something just because it's a bizarre and strong flavor. In fact, he won't eat lightly flavored cheeses. They have to be strong - he's not overly fond of mild cheddar. Sharp is ok, but he'd prefer parmesan.

Oh, and now that his yellow duck bath deflated, we went through a couple of days where he'd stand and cry "all done!" over and over. That was short lived, though, and now after dinner he says "bat!" for bath. Really enjoying throwing water EVERYWHERE. I think some hit the ceiling yesterday.

I just pulled the crayons out again (he ate a piece the last time I had them out), and he's really enjoying coloring! He does color on the tile, too - but it cleans up easily. He is also majorly obsessed with choo choos. He can say Toby and Thomas (these both sound like slight variations of "too-be")and Gordon (gordo). Of course, he doesn't have Toby or Gordon (we have Percy and Victor in the wooden set). When Friday wakes up in the morning he runs to his room and says "choo choo! choo choo!" until I turn on the DVD. I would like to change how much he watches...

More Park Photos!

2010-04-13T00:15:00.000-05:00

Because, you know, that's what we do in this part of the world. Go to the park. Ok, I go grocery shopping every week, too, but photos of that would be even LESS exciting.

Boy Friday says "pick up" now - which is so funny, really. He knows it means a type of truck, too. He's recognized real choo-choos - not just his toys or photos, and he's started saying "bus" (kinda like "bussh"). Trucks seem to all be buses. He seems to have a word for Elmo, and he definitely has one for Dora/Diego (he can't seem to discern the two - they are both "dodo" unless you tell him it's Diego then he says something more like "deego"). And he says monkey (moky). He's stopped saying "me" for kitties so much as "meeeeooow" - which he will say when he hears one of our cats meowing. Friday really does love the cats, too - he likes to gently put the side of his head on their heads to "cuddle" with them. Sometimes he'll sit on them, too, though, and he got VERY upset when Chester started eating his pretzels the other day. Hey, they were in a bowl on the floor - the cats think anything in a bowl is fair game. So now, if Friday has food in a bowl, he will defend it (read, push Chester off the couch).

I'm not sure I've mentioned it before, but Boy Friday's thing is to say "yeah" to everything. He says "yeah" a lot. He might start saying "yeah, yeah, yeah" while sitting in his carseat, if you ask him a question (whether the answer is yes or not), or just while walking around the house.

The Doctor is Quite Unpopular.

2010-04-07T00:46:00.000-05:00

Wow. Boy Friday is no longer ok with the doctor's office - or anyone in it. Especially anyone who might speak to him and/or touch him. Good thing the doctor was running late. We only spent 30 or 40 minutes crying (um, Friday, not me). Hah. I was *this* close to leaving without having the vaccinations done. I'd had quite enough of the waiting while my child just cried and cried and cried. Especially since I KNEW if we walked out the door he would be fine! He kept saying "car! car! car!" And sometimes "bunny!!!" (we forgot to bring bunny.)

So besides all of that, I think everything is fine. I couldn't hear anything to doctor was saying, nor could I think straight, so... ? But, Boy Friday is 34.5" tall (85th percentile), and apparently 25 lbs 5 oz (30th percentile - up 5 oz in two weeks? huh).

Some photos from a week ago at Jefferson Park. It was quite chilly again. Then it was oh, 80? Crazy temperature changes.

In odd sleeping news, Friday decided to go sleep in the papasan chair in the middle of the night. I wonder how long he was in there before I woke up and went to check on him? At least he stayed in his room all night for once!

Spring is Rather Chilly

2010-03-26T12:55:00.000-05:00

We made it out to the park again the other day, but it really was a bit on the cold side. Like, oh, 40's. And windy. Right now it's 30's. I'm not planning on wearing that down coat again! Nope.

So, what has Boy Friday been up to these days? He says "cool" and "duh" and "pretty" (pipi). I think he might even kind of understand cool and pretty. Everything is blue (boooo). Generally, there are also two of everything (he tries counting the coffee scoops with me, which is quite distracting, actually). He still carries around stuffed animals - these days he loves bunny. I almost forgot! He says "mama" - but it means edamame. I know, it's weird.

Oh, and he can open doors now. The front door is rather easy, so that needs to stay locked! And the bathroom door, which is a lever handle (and he can lock it, too, which I suppose could result in him locking himself INSIDE the bathroom by himself).

On the sleeping front, we're down to one 45 minute nap a day.

Itty Bitty Photo Shoot

2010-03-19T00:32:00.000-05:00

I met Erin at a meetup the other day, and she took a couple of photos for us. We had a really difficult time getting Boy Friday to smile for us, though. These are the color shots - I posted the black and white versions on FaceBook. Don't you love the color clashing?! I am aware that it is not Christmas anymore. Or yet. Hopefully we'll get to hang out with Erin and her daughter, Marleigh, again soon!

What a Week!

2010-03-19T00:18:00.000-05:00

We've been having a somewhat trying week. Everyone is tired. Chester really, really wants me to feed him all the time. He jumped on my face this morning at 5 to inform me that he hadn't eaten in a while, and I'd better get up and feed him or else.

Boy Friday has been really cranky, and as it turns out - he's not feeling well. I only realized this evening he has a fever. Sounds like he might be a bit congested also - hope it isn't anything major like the flu or an ear infection.

Despite being under the weather, Friday had a great time at the park today.

19 Months Old

2010-03-03T18:06:00.000-06:00

A couple of images from today. I suspect I should be taking Boy Friday to the doctor soon for some checkup or other... but I forgot to make his next appointment at the end of his last one. He must be getting bigger (he seems plenty tall and quite heavy), but I'm not sure of his height or weight. He has only his 2nd molars to come in before this summer, as far as I know.

We took the rail off of Friday's crib two weeks ago, and he seems to be ok with the change. Of course, he won't stay in the bed. But then, we weren't having much luck with that anyhow.

What he loves saying: yeah, car, daddy, mo (more), pee (please), gogo (grover), coffee, papa (pasta? popcorn? pretzels? whatever, he thinks it's hilarious. always makes him laugh). He started saying "bye" just yesterday, but it's still hard to get him to say it on command. Friday also has words for bunny and Pooh bear (both of whom he carries around with his beloved Grover). It's a bit unfortunate that he absolutely has to carry around THREE animals, as he only has two hands. Every so often he'll start running through the house yelling "gogogogogogoGOGOGOGO!" because he has no idea where that Grover has got himself.

Alright then, I should go see whether there is any food for dinner!

Always the Little Helper

2010-02-11T00:14:00.000-06:00

This was short-lived. As you can see, Boy Friday already has his mittens off (I don't even have a photo of them on, he was that fast). Soon after this, he decided to feel the snow and I think his hands must've gone a bit numb. Didn't make him too happy, so we went back inside. You might notice his pink boots - I couldn't find any non-pink ones in his size. Next year he might be more interested in the snow anyhow. I'm not sure how much snow is out there, but it's enough that he would sink in to his waist. Enamored with snow? Um, not yet.

He loves standing on the back of the sofa and looking out the window. His new favorite word is "Hi!" which he exclaims vehemently at random intervals. Last week we discovered he says "so big!" when asked how big he is! I haven't played that game with him much recently, but he obviously remembered the answer.

He's tall enough to get nearly anything you put down anywhere. Earplugs, which are so brightly colored, are a favorite. He can't NOT look at them if they are in his view at all (minuh minuh minuh!). Oh, yes - he says MINE. But it sounds more like minuh. Everything is minuh. Especially mail. Paper of any kind. I have to hide anything I don't want him to snatch out of my hands (bills - not yours-uh). Favorite toys of late include cars, she-shes (choo-choo), clothes, and cardboard boxes.

Just about 18 months old...

2010-01-24T23:21:00.000-06:00

Wow - I really can't believe it's already been a whole month since Christmas! We've actually been having some warm weather here in Chicago (um, 40F - so you still need gloves and hats...). Almost all of the snow had melted as of today (why, yes, it IS supposed to snow tomorrow, why do you ask?).

Boy Friday is just getting over a cold right now, and I really think that three colds in six months is just plenty. Yep. It's been quite overcast for most of the last month, despite the occasional warmth, and photos have been blurry at best. Here's one of Friday trying on his new Irish Sweater.

It's a wee bit too big yet. I'm guessing it should fit him in oh, two years or so. Plenty of time for me to misplace it.

Those two are from breakfast this morning. I know, fast, huh?

Sorry about the lack of videos, but I really hate cutting out the many minutes of boring (for some reason I have not gotten the hang of modifying videos while a small person smashes his hands into the keyboard and then runs away with the mouse). Yesterday I tried to get BF saying "baybee" and patting himself on the chest. So cute! He really has no interest in saying "mommy" or "mama." Daddy thought it would be funny to have him call me "Chaka" instead - and indeed, Friday repeated that one immediately! I'm not excited to have to explain to people why my son calls me "caca" though. Luckily, he's not at all sure what "chaka" means.

Cleaning the Kitchen

2010-01-02T23:03:00.000-06:00

Here is Boy Friday, sweeper. It's quite difficult to do any sweeping in the kitchen while he's around because he wants to "help" with whatever it is that I'm using. Unless it's a scrub brush on the dishes. That just makes him scream and throw tantrums at my feet.

We're still having issues with sleep here, too (must be going around, as I hear BF's cousins are also dealing with this!). Hoping, hoping, hoping that at least the teething is ending soon. I think the last canine is still working it's way through - he even tried biting the wall a couple of days ago. No, I don't have video of that. It was weird. He then proceeded to bite the garbage can lid. Ew.

Friday is enjoying putting hats on - especially mommy and daddy's! Also - as seen here - we are having serious pacifier-attachment.

Isn't this a cute shot? Taken by daddy at dinner tonight. I think BF was eating a piece of eggroll. He always wants to try whatever we're having (not always good - he doesn't like spicy food. He also insists that he wants uncooked foods like oatmeal and garlic). Once when we were having salad, Friday didn't want the arugula, but he kept asking for it just to try and put it in my mouth. Mmmmm... yummy.

We have a few more videos that I'm going to try and post soon (but it takes time to convert them to an uploadable format).

Terrible Twos?

2009-12-29T23:15:00.000-06:00

Yikes, but little mr. Willful has arrived. The tantrums have increased in the last two days - screaming when I can't guess what he wants to eat (last night he wanted oatmeal right out of the container - yuck). Screaming if I'm not in his room when he wakes up (at 3am, no less). Screaming if I leave the room for a second. Now, I suppose it COULD be teething. You might be able to see his new canines coming in above. He was laughing at the camera (maybe at that funny red-eye light?). One of his happier moments today! I'm not sure that all four canines have arrived yet - but at least his right two are definitely in (both upper and lower).

He's now saying "hi" and "bye-bye" (maybe it's baby - not sure). He's also got a word for "flower" - but I have no clue what it is. In fact, it may be his first or second word - but it sounds nothing like flower. Sounds a little like his words for cheese or shoes. Both Thomas (the train) and Tyger are "tee." But, he hasn't quite gotten the hang of that sound yet. So, how many new words this week? Ten?

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T00:11:00.002-06:00

Here is Boy Friday on Christmas morning with his first gift (he opened it while I wasn't looking, and it's one of only two gifts he opened on his own!). I was trying to get him to say "donkey" (bawh-key), which he only started saying after I brought out the Christmas nativity (the fisher price Little People set). He also says "Jesus" now, too. Sounds a lot like "cheese." He also just started saying "daddy!" I know, late bloomer this one. We're chopped liver apparently - Chester, cheese, shoes, and cars are all more important that saying mommy or daddy.

So this week he started saying - donkey, daddy (dee), anya (aaah-eee), Jesus, and I think he's working on a word for train (choo). Not too interested in saying mommy or mama (although I've heard it a few times). Loves to say "mee" which means "meow" or cat. Every time he sees a cat he says "mee!" Oh, and he'll snort if you ask him what the pig says.

I think it's so funny that he enjoys putting hats on! This crazy-colored one that I knit a couple years ago looks so cute on him. And definitely cuter on him than on me.

Friday seems to be enjoying all of his gifts... except the couple that MOVE on their own (Let's Go Thomas, and Lightning McQueen shake-n-go car). Those make him cry. He has two little wooden trains (Percy and Victor from the Thomas wooden set) that he really likes, and he loves hearing his Tonka trucks talk. Ok, he's not aware that he's received clothes - I think I opened all of those for him. I'm not sure what he thinks of his new stuffed toys, but I have to say the striped lion is so fun and colorful (and even machine washable)! Both he and the gingerbread man have been hugged and sat upon.

It actually rained all of Christmas day - all of the snow was melted by late afternoon! Not that we'd had much yet anyway. Today, however, it snowed all day and we now have a few inches of light, powdery snow.

Attempting some holiday fun.

2009-12-22T23:51:00.002-06:00

This trip to the Botanic Garden did not quite go as planned... we did not get in to see "Winter Wonderland," as apparently you need tickets in advance to go see the free event (but are charged by ticket*****r). Well, we were certainly not the only ones there without tickets! At least our kid is too young to have any idea that he might be missing out.

Is it really almost Christmas?

2009-12-18T16:09:00.003-06:00

Sorry about the lack of posts and photos in the last couple of months. Things have been hectic and in constant flux. Chester was back in the veterinary hospital last week due to a hypoglycemic episode that just wouldn't go away. Although it is unclear what happened, or why he was diabetic for the last four months, something has changed and he's been off his insulin for almost two weeks now. I'll need to check his glucose levels at home so that I'll know when he comes out of remission, but his behavior is seemingly getting back to "normal." Unfortunately, some of the bad habits we'd hoped were gone are not... alas.

Photos. Um, yeah. The house is a serious mess and it's always so dark that the photos haven't been turning out at all without a flash. So I've gotten a bit lazy. I do have a few more videos, but none of them are quite as fun as the Friday Dance Session below!

Friday is now 32.5 inches tall (75th percentile), and 23.8 lbs (25th percentile). He got a shot today, but seemingly did not even notice! His very favorite word to say is "car." And, yes, it really does sound like the word "car." Every single time we go outside - "car! car! Cccar!" We have moved on to the "careening" stage of learning to walk - running about the house with reckless abandon.

We are hardly prepared for Christmas - what? decorate? where? And pulling out ornaments would include a Closet Expedition - treacherous. Of course, I think my winter socks are in there somewhere, too.

I'll check out the three or four photos I've taken in the last month and determine if they are worthy of upload. Or there's a short video clip of Friday yelling "stop, thief" as I read him "Peter Rabbit" (no, it doesn't sound like stop or thief, but it's pretty amusing all the same).

Dancing Boy

2009-10-26T00:46:00.003-05:00

Now that he's been walking for a couple of weeks, Friday's on to more difficult moves - dancing! Well, and he's still up to his old tricks of moving and stacking cans of food. Still having trouble getting video of words - but he says Chester, cheese ("shuh"), ball (all things that start with "b" are "Buh"), and shoes ('shus'). He tried to say grapes and banana today, but wouldn't repeat them. The other day he wanted a soda can - I try to keep these out of his reach since he will likely THROW them. Not a good idea. I handed him the can just to see what he might do. He picked at the tab, then pretended to drink out of the correct location! So funny! Obviously he had seen me do it and wanted to try, too. No, he didn't want to drink it - just to imitate.

All four molars are at least partially erupted - so now we're up to 12 teeth.

What's Been Going On?

2009-10-14T16:16:00.004-05:00

I know, I know - it's been a whole month since I last posted! Jenn has a new baby and she's posted more than I have. So what have we been up to? Emily came the day after my last post. We had lots of fun traipsing around Chicago - shopping in Wicker Park, visiting the Lincoln Park Zoo, and enjoying the flora at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The day she left, I came down with a minor cold. And now the little guy seems to have come down with a cold himself. In the last two weeks he's gotten two new teeth (molars), fallen and cut his lip twice, fallen hard on the back of his head at least three times, stopped breastfeeding (his idea), discovered that he can climb up steps (but not down), and started walking! Oh, and also stopped allowing me to put him to bed without a struggle. I've given up for now - and of course, he's having trouble sleeping while congested. Hopefully that won't last long. We're all getting tired quickly.

Will post photos soon, but here's a video from yesterday:

Today was a Difficult Day... but a Good Day

2009-09-15T23:31:00.003-05:00

Let's see - yesterday was my sister's birthday, and today Matthew and Jennifer's son was born - Keegan Jon. Riley is a big sister now! She has no idea how her life just changed today. After a while, though, she won't remember what it was like to be the only one... but she still might want to hit him on the head with a bag of (was it pretzels? fritoes?).. something.

The little guy in our house was not interested in napping (despite overwhelming evidence of tiredness). Shrieking and yelling ensued [this was the difficult part of the day]. So, I gave up and went out (we got some puzzles because Friday has become interested in our foam books with lift-out pieces).

Oh, well, but earlier in the day the little dude was practicing his walking (with props still, of course).

Tomorrow - visitor from the west [Aunt Emily - which always reminds me of Mr. Mom.. so does vacuuming. i should watch that again. i bet the jokes are funnier when you've been a parent.]! And we should be having some nice weather this week - it's saying low 70's and sunny.

At the Park

2009-09-04T17:56:00.002-05:00

We're not quite ready for slides and stuff yet. Just playing in the wood chips. And the mud. Maybe even putting some in our mouths. Icky.

Still adjusting the Chester's insulin dosage. He's still WAY high on the glucose.

Trying to Find a Smile

2009-09-02T00:26:00.003-05:00

But, alas, there were none to be found!

Not that he hasn't been happy and smiley.. I just haven't gotten a photo recently.

Luckily I got a little rest last night and am feeling a bit more myself today than in recent days (weeks?). We have yet to adjust Chester's insulin dosage, and his glucose levels are still very high. He's been eating EVERYTHING in sight. He needs to be put in the bathroom just so I can feed the other cats. We discovered a nasty cut/burn/sore of some sort on Chester's shoulder - so now he's got a shaved spot there, too, and more medicine.

Because I can't leave food down anymore, if I get up to check on the baby in the middle of the night the cats yell "Swarm! Swarm!" And I'm forced to get them food and wait for them all to finish before going back to sleep. Either that, or Anya will follow me to bed and find something really irritating to pick at until I give in.

The Chase is On!

2009-08-29T16:40:00.001-05:00

And that shirt he's not quite wearing says "Catch me if you can." Of course, I CAN catch him, but really, where is the fun in that?

Sick Kitty Home Today

2009-08-27T13:04:00.002-05:00

I haven't been taking too many photos lately. We've been getting ready for the fall semester classes, as well as dealing with an ill cat. Chester has lost quite a bit of weight lately, and began exhibiting some scary symptoms late Sunday night. He's spent the last few days at the vet and is now home with a schedule of twice-daily insulin injections. I'm currently trying to keep the little guy away from Chester (I think he wants to play) - difficult because Chester REALLY wants to be in the kitchen. I'm sure he'd like me to feed him, too, but that isn't going to be happening.

Here are the last photos we took - August 17th White Sox game:

There was an hour-long rain delay, so we ended up getting home around midnight. This threw off the baby's sleep schedule for several days following! He did fairly well, though, considering there was a lot of squirming to get down and it was past his bedtime (oh, and we hadn't gotten much of a dinner before leaving the house).

No news on the walking front yet. Still lots of pulling up, and recently a lot of tearing up books (mainly the phone books).

New Uses for Plastic Containers...

2009-08-16T09:35:00.001-05:00

Playing with our Red Bowl

2009-08-13T23:39:00.003-05:00

Filed under "toys that aren't really toys" also perhaps "kitchen supplies."

Not quite sure how I changed that into a widescreen shot when I cropped the end. Oops! Sorry it's a bit tight.

This One Must Be My Kid

2009-08-10T21:17:00.004-05:00

Nothing to report from the one year doctor appointment - except no shots! Yay! The molars aren't anywhere near erupting yet (although his bite is still plenty annoying). We've been stopping at the park on our walks for Swing Time, which Boy Friday really enjoys - especially if he gets to see some other little ones around. Today he grabbed at a little girl who came up to say "Baby!" Trips to the grocery store are exciting, too - there were SO MANY babies yesterday.

Friday is making progress on the walking and pulling up fronts. He really started pulling up just one week ago, and is already letting go and free standing for brief periods. (He can reach my coffee on the table! Cats on high perches!) Now, bedtime is suffering! The other night it took several hours to get him to go to sleep (in fact, it took some Bach - Daddy's idea). Tonight, I *thought* we were ok, but he just woke up again - I still hear him squirming in there. Alas.

So, just last week I noticed a spot on Friday's right leg on the outside of his knee. Yep, it's a mole! In the SAME place that I've got a one. I've always been a bit embarrassed by it, really - this huge dark mole looking like an EYE on my (very, very pale) leg. I have other large ones, but this one in particular has always bothered me. I hope his mole doesn't bother him as much as mine bothered me.

Teeth and Other Happenings

2009-07-30T00:21:00.003-05:00

Look at those upper teeth! They're finally starting to show. He's had them coming in for a while, now, but only recently have we been able to see them well.

Friday really likes water - fountains, bath, water table, kiddie pool... although oddly, he would prefer to NOT wash his hands. Usually. Earlier this evening, the water in the tub was enticing enough for him to pull himself up on the tub edge to see it more closely! So, we're pretty sure he CAN pull himself up... he's just not that into it. Yet.

Current tricks include opening cabinets, pulling hair (his, mine, the cats, daddy's leg hair...whatever), and screaming when things don't go his way. Which, by the way, happens to be OFTEN. You know, when I won't let him have the curry. Or, perhaps, when he can't get the refrigerator door open. Or, when the cabinet under the sink won't open (he often pulls at the hinge side, and really, there isn't much I can do about it not opening there). Or, when I attempt to change his diaper or put clothes on him. Or take them off.

The Little Dude has decided he enjoys Grover's company (and sometimes Pooh also):

Bedtime hasn't been so bad lately, either. Maybe it's Grover? Of course, there is always the fun of playing with the crib aquarium. Who knows?

Birthday Cupcake!

2009-07-30T00:06:00.004-05:00

Saturday was Boy Friday's first birthday (wait, I guess it would be his second...hmm). Ok, well, the first one with a cake. There was definitely no cake last year. In fact, I don't think I got to eat anything at all!

As you can see here, we're both much more smiley than last year at this time.

And here he is after the cupcake massacre (and some cleanup), playing with his new blocks:

I think he enjoyed the cupcake. I, however, had to blow out his candle. Although he makes blowing noises, he only wanted to grab the flame. Sorry, little buddy - maybe next year.

Boy Friday would like to thank everyone for sending cards and gifts for his birthday. Tonight he's wearing some new pajamas sent by his cousin, Riley, and her parents (and the pants GLOW!).

In One Year...

2009-07-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

Rather Nice Saturday!

2009-07-19T00:29:00.003-05:00

We went back up to the Chicago Botanic Garden earlier this evening - the weather was absolutely lovely. Overcast and a bit on the chilly side.

There's been a lot of "peek-a-boo" around these parts lately:

But no more pulling up to a stand just yet (although he's really interested in trying to pull up on the toilet...).

And for my next trick...

2009-07-14T11:47:00.002-05:00

Just once, yesterday, Boy Friday slowly pulled himself all the way up to standing! Who knows if he'll manage it again today or tomorrow... but he seemed pretty happy with himself (especially when daddy came back to take his picture).

This next one is from a few days ago - Chester and the little guy trying to "help" daddy with dinner.

A few weeks ago when we had pizza for dinner, we gave in and let Boy Friday have a piece or two. He REALLY liked it, and kept screeching for more! I finally had to remove him from the vicinity of the pizza in order to get him to calm down. Yikes.

Craziness on the Fourth of July

2009-07-12T22:39:00.006-05:00

While we were away in South Bend, Indiana for the Bob Dylan/Willie Nelson/John Mellencamp concert, my mom watched Boy Friday for the evening. As far as we know, everything went just fine - he was asleep when we got back, amazingly enough considering the war-like conditions just outside (I mean the noise from fireworks everywhere). Apparently, it's crazy here on the Fourth of July. On our drive back from Indiana, there was haze and fog and smoke, as well as an occasional firework here and there. Of course, we had no idea that when we got home, the haze and fog would be so much worse than we'd experienced the whole way home. WOW. I have never lived anywhere before where fireworks were legal (apparently I still don't. crazy!). Um. It's somewhat frightening (especially for Tyger), and I think it makes fireworks much less "special" than I always thought they were. The woman next door just told me yesterday that she found a bunch of firework-debris in her backyard, but didn't know who had been setting them off (it was across the alley). In fact, I was STILL hearing fireworks go off until last night (sure, just a few, but really, people - how much fun is it?).
Taken by pantagrapher, but you get the idea what it looked like here...

Here's Boy Friday in his holiday outfit, sent by his Grandma in Florida.

Asserting His Independence.

2009-07-12T22:11:00.004-05:00

You'd think the little guy were into the terrible two's already these days... Seriously, if you take something away, he'll scream his head off (really wonderful at 6:30 this morning, after I explained that no, he shouldn't be shoving things into the oven door). And there is NO WAY that he wants to change his clothes or diapers. NO WAY MAMA! And what is the deal with getting only 8 hours of sleep last night (he woke up at 5:30 a.m.)?? Crazy little guy - mama needs to sleep, too!

It is fun to see what he can do. When my mom was here last week, Boy Friday started a fake "sneeze" (apparently expecting a "bless you!" in return). It's just hilarious! I keep wanting to get that on video, but I haven't managed it yet. He can sort of "stand" on his knees now (without holding onto anything), so his core strength must be getting better. Friday's crawling is quite fast, too - turn around for a second and perhaps he's trying to turn on the computer, sitting on Chester, or attempting to check out the cat's litter box. We have a gate on his bedroom (to keep him IN not out), but he'll often grab the bars and scream/cry/whimper as soon as he realizes he's trapped.

I posted more photos on Flickr, but here are a few from our recent trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden, as well as a couple from the swings at Portage Park.

Seems to enjoy the swings!

We got to see mama and baby ducks, too! So cute.

Eleven Months Old (and it's been awhile!)

2009-06-29T10:54:00.003-05:00

Well, the Little Dude is now eleven months old! I just checked to see if I had any photos from a year ago... but I don't seem to on this computer. Not that I am too fond of my goofy-looking pregnant self of one year ago. In fact, I suspect there aren't any photos from exactly this time last year, as I had an evil-looking rash all over my arms and legs. Not something I enjoyed showing off (really, it was quite frightening to look at).

This guy is much cuter to look at anyhow:

We've spent a lot of our time lately chasing Boy Friday around the house as he attempts to harass the cats (especially chester, the cat who doesn't move unless his paws are pulled and sat upon repeatedly), get into the litter box, play with the baby monitor (it has a cool night light that he just wants to touch), and he just loves trying to get into daddy's office area (pretty blue power button on the cpu is so tempting).

Ever since he's started crawling, he's been pushing up to a kneeling position. I've found him in his crib turning the aquarium on and off, on and off, on and off... And he seems to be able to push himself up like this using the wall, my legs, the cats, unstable plastic objects... whatever!

Just so you all know you aren't missing out on anything - there are no Birthday festivities planned for next month. I don't think Boy Friday is going to feel too deprived, though. I mean, he *is* only turning ONE. I don't remember my first birthday. Do you?

This week in the land of shrieking baby...

2009-06-14T00:27:00.003-05:00

Yes, Boy Friday has been up to his old tricks again. Shrieking up a storm! Indeed, every single time he gets strapped into a seat of any kind, shrieking ensues. Both new and old car seats? Check. Big stroller? Check. Umbrella stroller? Check. Booster seat/high chair? Check!

Anyway... it has occurred to me that the Little Dude has grown out of a lot of his clothing. Lengthwise, anyhow. So, sleepers with feet are not working so well right now. No, it isn't very cold, but jackets are still required in the evenings here - and the other day it was in the 50's! Good thing the little guy still has a jacket or two that fit. His 12 month pants don't fit so well, though - a wee bit baggy yet (especially in the waist!).

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention that he now has SEVEN teeth. Wow! Most have come in twos, though... where is that eighth tooth?? Weird (see his three bottom teeth in the photo).

In other new developments....

Even with those baggy pants he's moving forward! Yesterday and the day before he was inching forward just a bit - he's especially motivated to get the cats. Although Lotus moves quickly when Friday is nearby... Chester waits until the little guy is on top of him before moving. I suspect he will learn to move more quickly... but we'll see!

For your viewing pleasure...

2009-06-03T10:40:00.002-05:00

Here's some babbling...

And some laughing, snorting, and sniffing...

10 Months Old... and some Photos

2009-05-30T00:56:00.003-05:00

Yes, yes, I know I have been remiss in my duties to post new photos and videos lately. So, what has been going on? Boy Friday has been pushing himself backwards across the room, as well as getting up on his hands and knees and rocking. He can even move a bit up on his hands and knees (backwards!). The other night he backed his way into the cat house:

And, yes, he did remove those DVDs on the floor all by himself. He finally has that baby Ipod thing figured out and he will actually grab it and press the button purposefully. He is also throwing stuff (or flinging, really). So, watch out! A heavy plastic toy could be headed in your direction at any second.

The other day, the Little Dude also decided he might be able to feed himself stew. As you can see - it was VERY messy. But, I think he enjoyed scooping it up all by himself!

Oh, and you'll also notice that the Little Dude's stats have been updated - he had his 10 month appointment this past week. He's still a bit on the thin side at 19 lbs (only at the 15th percentile), while his height is currently at the 58th percentile - of course, this is nothing to be concerned about. He's just a skinny little guy. However, he is now 29 inches long, meaning we need to get him out of his infant car seat very soon. We suspect he's been a bit cramped in there anyhow!

Today's Photos

2009-05-23T00:07:00.002-05:00

These were all taken without a flash - very difficult to do inside my house, actually. There never seems to be enough light! Of course, there is never any natural light during bathtime...

Whoops... there goes Smartypants!

2009-05-21T22:54:00.004-05:00

Friday had an accident yesterday - just minor, really. He caught his hand under his leg while he was sitting and fell forward, hitting his face on the wood floor. He's fallen before, but usually it's been the back of his head being clunked. Unfortunately, this led to some bleeding (which finally stopped maybe five hours later). Poor little guy. In these photos (from today) you can kind of see the red spots on his upper lip from where his upper incisors hit. Luckily, he didn't seem at all bothered by his lip today - and it doesn't seem too swollen, either.

We've been having a bit of trouble with nap time lately. We are down to one short nap some days, and two long naps other days. Weird and rather annoying (because he *is* tired those days when I can't seem to get him to sleep at all)!

Lunch and dinner have become difficult, too. Friday is very demanding and selective these days. What, no more cheese? Well I'm not eating these silly puffs. Or these green things. GIMME MORE CHEESE. Or yogurt. (He'll take yogurt almost always.) Not fast enough with the cheese? Ok, then - I'll just be shrieking here until you can get back to me with that. And NO WAY on those bananas. ICK. Peaches? Eh. Not so much, thanks.

Oh, and then there's the dressing and diaper changing... like wrestling a greased pig. And he just grabs ahold of the changing pad and flips over onto his belly. Repeatedly. Oh, and sometimes screams, too. Sometimes diverting with toys works... sometimes. Smartypants!

Scooting Around

2009-05-08T23:54:00.002-05:00

I set Boy Friday down on the bed the other day - he really enjoys hanging out in new places. Here he is scooting around the bed like a pro! And he thinks its all pretty fun, too. Today he almost had some furniture in his mouth after I left him alone for a minute on the floor!

Spring Walk

2009-05-03T00:58:00.003-05:00

And remember,

Is it almost May?

2009-04-29T22:35:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it will be May on Friday! It actually looks like spring on our street - the trees have leaves! As of oh, two days ago. It's crazy how quickly they grow. Spring and Fall are so much more ephemeral than I remember.

We've been trying to give Boy Friday more finger foods at meal times, however he still seems to want yummy pureed fruit. And yogurt. He LOVES yogurt. And he dislikes wearing a bib.

He didn't get it off that time, but he's thrown it on the floor twice in the last two days.

Friday is still working on his crawling moves - he keeps pushing his rear up into the air, but he can't get his belly off the floor yet. He doesn't seem too interested in standing, either. When I try standing him up, his legs just bend, and he won't grab onto anything. Of course, he seems to like keeping his hands free and ready for action. When he was learning to sit, he never went through the "tripod" stage where the baby props himself up with his arms. Nope, just from flopping over to sitting without support!

Although I realize we aren't ready for him to be super-mobile yet, I would like it if he would NOT fall on his head from a sitting position. He just doesn't catch himself (you know, he's just so interested in those socks and that toy way over there). Once he gets onto the floor, he can't get back up, either. Perhaps the slow progression is due to my attempts to prevent him from falling on his head too often (wood and tile floors are not the softest surfaces, you know). Seems plenty happy to me, though (um, aside from his shrieky moments).

Laughter!

2009-04-26T15:58:00.000-05:00

Perhaps he thinks the ceiling fan is amusing?

What a Week!

2009-04-25T23:30:00.003-05:00

And what a day.. I just ate sweet potatoes, cereal, and blackberries for dinner. Oh, and one meat stick. I think I prefer the turkey sticks. We had our kitchen faucet fixed (which included some hot water spraying everywhere), had a visit from a Tucson friend (who is living in Michigan now), and had some crazy thunderstorms. We are hoping for less severe weather tomorrow, since Friday's dad is supposed to be flying back home!

Boy Friday is now 9 months old - can you believe it? Of course I forgot to take a photo of him today, and now he's asleep. Oh, wait - I have a couple on my phone. Alas, those are grainy and out-of-focus.

Let's see... last Saturday my dad flew in to visit (and for business, but we're glad we got to see him for a little bit). The little dude appeared to enjoy his time with his grandfather (um, what are we supposed to be calling you, anyhow?). We even tried a little photo session on Wednesday. Boy Friday's eyes were closed in almost every picture we took with one of the cameras - he thought the red-eye lamp was hilarious! I did get ONE picture of him smiling, though:

Here's what the rest looked like:

He makes the silliest faces these days! I really think one of my sisters did this odd sniffing face, too - it just feels familiar.

Friday has been practicing pushing his belly off the floor, although he isn't moving particularly quickly. He goes in little circles, and today I noticed he can push himself backward a little bit.

He's getting closer to being mobile!

Good Morning, Little Dude.

2009-04-16T15:14:00.001-05:00

Crazy Baby = Crazy Mom

2009-04-16T00:00:00.004-05:00

I know, I know - I shouldn't wait to send off the taxes until the last day. But, I figured that all I had left to do was check over the math, seal them all up, and walk over to the neighborhood post office. Right. A shrieking baby makes simple addition and subtraction somewhat difficult. Hah!

We finally made it to the post office in the afternoon; at least the Little Dude enjoyed the stroll! Perhaps the shrieking indicates that he's bored? Or perhaps he is challenging me and the cats to a screaming contest, of sorts. The cats usually prefer quiet baby - poor Lotus was awakened from her slumber multiple times today (sorry, Lotus! Perhaps he'll be quieter tomorrow?).

New baby tricks? Well, Boy Friday likes to play on the floor with his toys and is pushing himself up pretty far. No belly off the ground, yet, though. Apparently his booster seat/high chair indicates "time to shriek at the top of my lungs." Until some food is found that he's interested in, anyhow. Chester is VERY interested in the little guy's meat sticks. One of these days I'm going to find him sitting on the tray chowing down. Oh, and the Little Dude has discovered cabinets - he can reach the handles from his chair! I'll check through my videos and see if there's anything fun, but the little guy seems to know what I'm doing and stops anything interesting as soon as I point the camera at him.

Teething Pains.

2009-04-07T00:41:00.003-05:00

We've had some teething issues this past week (or so it seems)! One night Baby Friday woke up and cried for almost an entire half-hour. Bummer. Poor little dude. It doesn't look like any new teeth are in just yet - I'm hoping for soon. The Little Dude has also been practicing his screamy voice lately - you know, all day long. Oh boy! The shrieking is somewhat taxing on the human (and cat) ears. We're hoping for a calmer, more playful, less um...noisy baby soon. Sure.

Tigger says "Happy Easter!"

There is some (minor) evidence that we are, in fact, in SPRING and not WINTER. The snow that fell yesterday all melted before noon today. And there is some plant growth, even!

Eight Month Doctor Visit

2009-04-03T18:08:00.003-05:00

Today we went to the doctor for Boy Friday's 8-month visit. He's been rather cranky lately and we suspected a tooth or two might be coming in. Yep! They aren't in yet, but apparently FOUR teeth are coming in. All four upper incisors! No wonder the little guy is having so much trouble sleeping.

Boy Friday hasn't grown very fast lately - just one inch in length in the last two months, and less than one pound in weight! Now he's at the 10th percentile for weight, 40th for height. And I thought he was going to be huge based on how big he got in the first couple of months!

He's moving around quite a bit now - no crawling yet, but he can definitely get around. Not too speedy yet, either - which is a good thing! The doctor says we can phase out the pureed foods, and move on to mainly finger foods. The little dude has gotten really good at his pincer grip and putting little puffs and o's in his mouth (and he seems to enjoy it).

Why Pay for Toys..?

2009-03-29T01:01:00.002-05:00

when the little guy insists on chewing on his socks?

Can you believe he's EIGHT months old already? I keep thinking that he won't be a baby much longer...

Apparently it's supposed to snow tonight. What happened to spring? Currently it's just raining... but who knows what we'll wake up to tomorrow?

Driving Around

2009-03-21T22:52:00.005-05:00

Today we drove around a bit in the late afternoon and ended up at the lake shore. It had been in the 60s when we left, but it was quite chilly by the lake! Perhaps I should remember that in the future and bring a heavier jacket.

I'm expecting a nice and relaxing day tomorrow, too.

DST = Time Confusion

2009-03-17T23:19:00.003-05:00

We have now been on Daylight Saving Time for a week. I am no longer used to springing forward, as I must have been as a kid (did I even notice then? I suspect I worried about when to change the time and being late for something. I don't think I knew it was supposed to be at 2 am. Plus, I was always late, so really, what was there to worry about?) It's rather strange to suddenly have the sun go down around 7 pm. I keep thinking it's only 5 or only 6, then realize it's 7 or 8! I'm not sure I like it. If it were mid-summer, I suppose that's ok - but when will the sun go down THEN? Nine? Yikes.

Ok, ANYWAY - we took advantage of the 70-degree weather and went for a short walk this evening (it was around 6 pm in these photos).

And here's what the Little Dude has been working on lately - putting food into his mouth and chewing! He still has just the two bottom teeth, but he's certainly getting the hang of the chewing. He was grabbing these faster than I could turn on the camera - so there is only one left already!

Almost Better!

2009-03-16T17:42:00.003-05:00

Colds just take forever to go away, don't they? Boy Friday and I are doing lots better, although there is still a bit of coughing going on. Here are a few photos from the last week here in sickville:

We don't have much planned for this week, but I'm thinking some time outside is in order. We're expecting crazy-warm weather tomorrow! I've heard there's a lake out there somewhere... might be fun to visit someday.

We're Still Under the Weather

2009-03-08T00:47:00.003-06:00

Boy Friday has been waking up at odd hours of the night - probably due to nasal congestion. Bummer. Makes for less sleep all around - and who knows how long it will take for us all to start breathing easier?

Off to bed? Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get a few minutes before the little dude decides it's time to get up.

Sore Throats and Stuffy Noses

2009-03-06T22:39:00.002-06:00

Baby's first cold! Oh boy! So we're a bit under the weather here (oh, but actually the weather has been great! 60's!). Baby Friday woke up at 4:30 this morning - probably because he couldn't breathe through his nose, and he still insists on sleeping with the pacifier in his mouth. I've got the humidifier cranked up for tonight - hopefully it will help us both out. And hopefully it won't last too long. Friday is being quite the little trooper, though.

Still up for playing:

And staying up past his bedtime:

Slow Day

2009-03-04T21:46:00.002-06:00

I haven't been getting a lot done here, but I have taken a few more photos.

In the top photo you should be able to see his two teeth. As you can see, he's been quite interested in his tongue lately. He keeps sticking it way out, rolling it around, and occasionally pushing his food out with it (or flinging it out, as the case may be).

Playful Little Dude

2009-03-01T00:43:00.003-06:00

This video is from a few days ago - he's playing with some toys (an aquarium that he keeps kicking), occasionally shrieking, and clenching his hands. One of the mothers at the meetup I went to on Friday wanted to know if he was asking for milk (since it looks like he's making the sign for milk) - but no, he doesn't know any signs! I think it often just means "gimme."

When I was cleaning out some drawers the other day, I found this hat! It was too big when he first got it, but it fits just fine now.

And another tooth...

2009-02-25T23:04:00.002-06:00

Yep, Boy Friday has another tooth! His second tooth started coming in a few days ago. He's still chewing on everything in sight, but it's difficult to see his upper gums - so I don't know if he's working on a couple more just yet.

If you look closely (and perhaps get a magnifying lens or something), you should be able to see Friday's first tooth in that photo. That was taken before the other one started coming in. It's now much more obvious that he's got two teeth in there.

I wasn't feeling so hot the past couple of days, and the Little Dude thought the best way to celebrate with me would be to boycott sleep. Awesome. Today, however, I am feeling better, and the little guy is back to taking naps (for more than 20 minutes, even!).

This isn't a great shot (and it's pre-crib), but this is how Friday likes to sleep - on his side with his arm over his face. Cute, huh?

Here's another not-so-great photo. Crib (pre-bumper), as well as the new dresser/changing table (on sale at Ikea!). Looking closely in the lower right-hand corner you can see Lotus' head. I think she might be guarding. We do have a bumper for the crib now, and the aquarium has been moved (since he spent much of his time in the crib kicking the on-off button rather than going to sleep).

I took some video today (all of these photos are from a week and a half ago already) - so hopefully some of it will be interesting enough to post!

No, there is no crawling yet. Or pulling up on anything. Good thing, too, since I'm not ready for that.

Eventful Week!

2009-02-19T23:09:00.004-06:00

Let's see... in the last couple of weeks Boy Friday has gotten a new crib, a new stroller, a new dresser/changing table, and even a new tooth! Phew! Not only that, but he's now tried bananas, apples, pears, peaches, sweet potatoes, and peas. He enjoys all the fruit... but he's REALLY not sure about peas. Usually he'll take a few bites before refusing any more. Still working at it (but then, I think peas are kinda icky, so I won't be too disappointed if he hates them).

The new crib is great! The little dude keeps kicking the aquarium toy on and off, on and off, on and off... I don't have a photo of the crib, but I have a picture of the new stroller:

This stroller has huge wheels, and rides smoothly over all the bumps in the sidewalks around here. It hasn't been tested in snow, as we really haven't had much since we returned from Arizona. (Although I hear we might get a few inches tomorrow night...) The Little Dude isn't excited about getting bundled up like that... and riding forward instead of backward causes him to get more wind in his face. I suspect it will be more fun for him when the weather is a bit warmer.

Here's a short bath time video!

Bathtime!

2009-02-09T01:06:00.002-06:00

As you can see, Baby Friday enjoys bath time now that he actually gets to sit in the water and play!

We're still working on feeding the little dude solid food. Banana and rice cereal are just fine, but he really enjoys apple.

Tonight's Sleeping Baby Brought to You By...

2009-02-03T01:12:00.003-06:00

... one twitchy calf muscle, two stiff arms, and forty minutes of patience. Please thank our sponsors: Crocs and Tylenol.

But he's still asleep (for now!). We've had two rough nights in a row here. Last night the little dude went to sleep for half an hour, then was up for the next FOUR. Bummer. No idea what was causing the problem. Today it could be pain from the shots, though. The doctor thinks some teeth will be showing up in the next few weeks - he says he will "almost guarantee it." Alrighty then.

The doctor also says we can start Boy Friday on some food - he says banana. Well, I don't have any banana in the house... so we went with rice cereal (aka white, sticky mush). Yum! No, I didn't want to taste it myself.

Visiting Sedona

2009-01-26T23:08:00.002-06:00

Today, we went to Sedona to visit Boy Friday's great-grandparents. The weather was quite nice, although we did get to drive through dippin' dots weather (ok, it was hail). I think the little guy enjoyed our trip... but not the trip back so much. There was a bit of complaining on the way home - probably due to being a bit over-tired!

Six Months Old!

2009-01-26T00:27:00.003-06:00

Boy Friday is now SIX months old! Crazy. It's hard to believe it's been six months. Of course, it's also hard to believe it's only been about five months since I moved to Chicago.

However, I am currently in much warmer weather here in Arizona. We've mostly just been hanging out "helping" with errands. Today Boy Friday, Aunt Emily, and I went on a little jaunt to see some desert. Friday's first Arizona hike! If you can call it a "hike."

I think he enjoyed it. We haven't done much nature-walking in Chicago.

We also visited my brother's family in their new house. The great-grandparents came by also to say hello to the little guy - who has gotten quite a bit bigger since they last saw him! It appears that Boy Friday is really interested in his cousin's dogs....

Tomorrow we're off to visit more great-grandparents! Must get some sleep!

A Few Photos Before We Go

2009-01-19T00:29:00.002-06:00

New Tricks and a Happy Birthday

2009-01-18T11:18:00.002-06:00

It's hard to believe that my niece, Riley, is already 1 year old! Happy Birthday, Riley!

Now that Boy Friday is almost 6 months old, he's got a few new tricks. His sitting is getting much better - a few weeks ago he could only sit unsupported for a second or two before slumping.

He's also got some new noises that he just started making the other day. One is a sort of dadadada. He looks so funny making this noise - it's like he's smacking his gums together. And he seems to think it's really fun (and funny if I try it).

Nothing too exciting here...

2009-01-09T15:37:00.004-06:00

January hasn't been too exciting here yet. Not really much daylight for photos (ok, it's never light enough to get photos in the house without a flash). Thank goodness that last bit of snow melted and we had a week of clear parking on the street. It snowed again today, though, and we now have several inches in the street again. It isn't bad yet... but the forecast indicates that snow is possible for the next few days at least.

So, here is Boy Friday hanging out inside the other day in his car seat. I try not to sit him in there unless we're going out, but I wasn't sure what else to do with him. He handled it just fine and actually stayed content for half an hour! He is beginning to get a wee bit long for it, and I see a new car seat in our [near] future. And a new stroller. And a new crib. Oh boy!

Here we are in the bathroom... it appears that I must have been trying to get the little guy to sleep one evening, after a bath.

Classes at the university start this coming Monday, so we're getting back into the swing of things here - trying new recipes, figuring out what to do with old dried-out Christmas trees, and juggling the loads of stuff I have to take with me every time I go out with the little guy.

Dinner with Chester

2008-12-28T00:22:00.002-06:00

Dinner is fun here - Boy Friday would like to sit (he's not using that bouncy seat properly...), and Chester would like to eat my food. Unfortunately, Chester cannot be deterred.

Baby's First Christmas

2008-12-27T23:54:00.002-06:00

I don't think Baby Friday is *quite* ready for opening gifts yet. I had to help, and it appears that he was a wee bit startled by the noise of the paper (it was tissue paper - who knows what happened to our wrapping paper in the move? did we bring it? maybe?).

The little guy got lots of clothes, and a few toys. He would've gotten more if we'd remembered the stuff that his grandmother sent that wasn't wrapped! Oops. I just remembered today that he had a sock monkey, and where was it? Oh, still in the mailing box! It was like Christmas all over again. Well, I finally got around to taking the Leapfrog Musical Table out of the box today - and I think Santa did well. Looks like I'll enjoy it, even if Friday doesn't!

I guess opening presents was a little too tiring for the little guy!

He kept falling asleep in my arms the next day, too. I guess Christmas dinner in a strange house was rather exciting and exhausting! Boy Friday did really well (much better than on Thanksgiving) - he slept through dinner (!) and didn't even cry when he woke up. Despite the presence of tall, loud strangers.

In weather news - we are all happy that most of the snow has melted. The streets were an absolute MESS a few days ago. When we got back on Christmas night we had to park down the street and around the corner, then walk the baby home on icy sidewalks. Would you believe it was in the 60's today? Just the other day there was a high of 4 degrees!

And some more photos..

2008-12-22T01:27:00.003-06:00

Winter and Christmas Preparations...

2008-12-22T01:08:00.002-06:00

We've been getting ready for Christmas, winter, and babies being more mobile. So, let's see... we got a tree, a tree stand, a tree skirt, and some more lights...and even hung some fancy ornaments we'd collected and never used. I'm not even sure where we got all of them! Boy Friday decided he wanted to stay up and see the tree all put together before going to bed (after midnight). I think it wore him out, though, because he's been in bed before 9 every night after that! Christmas-in-a-box arrived the other day, as well (from Arizona - although there was no warm weather included).

Winter came early this year. Although the solstice was today (ok, yesterday), we've been having snow for nearly a month already. Today - ridiculously low temperatures. It was five below when I woke up this morning, but the wind chill was -31 degrees F! No, I did NOT take the baby out in it. We stayed in and watched people try to get their cars out of snow-piled spots on the street (really not sure why they didn't just get out and shovel a bit. probably would've been faster).

Baby Friday is continuing to practice his moves. He's not super mobile yet, but he's working on it. As you can see below... (the toys in his hands impede his progress a bit here, but he refuses to let go of them):

I should probably work on keeping the floors cleaner...

2008-12-13T00:26:00.003-06:00

I know, I know - it's lots of video. And most of the second one is Boy Friday trying to figure out what he's just done, and really what he should do about it. The first video is a lot of squirming and kicking about - I was hoping he'd tire himself out as it was getting close to 10 pm.

We had a rather rough day here - lots of complaining on Boy Friday's part, which led to some complaining from me. But, we did get out to run a couple of errands in the rather chilly 19 degrees F. You know it's cold if your fingers are frozen before you get to the car. The other evening when we went to get the stroller out of the trunk, we discovered the trunk was frozen shut. I'm not sure yet whether this is better than living in an oven for half of the year. Oven or freezer? Hmmm...

Have a good weekend! Hopefully we'll get some decorations up before too long.

Watching Lots of TV here.

2008-12-11T00:22:00.005-06:00

Yes, we're watching lots of TV. Specifically - Baby Einstein videos. So mom can shower. Or check email. Or just not have to carry the little guy around the house. He seems to really enjoy the videos (he always smiles when he sees the caterpillar in the beginning).

Ok, I haven't actually seen any of the videos start-to-finish yet. When I get a chance, I've been watching Ugly Betty. It's nice to find another tv series to watch finally - I've tried out quite a few only to find that I'm just not that into them (Burn Notice, Weeds, Lost, the Office - I know, I'm crazy, huh? SO wish I found that one funny). Anyway...

Boy Friday has begun taking notice of the cats (and they seem more interested in him all of a sudden, too). I'll have to see if I can get them checking each other out on video - the little guy was laughing today because his hand was being rubbed by the Tyger. I need to be careful, though, because Friday really likes to grab anything that gets close to his hand (hair, fur, icky stuff on the ground).

In other notes... Anya just ate some ribbon off a present. I didn't realize until today, actually. Just what I need - a repeat of the Easter grass incident.

Freezing Weather Today!

2008-12-06T01:09:00.002-06:00

Here we are taking a stroll through Jefferson Park. There were even a few flurries! The walk did not, however, result in a sleeping baby when I got home. Oh well. He did rest a bit while I roamed through the library looking for something interesting to read (no, I didn't find anything worth checking out - do I really have time to read a book in two weeks?).

It's COLD here.

2008-12-05T00:39:00.006-06:00

The guy on TV tells me our normal temperature at this time is about 39 degrees F. So, apparently, we're looking at temperatures nearly 20 degrees less than normal for this time of year. Thank goodness, because I think this is quite chilly. My weather page is telling me that it's 14 degrees outside right now. I don't think I'll be going out to see for myself.

Scraping off the car was an adventure a couple of days ago. Although we only had about 2 inches of snow, there were more than six inches on my windshield. My fingers were all red and frozen by the time I'd gotten most of the snow and ice off the car.

Well... today we mostly stayed inside and played:

Boy Friday slept pretty well last night - although he was rather shrieky yesterday. My ears have been aching a bit from all the shrieks.

December Snow...

2008-12-01T21:32:00.002-06:00

That was the view this morning when I got up. A few inches of snow (and quite a bit of wind)! The snow didn't continue all day, luckily, since I'm not quite ready for more than a couple inches.

And yesterday morning, this is how I found Boy Friday:

He'd worked his way out of the swaddling AND his sock AND a leg of his outfit! I always thought those snaps were too far apart. He was quite proud of himself. Sneaky little guy.

Baby's First Thanksgiving!

2008-11-30T01:01:00.005-06:00

Well, I don't have too much to say about our Thanksgiving, except that Baby Friday was not impressed with the event. He must've thought the house we were at was a bit too noisy, so he'd go ahead and join in and make his own noise. Yep. Although others assured us that he wasn't bothering them... well, he was bothering ME. I can't eat with a small, squirmy, and noisy creature sitting (squirming) in my lap. Hopefully he'll do better at our next event (whatever that might be). The little guy proceeded to take a nap on the way home which made him nice and chipper for the rest of the evening (until oh... 1 am?).

Although Baby Friday is usually terrible at taking daytime naps - he's usually ok sleeping through the night. Usually. If I can get him to nap during the day, it leads to him finally settling down for the night later than I'd planned (11 pm - 1 am or so). Here's a video of morning baby (note that he is no longer wrapped - he NEVER stays wrapped):

The weather channel tells me there is a 90-100% chance of snow tomorrow. Perhaps even 4-6 inches! Um. We don't have snow boots yet.

Thinking About Rolling Over.

2008-11-25T00:07:00.003-06:00

I put the little guy down on his tummy earlier today (ok, yesterday, as of a few minutes ago) and it really looked like he was trying to roll over. I guess he's been getting practice strengthening his back when I carry him (he always looks like he's arching away from me - apparently it's to a purpose?).

Tomorrow (or later today): updated length and weight after Boy Friday's four month check up! I just noticed that he's wearing the same clothes we had him in two months ago when Mom visited. I don't think he's actually gained much in length since then... I did try to measure him and I think he's not quite 25 inches. We'll see in about 12 hours!

New Toy

2008-11-23T01:15:00.003-06:00

I picked up an exersaucer for Boy Friday today. Here's what he did when he first got to sit in it:

I really must remember to turn off the TV before taking videos.

A Message From Boy Friday...

2008-11-19T23:09:00.003-06:00

Rainforest Booster Seat

2008-11-18T08:49:00.004-06:00

We got this little booster seat thinking that it would help Boy Friday sit upright and he'd be happier... unfortunately he doesn't last too long in it just yet! Since he continues to slump to the side in it no matter how much stuff I shove in the side to prop him up, it just frustrates him. Of course, this video is from about 7 pm last night - and he's getting rather tired.

The Little Screamer

2008-11-14T23:37:00.003-06:00

Well, here he is. The little screamer.

A Comment on Gay Marriage...

2008-11-14T12:02:00.002-06:00

I found this comment by Keith Olbermann on the gay marriage issue.... It's depressing to me to think it's necessary to ban gay marriage. What is it to you? How does it hurt you? And why should you even have the right to say someone else cannot love like you do? I know, I know - this isn't a baby video. I'm working on that. I couldn't upload this morning, so you get this instead!

Friday's Dinner in the City

2008-11-13T22:21:00.003-06:00

It felt like a rather long day - we didn't get into the city until oh, 4 pm or so, then we walked a few miles while down there. I think the little guy did quite well!