He Eats Cheerios, People

I had to drop off James at daycare this morning because Christian had an early meeting. It is a task that always delays my arrival time at work, but I love it because it means extra time with Big Sexy, something I cannot ever get enough of these days.

I was particularly excited to have drop off duty today because it has been a while since I set foot inside of James' daycare and I was looking forward to an opportunity to chit-chat with the caregivers about James' most recent milestones. In particular, I was thrilled to inform them that he has started eating puffs, the instantly disintegrating bite-sized baby food that you generally feed to babies who have mastered the art of crawling. True, James is not crawling and, much like La Luz, is not showing much interest in doing so, but I threw caution to the wind a few weeks ago and tested him out with puffs and he loved them and, more importantly, didn't choke to death when eating them.

When I arrived at daycare this morning and informed them of the newest development the caregivers looked at me like I was crazy and said, "puffs, really mama, he has been eating those for weeks, he actually prefers Cheerios". I was instantly slack-jawed. My baby ate Cheerios, eats Cheerios, and I had no idea? What else does he do that I don't know about? As I turned around to leave they placed him in a walker. Yes, it is what you think it is...a baby contraption that I am pretty sure was discontinued and recalled years ago. But you know what, he loved it.

Here's the gang this morning, watching Dora and getting geared up for another exciting day:



And you know what? It was cool enough to drive to school with the windows down. Wow. Helloo cooler weather, we have been waiting for you with open arms.

When I Turned 36

Last Friday I turned 36 years old. I feel very old. I have felt very old since I turned 30. I guess now I sort of am old-ish so it is okay to complain. I remember when I was younger my dad would complain that he couldn't sleep late anymore because it made his back hurt. For the past month my back has ached every morning as I get out of bed. Either I am getting old or we need a new mattress. It is ten years old so I am hoping it is the latter.

We spent the weekend celebrating in as low-key a manner as possible, thankfully. I am just not one for fanfare at all, at least fanfare directed at me. On Friday night we had dinner at Crepe Nanou with mom. James and La Luz were total champs. I think James was by far the better behaved of the two, but I know not to expect too much from La Luz at 6:30 on a Friday.

I didn't get to sleep late either morning (the whole back pain issue) but I didn't need to. I was looking forward to spending time with La Luz and James anyway. As I was tickling James on Saturday morning I discovered that his top, front teeth are breaking through. It explains the waking up in the middle of the night thing and the generalized fussiness. I was getting exasperated and all along he was teething. Poor guy. I am sure he would've benefited from Tylenol and Anbesol for the past few nights. Lousy mom.

On Saturday evening we went to Oktoberfest. It is technically not October and the weather is not festy in the least, but we figured it might be our only free Saturday in October and took advantage of the free night. The weather really was awful. It rained off and on all day and then the sun came out. It was the nastiest mix of humidity and heat imaginable. I guess it was about 91 degrees, sunny, and then a bit drizzly. Just awful...but then there was this:


and we all thought it was amazing.

La Luz, waiting so patiently for the chicken dance:


James, making me even sweatier:


James and me with Bit, his first love, and Tiffany:


James, grabbing at Uncle Richmond:


I was a nasty, sweaty mess but we had a great time and ended the night at Brocatos with Catherine, Richmond, and Meenokshi...perfect way to wrap up a very hot birthday weekend.

Our Weekend

Once again, Sunday night arrived way too fast. The weekend was nice, but somewhat busy; consequently, I do not feel rested and ready to start the week in the least.

On Saturday I took La Luz to City Park to celebrate Betsy's 3rd birthday. In yet another great example of how 'life is what happens while you are making other plans,' Betsy and her dad didn't make it to the party because they were both up the night before with a terrible stomach bug. Despite the fact that the guest of honor was not there, the party was a total success and La Luz had a great time.

She is still terrified of the carousel, however. Check her out trying to act all, "I've got this"...can you see the white knuckles:


La Luz had two friends over to play and exhibited the worst behavior I have seen in about a year the entire time. It was such a shame because I waited all week for some fun time with La Luz and there was nothing fun about her attitude on Saturday. Needless to say, she fell asleep at 6 pm and missed out on the fun of having a babysitter. She had been waiting all week to spend a few hours with her cousin Molly but slept straight through it. I hope the behavior was attributable to a lack of a nap and not some new, lingering virus. I cannot take another illness in the house right now. It is bad enough that La Luz had the honor of taking the class stuffed animal (and all of her outfits) home on the same weekend that we got a note about a lice incident in her class. Lovely.

Here is James, who was, incidentally, quite perfectly behaved all weekend. He is watching La Luz and her friends at the playground:


Saturday night Christian and I had dinner at Rambla followed by Josh's show at One Eyed Jacks. Dinner was delicious, particularly because of the lovely company, and the show was great. I was especially excited to here Telefon Tel Aviv's cover of "I am on Fire". I didn't know Josh had such great range. We didn't get home until after 2, just a few hours before La Luz was ready to wake up and start the day. Lucky me.

Ho-Hum

This afternoon I sort of reached my breaking point in what his been an overwhelmingly heavy week for me. Things at work have been needlessly hectic and anxiety-inducing. I seem to be doing a lousy job of making people happy and at home there is little improvement. Arriving home at almost 7 p.m. most nights this week has resulted in very little time with the kids and what time I do have is not necessarily pleasant. La Luz is generally wiped out, in need of some one-on-one attention, and feeling rebellious and cranky. James is done by 6 p.m. and will only spare us the dreaded screams if he is held and allowed to shake, convulse, and squirm around until he can grab on to something, anything, usually my carotid artery or hair. Needless to say, there are days and weeks when I wonder what the point of it all is...working so much to make things work at home and not really doing a proper job on either end seems silly. Did I mention that James rolled, rather, launched himself off of the bed last night and on to the hard, wood floor? Yes, that was my fault. So, I am thinking, why not trade it all in and retire to farm or live on a beach somewhere selling macrame bracelets and relying on the kindness of others? It is possible, of course, but the risks of not succeeding and the lifestyle those options prevent...well, I am just not sure if it is for me. On the other hand, sometimes the alternative is just daunting. I am hoping, as is usually the case in September, that the first cool breeze lightens things up and makes it easier for me to breathe.

Until then, I can hang in there, even knowing that my quality time is limited to this:


Thursday, 7:45 a.m., 5 minutes before departure to school. This is a snapshot of the 50 minutes I get to spend with the kids in the morning (and this is not uninterrupted, quality time...we are packing bags, making lunches, collecting bottles, going over assignments we missed when we failed to unload the bookbag the night before, showering, dressing, and eating breakfast).

It breaks my heart a little because I know how fast this will pass by me.

Who Dat

It is that time of year again. There is always a football game to watch or, at least, a reason to have the t.v. on all day Saturday and Sunday. It is marginally better than hearing Dora The Explorer's voice, I guess. I actually enjoy watching the Saints and even LSU and UGA play on occasion. I just cannot take football every day all day. La Luz and James are both completely understanding and never complain when Christian wants to watch football 24/7. Why is it such a fight for me to get an hour and a half of t.v. time when CBS Sunday Morning is on? Today I gave in after the whines and pleas for Imagination Movers finally wore me down. I suppose it doesn't take much at 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday.

Here they are, getting in the spirit:

Jamesy, 8 Months

Here he is showcasing one of his newest tricks (he can also say "bye bye" and wave) and his new teeth...wow, so much happens in a month:




Sadly, I cannot take responsibility for any of these things, well, maybe the teeth, since that is probably related to genetics. The waving and the clapping, however, are thanks to Christian, Lucy, and the nurturing daycare ladies.

Labor Day Weekend, 2009

La Luz is sick. Again. I don't get it. She has never been a sickly child but yet we just can't seem to get out of this rut and I am starting to worry a little. It doesn't seem to be anything serious, but it is enough to keep her out of school and so starts the maddening juggling of schedules and freaking out around our house. I think Christian is ready to run away. On top of all of this, I had a trial today, not something that happens often in my practice. So, you can imagine...I am, however, still and always ever mindful of my many blessings...one of which was a lovely couple of days at White Plantation.

James & GG, full of love:



La Luz, getting ready to feed the horses some sugar cubes (and eat a few):



Checking on the 2009 citrus:


Loki, relaxing:

Tub Time

Just when I thought I was at my wit's end with bath time, the Safety First bath seat saved the day.

Mom had the sense to purchase it before her weekend alone with the kids and it is proving to be quite a handy contraption. I am now able to bathe both kids simultaneously (well, sort of) and not break out into a sweat and get saturated with tub water. I highly recommend it if you have a squirmy kid. On the downside, it makes it somewhat tricky to get the nether-regions scrubbed, but with a little maneuvering it all works out.

Whoever invented this thing definitely knew what they were doing. My hands were totally free, so much so that I even managed a few pictures:

Sounding Out The Words

Now that James is here I am reading like I am in first grade all over again. I have so little time to read that what I do read I don't remember. My reading time is generally the last few minutes I can keep my eyes open at the end of the day. It usually lasts long enough for me to read a sentence or two only to fall asleep with the book still in my hands. Maybe my reading habits will change when I break down and get a Kindle. At least for now, I can say that it is one concrete way that your life changes after you have kids, particularly for the first year. Reading time is a total indulgence and, as a result, it falls low down on the priorities list. I miss stealing a few quiet hours on a Saturday afternoon to lose myself in the middle of a book. It happened twice last weekend - on the plane to and from Chicago - and I loved it. I almost finished something Loki and I have been working on for a LONG time:


I won't tell you when I started the book. It is too embarrassing.

Next up is this one because I have heard great things about it:

And just in case you were wondering what they look like these days...




Precisely the awesomeness that occupies my time.

Chicago, 2009

Christian and I had the great fortune of spending the past weekend in Chicago. Mom took care of La Luz and James, Loki checked in at the local doggy daycare, and Christian and I were on our own for the first time in a long time.

The weekend was incredible. I love what I got to see of Chicago - a Cubs game, the architecture tour on the river, strolls through random gardens and parks, a lovely run ending on a bridge with a perfect view of Soldier Field, drinks in the lobby of The Palmer House, dinner at Avec - but I know I barely scratched the surface. I had no idea that Chicago looks like this:


It really does...huge buildings and water and large swaths of green space. It is something.

And then there are all sorts of things like this:



just there for the public to enjoy.

Here I am at Wrigley:


and at Avec with Josh:


Baker and Christian, waiting to be seated, indulging my desire to eat at Avec at whatever cost:


I can't wait to plan my next visit.

Pulverized Peas Please

James has two teeth coming in. The bottom right started first about two weeks ago and the bottom left followed about a week later. He is seven months, almost eight months, which is a full four months later than La Luz got her first tooth, but that was back in the day when I drank milk produced from grain fed, hormone-filled cows.

The new teeth are just barely poking through the skin but I think the really painful part is over. Unfortunately, they are not quite visible enough for me to get a picture of his teethy grin, something we have been treated to more often lately now that the teething pain seems to have subsided and his respiratory issues have improved. He has been so obliging lately that Christian has managed to train him to waive and say "bye-bye" and "baba" for bottle (I think he also said 'dada' but I don't believe it). I say trained because I don't think he has any clue what he is saying or any inkling of the context. He is mimicking, but you have to start somewhere.

With new teeth comes the joy of new foods. James is not yet particularly discriminating when it comes to what he likes to put in his mouth. Here he is thinking about what to eat (attack) next:


Attempting to take a bite of Sam...golden retrievers are the most kid-friendly dogs:


Eating Margot's watch:


I am telling you, nothing is safe as long as it is somewhat within this guy's reach.

Can You Feel The Excitement

La Luz's first day of school:



Wow. Heartbreaking and wonderful all at once.

Eyes Glued

We are in the middle of this right now:


and I just cannot get enough of it. I am as addicted to it as I was to Long Way Around and hope that the rumors are true about a third motorcycle trek through South America. It is not just that it satisfies, to some extent, my wanderlust or that Ewan McGregor is incredibly charming. There is something about the production quality, the whole package, that is really quite captivating. I have recommended it to everyone I know. Sometimes people listen and they are always so happily surprised.

So check it out.

Home Improvements, August 2009

Over the past two weeks somewhere in between James' first ear infection and La Luz's first overnight stay in the hospital for severe dehydration and what was later determined to be (probably) an acute virus, we transformed this:


into this:



It isn't anything particularly fancy but at least I am not scared to go in there to check email anymore. It is not totally complete but it is getting there. The flooring is made by Flor and I love it. It was totally easy to install, super cheap and good quality.

James, 7 Months

James is now seven months old and his development over the last month culminated in one of the most challenging weekends of my life as a mom. 6 month shots coupled with teething and being curious but also incredibly lazy resulted in long nights for me and very little satisfaction for James.

At almost 20 lbs and 27 inches it is starting to become impossible for me to carry James in my arms and bounce him up and down when he is fussy. It is also increasingly more difficult because he grabs at everything within his reach - picture frame, sure; lit candle, don't mind if I do; full glass of ice water, who am I to say no. When I tell people to be careful, that he will grab whatever object is in front of them, they are cautious but don't really understand what I am talking about until minutes later when James is proudly chewing on a chunk of about 100 pieces of hair pulled straight from someone's head.

After hectic and incredibly active days I always looked forward to James' evening baths. The routine was always so calm and relaxing for both of us, until now. I have decided that I might as well wear a swimming suit to bathe him and that it would not be a bad idea if I came up with some system of tethers and pulleys to secure him in place in a harness and dangle him over the tub in order to make bath time more manageable. James spends most of his bath trying to eat the rag, drink the water, splash, climb out of the tub, pull me into the tub and then, somehow, pull himself to the faucet to do god only knows what. That said, if I let him splash and drink the water and eat the soap and generally cause a huge commotion, he is all smiles and usually that makes it okay.

Maybe this is what everyone said about baby boys, about how it is such an incredible mix of physical exhaustion and pure love. No doubt there is an amazing amount of both.

Like most things this weekend, capturing the 7 month picture was a challenge. I had to call in reinforcements and never could get quite what I had in mind. The pictures speak for themselves and, I suppose, probably give you a sense of how I feel at the end of the day:

New Favorite Toy

James is fascinated by his feet. Fascinated. It started about a month ago and has now turned into a borderline obsession. Babies do weird things and James is no exception. Sure, the foot in mouth compulsion is a bit odd, but it pales in comparison to his most recent development, incessant pelvic thrusts for no particular reason. It is getting to the point where I second guess a decision to take him out in public.

These are pictures from last weekend at the beach. He is enjoying the somewhat less odd compulsion of eating his feet. These photos were taken on Sunday afternoon...the sunlight was just perfect. I love portraits and cannot wait to get a wider angle lens one day so that I can enjoy a greater depth of field when I am taking pictures of people.