Rather Nice Saturday!

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...

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

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.

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!)

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...

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...

Here's some babbling...



And some laughing, snorting, and sniffing...