Don't Get Caught With Your Pants Down

It's Wordless Wednesday.

Just Not Feelin' It

Hey y'all,

I'm just not feelin' it lately. I've been off living "real" life and not checking in with my "virtual" life very often. I DO miss you though. But I can't seem to get up the motivation to keep up with all of my favorite blogs, and posting has, if you couldn't tell, been relegated mostly to pictures and such.

I know a lot of you aren't complaining about seeing more than reading. ;) But I like to try to provide some meat with my potatoes, if ya know what I'm sayin', and I just don't feel like I have it in me lately.

Is this why Sheri is taking a blogging break? Do you reach a saturation point and just have to take a little breather?

Maybe I'm just taking a mental break to gear up for NaBloPoMo. Yup, I signed up to post every day for thirty days. I'm hoping I can bring you some juicy, meaty posts come November.

My plans? Write about:

Pregnancy
Hospitalization
Prematurity
NICU stay

My Crackers
And of course, Little Man.

I'm taking requests! If you couldn't tell, I need a little bit of help to birth my blogging ideas.

Love to you all,

VDog

When You're The Best of Friends????

The Big Guy shows Little Man his angry face.

You can hear the daddios talking to their boys (further proof that the Warrior does, in fact, exist).

The Mamas got to go out for massages while this was all happening. Happy Day!!

Who me, picky?

I was the problem eater in my family. By the time I was eight, I was cooking separate meals for myself, and sometimes by younger brother and sister, quite often. If something seemed the least bit suspicious, I wouldn't eat it.

I'm hoping to avoid the same fate with Little Man.

I never had Thai or Indian food until I was probably 20. I just wasn't adventurous.

I called Indian food, "poo-poo food," because I thought that the spinach and curry dishes looked like, well...you know. I don't think I even realized Thai food existed. Don't even get me started on Japanese food -- I thought it began and ended with Terriyaki chicken.

I just read a story on how we Americans are starting our babies off all wrong with their solid foods. I've been wondering when I can add spices to Little Man's foods since he sometimes seems SO bored by what I have to offer him. When I have more recently offered him more "exciting" foods, he has gobbled them up.

We are on project fatten up around here (only for Little Man, but somehow I seem to be expanding as well!). Since the boy could use a little more chub, I have been adding olive oil to his foods and stirring coconut milk into his oatmeal. I have also been making egg yolk and coconut milk custards for him, which he just adores.

I would love to make him some baby Pa Nang curry with chicken -- I just have to work up the guts to do it! I think that when we become parents, we have to overcome our food issues if we hope to raise an open minded eater.

Already the Little Man HATES peas. I'm going to have to make some foods Deceptively Delicious for him to eat them. I've already started by sneaking pureed chicken into sweet potatoes (he much prefers cut up chicken burger). Now I just need to figure out how to get the green vegetables in. Maybe the fabulous ladies at the Parent Bloggers Network could give this first time mama a few tips. Or maybe I should just read their archives....

Were you a picky eater? Are there things you STILL won't eat? (Raw fish and beef for me.) Share in the comments. You know you wanna.

Haiki Frizznighday

Sorry Blogosphere
Mommy duties take much time
I've been M.I.A.

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Post is ready made
When I do Haiku Friday
Oh how I love thee

-----

Confidential to a friend:

Depression is real
Makes moms feel inadequate
You are doing great

-----

Happy day is here
More time to spend with Daddy
It is the weekend!

-----

Run to the bathroom
I really have to go bad
T.P.'s out, oh no!

Last drawer sees relief
Thought I could be out of luck
Charmin is in there

It's Haiku Friday!

Get Lost!

Warning: Do not attempt this activity if you have a poor sense of direction, do not know how to read maps, the idea of this activity makes you nervous, or all three.

Ran a few too many errands and missed the chance to get your baby home for his/her nap? Intentionally taking a driving nap? Why don't you try to get lost?

I've done this several times now, and I have quite enjoyed it. Start out from a place you know, like a shopping center or your neighborhood, and venture out further than you have before. Take a road that you've always wanted to explore.

The point is to make yourself more familiar with your surroundings and learn new ways to navigate your town and neighboring communities. Ideally, this would also be a pretty drive for you to look at as well. It challenges your brain to "upload" more "maps" to your current repertoire.

If you don't have confidence that you can retrace your steps (figuratively), make sure you have maps or a driving guide in your car so you can pull over and get un-lost once you've had enough fun getting lost.

Try streets with names like "Hillcrest," "Sea View," "Mountain Road," or "Ridge." Any street with "view" or "canyon" in the name is promising. Streets that are names of trees, like "Pine," and "Spruce," can also be scenic.

Go see what you can see! Maybe there's some beautiful lookout or views that you've never realized are close to you because you were afraid to get lost.

Also make sure you have your cell phone, and don't drive out any further than you're comfortable with. Make sure to turn around after a half an hour (more or less, or half the length of baby's estimated nap), so that you can find your way home -- or make a loop that begins and ends near your house -- so that baby doesn't wake up in the middle of nowhere near close to home.

You want to have an enjoyable drive, add some street maps to the GPS in your brain, and get baby a little more sleep.

Let me know if you try it!

Blog Day In Support of The MOTHERS Act

Today, as part of the BlogHers Act movement, mothers and others across the country encouraged to call their U.S. Senators and urge their support of The MOTHERS Act, important, needed legislation to provide services to women suffering from postpartum depression (PPD). The MOTHERS Act stands for "The Mom’s Opportunity To Access Help, Education, Research, and Support" for Postpartum Depression Act.

The MOTHERS Act (S. 3529) is a Senate Bill sponsored by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) and will ensure that new moms and their families are educated about PPD, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services. It will also increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression by a program of grants.

Postpartum depression is a serious and disabling condition that affects approximately 800,000 American women each year. However, only about 15 percent of these women receive any assessment or treatment for the condition. Postpartum depression can occur anytime during pregnancy or within the first year after childbirth. A woman may have a number of symptoms such as sadness, lack of energy, trouble concentrating, anxiety, and feelings of guilt and worthlessness. The difference between postpartum depression and the "baby blues" is that postpartum depression often affects a woman’s well-being and prevents her from functioning well for a longer period of time. Postpartum psychosis is a rare and more severe form of perinatal mood disorders, and is covered under The MOTHERS Act as well.

Today, bloggers around the nation ask you to call, write or e-mail your US Senators and encourage them to support The MOTHERS Act.

In California, contact:

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN

SENATOR BARBARA BOXER

For a directory of other state's Senate Offices, go here.

If you are a mom suffering from a postpartum mood disorder, know that you are not alone. For help, contact Postpartum Support International. PSI is the world's largest nonprofit organization offering support, referrals, education, training, and resources to health care providers, women, and families coping with perinatal mood disorders. Visit PSI’s website or call their warmline at 1-800-944-4773 for more information and assistance.

Thanks to Glennia from The Silent I for this post.

Even though 10.24.07 is almost over, please continue to support this Act and contact your senators. Depression and PPD are very real and need to be addressed and de-stigmatized. Please reach out to anyone you know who is having a hard time.

Sweet Boy

 

 

 

 

It's Wordless Wednesday.

Photos by Warrior.

A Moment From My Former Life

Tonight I went out to dinner with #4, one of my best friends, whom I met on the Internet. We used to go out on "dates" quite often before she started law school last year and before I gave up my exciting, fulfilling life had Little Man.

Of course, we talked about my new life as a mom, but we also had discussions just like we used to -- gossiping about the crazy people we know (calling them crackers, in some cases, and not in a good way), our relationships (but this time mostly just hers -- she is planning her wedding! Whoopee!), and the food.

#4 and her boyfriend fiance soon-to-be-husband are also our trusty babysitters. Here's a photo of them in July, the first time we left Little Man without one of his parents.



Congratulations on your engagement plans to wed, my friends. I am so happy for you both. (And hopefully we can continue our dates when your life is SO enthralling as well!)

#4 and her man have de facto been "engaged" for years, so they're (total crackers) just saying that they're planning their wedding.

When You're The Best of Friends...

Spending so much time together...



This is the kind of drunken photo they'll be hiding from us later:

Best Friends

Two preemies...two sets of Cracker parents...two CrackerDogs (Sasha and Stan)...two lifelong friends!
Little Man and BigGuy have so many more fun times to look forward to! We can't wait to watch them unfold!

Starring Little Man as Young Frankenstein

I Mean, For Reals, Y'all?

Are you Sick of Lawsuits? Here at Casa de Cracker, we sure are.

That's why we won't be suing over this:

(Also, you might not want to take a bath in your pajamas. Just sayin'.)

Just because I forgot to look at the back of this:



Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network for letting me flex my common sense muscle.

Messy McMesserson

Slacker Mom am I?
Putting off washing, cleaning.
When was his last bath?

So much cleaning now
Solid foods make a huge mess
Black beans on the floor

Sweet potatoes and
Rice puffs, bananas
All up in his hair

Food is not to wear,
I tell him repeatedly.
He doesn't listen.

It's Haiku Friday.

I Never Told You About The Time I Was Hit By A Car?

It was the summer between fifth and sixth grade. I was eleven.

My cousin, who is exactly six months older than I am, and her mom, my Aunt, were staying with us while my parents were on vacation.

Together with my friend Erin, we decided to go down to 7-11 for a slurpee or some such thing.

I had my rollerblades on, Erin had on roller skates, and J, my cousin, was walking.

We made it not even half way there when it happened.

We were waiting on a median, half way across a four-lane two-way street, which had a greenbelt in the middle and a separate left hand turn lane for each direction. The median we were waiting on was between the left hand turn lane going north, and the two lanes headed south.

The light for the cars going south had turned green. For some strange reason, a woman decided to run the red light going east about a minute late.

She hit the tail end of the first car headed south, a Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep spun out of control and straight towards us.

The last thing I remember is seeing the Jeep doing 360's towards me and my friends. I awoke to the faint sound of a man asking, "are you okay?" Over and over, louder and louder, until I came out of my haze.

My face was all smashed up. The bicyclist next to me had broken both of his legs. I think he took the brunt of the impact since I was standing behind a three foot metal pole which had the button to push for the walk signal on it. It wasn't until the next day that I saw the bruises, and felt the pain, on my ribs. I probably cracked one or two on the left side, but I'll never know for sure.

Erin and J were relatively unhurt. Erin didn't even go to the hospital with us. I was thankful for the cute EMT who questioned me in search of a concussion and helped to place me on the stiff wooden board to get me into the ambulance.

The doctor in the ER was very sweet, and oddly enough, he would three years later become my General Practitioner, after the woman doctor I had been seeing went on indefinite maternity leave.

My Aunt made her way to the ER, of course extremely upset. I can only imagine how she felt as a parent and as the one entrusted with her sister's four kids.

The woman who hit us came by our room to profusely apologize. She told us that she had jumped out of her car, extremely upset that she could see that she was headed toward children. J and I told her that we knew it wasn't her fault -- that it was that bitch who ran the red light (ok, we probably didn't say bitch since we were only eleven, but she definitely was one!).

This all happened the day before my parents were to return from a tropical vacation, more than eight hours away from us. My Aunt had the heavy duty of calling them with the news. There was no way for them to come back earlier -- they were on the first flight back anyway.

Now as a parent myself, I can see this incident in a whole new light. I can imagine the feelings of my Aunt, my Mom and my Dad. Especially my Mom, since she is a bit of a worrier, and an accused over-protector (mostly by my Dad).

That sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. The realization that one of the worst things, barring death, that could happen to your child, has happened to your child. The stuff that parental nightmares are made of.

I see Little Man and his fearlessness, and it scares me. He is afraid of no dog, when he should be. He is afraid of no baby, when he probably should be. I can only imagine how this will manifest itself in the future: dirt bikes? Clandestine meetings with undesirables? Midnight phone calls from the Police, or worse, the hospital?

Right now, I can only focus on the moment that he's in, and hope that I can raise him with a lot of common sense. I hope to protect him from the things I easily can, without stifling his life experience and personal growth. I hope to unleash the inner Little Man without letting my personal fears and reservations get in the way.

I'm glad I made it through a life altering experience with few serious consequences. I still have a small scar on the left side of my face, next to my eye, which reminds me of The Day I Was Hit By A Car. I'm glad I lived to tell the tale. It always gets quite the reaction.

Oh, and you wanna know what happened to that bitch? She got a ticket for running the red light and had to pay us three thousand dollars for medical bills and such. I think she got off WAY too easy.

Today at my Mom's Group we were discussing (quite morbidly at times, I might add) some of the worst experiences you could have as a parent. What has sent shivers up your spine? Emergency trips to the hospital? Blood and gore? Share in the comments. We live for this stuff. (Misery loves company, right?)

Because I Am Just So Damn Cute

It's Wordless Wednesday.

We Totally Rock

Did you see the World News Tonight report about us last night? Well not US us, but you know, our community -- Mommy bloggers.

Dawn of Because I Said So was profiled for an awesome piece about how we mommies are now finding community and support through the Internet and our blogs, rather than through old fashioned, and terribly outdated and limiting, ways like our neighborhoods.

What was most shocking to me was that Dawn gets 20-30 THOUSAND viewers A DAY. And she makes FOUR THOUSAND dollars a month off of ads on her blog. And she's only been blogging for FOUR MONTHS, PEOPLE!!! That is complete craziness to me. Dawn has really struck a chord with a varied audience to become that popular in such a short amount of time.

My blog is not very popular -- yet (HA!) -- but I love the community and support I have found through blogging. I think it is super awesome that Dawn and others can make a nice income from blogging while getting support and camaraderie at the same time.

One important piece of the newscast was about how mothers are being taken more seriously as consumers, and given more respect by advertisers. It's about damn time! Whether we blog or not, women are key in influencing monetary decisions for households -- often we are the only one making a decision on how our money gets spent. Why not cater to us? It is extremely silly not to.

Who is the one at Target in the middle of the day re-stocking the house with toilet paper and paper towels? Most often, that's me and my female doppelgangers. (And Bradley Egel. And his doppelgangers.) Our spending authori-tay needs to be respected.

Jennifer wrote the other day about Sauve's mom-centered advertising campaign and it's awesomeness. Dove has been working on a female friendly advertising scheme for a while now. It is truly refreshing and completely stick figure free. We need these types of advertising if only to balance out the testosterone friendly beer and Axe commercials.

As thoughtful consumers, I would ask my brethren to carefully consider your purchases and provide feedback where appropriate. Letting manufacturers know where they went wrong -- or where they went right -- goes a long way toward advancing our product options and our treatment in the media.

Get out there and be proud, mommy bloggers! We deserve respect as women, and as valuable purchasers of consumer products. As they say, "Money Talks."

Weekend Cuteness

Memerrific

The desktop meme. Share your desktop. Be embarrassed. Super exciting, right? Once again, I have been tagged by the wonderful Secret Agent Mama.

Let the shame begin:


See my widgets on the right -- a calendar page, an analog clock and a calculator? I don't really use them, except in extreme cases of mama brain and I need to know quickly what day it is. Or what 2+2 is. Heh.

Makes me think I should really clean this thing up. Is that what this meme is really for? Was it started by one of those super organized clean freaks? Trying to pressure us messies into cleaning up? Ain't gonna happen.

I tag whoever wants to do this one. If you want to do it courtesy of moi, leave me a comment and I will put your link up here:

Tattoos and Drool

Peace out.

Poetic Last Day of the Week

All week I have thoughts
Of great haikus to write up
What happened to them?

----

I should be sleeping
On the Internet instead
Damn. When will I learn?

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Video gaming
Husband is preoccupied
Writing about him

My First Meme aka 5 Things You Never Wanted To Know About Me

Secret Agent Mama tagged me for my first meme. Thanks! This should be a fun one.

I'm supposed to tell you five "interesting" things about myself. We'll see about that....

1) I have two birthmarks. One above my belly button -- a dark spot in a "candle flame" or "brush stroke" formation. No, you can't see this one. I'd have to show off my post-partum pudding.
The second one is above my left ear, and I'm not entirely sure I was actually born with it, but I can't recall exactly when I got it, either. You can see it in some of the pictures on this blog. I'm not sayin' where, 'cause it's not entirely attractive. Heh.

2) My two second molars on the bottom are still baby teeth. The adult ones are congenitally missing. I hope to keep these babies as long as possible, 'cause when they're done...I don't even want to think about it. Ack!

3) I met one of my best friends (#4) on Craigslist. She was looking for a hiking buddy.

4) My toes are VERY long. They have been compared to baby fingers and #6 calls them "tingers."

5) I am the second of four children, but most people think I'm the oldest.

That wasn't so bad, now was it??

I tag Cathy, ImposterMom, Malissa, Lyssa, and NapWarden.

Have fun with this one, ladies!

Bathing Babe

It's Wordless Wednesday.

Our Weekend Was Craptastic

The Little Man had his nine month appointment on Friday. He got shots (no mercury in them, woohoo!). He's never had a reaction to vaccinations before.

This time, however, he had a "let's party in the middle of the night" reaction. Fun stuff. Which means he was tired and cranky the next day. Which carried over to the next day, and then the next.

This morning he was up from 4am to 5:30, then up for the day before 6:30. Which means that Mama's rope, which was short yesterday, is even shorter today. These are the "get through the day," days of motherhood.

I want the "happy puppies and bunnies days" back. And soon, please. A little sleep thrown in would be oh so nice as well.

Here are the Little Man's stats:

Weight: 16lbs 8oz = 3rd % (yes, he is very skinny, but he has more than tripled his birth weight)

Height (length): 29 inches (!!!) = 75th % (he is one long dude!)

Head Circumference: 47 cm = 90th % (he has one big-ass head!)

I think he has a future as one of those lollipop headed super models.

Here is the one who is currently terrorizing me, complete with a toothy grin, by request:





He's lucky he's so cute. Otherwise the hair pulling, face clawing, scratching, pinching, blood-drawing, nipple and shoulder biting, screaming, pooping repeatedly at all hours of the night, not sleeping goodness might be a little hard to take.

Haiku Letter

Dear sweet Little Man,
I love you with all my heart
One day we must part

But now I'm all yours
Morning, Noon and night, I'm yours
And you're all mine too

I cherish these days
And try to cherish the nights
For I know that soon

Independent you
Will take over and consume
Your being, my dear

When you are all grown
And no longer at my breast
I hope for you this:

Strength, love, compassion
Wit, soul, laughs, maturity
Fun, heartache, loss -- LIFE

For you my sweet boy
Experiences plenty
All my love, Mama

For more Haiku joy, or to join in the fun, go to Jennifer's place.

Oh, Little Man

Dear Little Man,

I know I just wrote to you, but we need to talk. There's a few issues (ahem) that I think we could work on.

First of all, this blowing bubbles in the food business has just got to stop. You know you need to eat your food! Are you trying to get Mama in trouble with the Doctor again?

Second, is it really necessary for you to be getting up two or more times a night? I mean, still? Really??? Is it really necessary to practice crawling in the middle of the night?

You're a big boy now -- I thought we were clear on this issue. What happened to the ten hour nights?

Mama would like some uninterrupted sleep -- and soon. Do you think you could accommodate that request? That would make Mama sssoooooo happy.

Third, I'm a little fed up with all this constant flipping over and reverse diaper changes. Do you have to be in motion all the time? Sometimes I have to take you for a stroller walk or put you in a bouncy seat just to contain you for a little while. So much energy being expended! Seems like you should sleep through the night when you're active ALL DAY LONG, mister!

That's probably enough for you to work on for right now. You did have some exciting firsts today, sweet bunny.

You had your first ride in the grocery cart seat, albeit a small cart, with our fleece sling as a support to hold you in a bit better. You seemed to really enjoy the new perspective, especially the close proximity to the merchandise. You also tried, successfully, to lick and bite the handle bar of the cart once you were bored of the shopping. That was really great.

Later, at JC and CC's house, you got up on all fours. You were locked and loaded in crawling position, but didn't attempt it. You also got into push-up position several times in a row -- the first time you have been able to do so. You showed off your mad rolling skillz to JC and thoroughly impressed her. You amaze me, too, little cutie.

Give some thought to my requests. I would be ever so grateful if you would help me out -- or meet me in the middle! I'll take what I can get!

Congratulations on your accomplishments, Boo. I look forward to more new tricks. :)

All my Love,
Mama

Dear LM, You Are Crazy. Love, Mama

It's Wordless Wednesday.

Delurk, y'all

Dear Internets,

Today is The Great Mofo Delurk, so I invite you, dear readers, to delurk and leave comments for your favorite bloggers today. And me, too, please.

How can I show you love, internets, if I don't know who you are?

This post is really lonely. Can you show it some love? (In fact, my archives are enthralling and under-utilized, oh dear internets. Just sayin'.)

Lots of love,

VDog and Little Man

Eggcellent

Dear Nap Warden,

Thank you so much for kindly awarding me the Egel Nest Blog Award.

I can't believe you are blog friends with the creator of the award, Bradley Egel of The Egel Nest! How cool is that? You are one lucky Warden.

I am flattered you think my blog is "eggcellent." I try my best to put out a quality product, but you know, we all have our off days.

I wanted to let you know that I plan on handing out this award to a few blogs that I think are "eggcellent." My criteria for the award is: the writing has to be outstanding, interesting and free (for the most part) of grammatical and spelling errors (I was an English major, you know).

I think these ladies are fabulous bloggers, and highly deserving of the Egel Award:

Sara at Suburban Oblivion

Megan at Velveteen Mind

Andi at Poot and Cubby

Jennifer at Playgroups Are No Place For Children

Alex Elliot at Formula Fed & Flexible Parenting

I hope you agree.

Thank you again, Ms. Warden. It is truly appreciated. I am so honored.

xoxo,
VDog
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I've decided to get all epistolary on yo' asses this week, since I'm already on a streak. Hope you enjoy.

Out of the Womb and Into Everything

Dear Little Man,

Today you turn nine months old. This month reminds me that you should have stayed "on the inside" for nine months, instead of seven+. You see, most moms get to say, "now you've been on the outside as long as you were on the inside." For me, that milestone came two months ago, when it should have come one week ago (nine months from your due date).

This is only one of the things that makes me feel sad that you came early -- that I have a preemie. I am not sad that you wanted to start off the New Year with a bang, just sad that your path has been a bit harder than some other babies'. But you have not shied away from your challenges. This is where Mommy and Baby are alike. We have both stared down this difficult path and beaten it with a stick left, right and center.


Right now, though, I want to tell you about your accomplishments -- not what you have dealt with and overcome, but what you are able to do despite your prematurity.

Just in the last week you have been able to sit for an extended period of time. Daddy and I are now confident enough to say, "Yes, he's sitting up!" It took a few weeks of wobbling, but you are doing it now!

I think your nature is to be on the move constantly, so it was hard for you to sit and appreciate the fact that you COULD sit, that you didn't have to be reaching out for things all the time. You could just sit and look at CrackerDog Sasha, instead of laboring to get closer to her.

Which brings me to how you move -- you roll like nobody's business! You can do a quadruple roll now, which means that WE NEED BABY GATES. You spin and scoot and heartily attempt to get your bum and chest off the ground at once.

Just a few short months ago, you were content rolling and rotating within the borders of your play mat. Not anymore. Now you cover some serious tracks, rolling from the mat to the kitchen, over to Sasha's bed, and back to the mat.

Just the other day, you made your way over to the cabinets and tried to pull on the handle to get off the floor. You are interested in so much more now. It's almost as if you got rid of your tunnel vision and are seeing the rest of the world for the first time.

Your cognitive abilities have truly amazed me lately. You know your name and Sasha's name perfectly. We think you know "Daddy" but you're still working on "Mama." That's okay. We're always together, and I don't usually refer to myself in the third person, so I'll cut you some slack on that one.

You eat with great gusto, something you must have inherited from me. Your skinny physique, though, is all Daddy. You are definitely looking like Warrior, Jr.

Some of your favorite foods are bananas (but NOT the jarred kind), sweet potatoes, apples, and most recently, carrots. You also eat oatmeal, prunes, apricots and chicken. You REALLY don't like corn and tofu -- you gag and make faces and refuse to open your mouth. You're not so sure about peas, and avocados are sometimes a hit and sometimes a miss. We tried rice cereal for your first food, but you broke out in eczema all over your body. So we stopped that for awhile and when we tried again, you barfed it ALL up. Even though your pediatrician said, "no one's ever allergic to rice!" we haven't tried it again.

Your first two teeth came in within four days of each other early last month. Since then, there hasn't been much progress, but I think you might be getting another tooth soon. You are putting your fingers in your mouth again and were uncharacteristically fussy last night.

I kind of miss your gummy smile, but you DO look awful cute with those two little teethies. I don't fully appreciate the teeth, though, because you like to test them out on me quite often. I tell you, "no bite. That hurts Mommy." But you just smile and moon at me most of the time. A few times, I have scared you and made you cry, which makes me feel terrible, but I usually get a few day bite reprieve from this tactic.

Overall you are a pretty mellow dude so far. Your GranCracker says you are an easy baby, and she should know since she's a mom to three and a grandmom to eight. You are generally very happy, but you can be hard to impress.

People trying to get you to laugh or smile sometimes have to work pretty hard to get any joy. However, you smile HUGE for Mama and Papa just because you love us. You smile and laugh at Sasha, too, because apparently you think she's hilarious.

I can't wait to see what the rest of your first year will bring. I'm sure you'll be officially crawling before we know it (and can prepare for it) and doing lots of other cool stuff that is beyond your "corrected" age.

Right now, though, I'm happy enjoying you and the stage you're in. I want to try to remember everything, to indelibly mark the you-ness in my brain. You fill me with so much love and light, my sweet, sweet boy.

Until next time,
I love you with all my heart,
Mama