Hallo-what?

Halloween wasn't all that spectacular for us. Both Dave and I had class so we couldn't show Moses off to our neighborhood friends, and Moses had a big case of mommy-clinger-itis that made the night a bit of a challenge.

However, this afternoon Moses attended a little Halloween party at his Parent's Day Out. I didn't get pictures of him in his Yoda costume because I was too busy steering him opposite the sugar cookies and mini-blinds, but hopefully, someone there got some pictures that I can share with you soon.

Even without the Halloween hoopla, we've had some fun moments this week (and thoroughly trashed the house in the process).

Anyone up for hide n' seek? Or bacon?

His feet are stepping on a scale.
I wish I was that satisfied with my weight.

I'm pretty sure he hit me up
for some money after this picture was taken.

Ladies and gentlemen,
step right up and see the amazing Tinkertoy eater.

He's taking his nightly laps around the living room
(in new shoes, which make him walk faster).

Bobby Darin would be proud.

Our day in a walnut shell.

-Lindsey

A blogger's logger

I'm a little uncertain how I should feel about the coming winter. On one hand, Moses' poor skin is red and irritated, which requires frequent lotion application; on the other hand, we can finally tap into Moses' supply of winter clothes (which we've been hoarding since last season's sales). Skin issues aside, it's kind of hard to compete with this:





The plaid-shirt ensemble has me humming Monty Python's Lumberjack song. Once started, the tune is impossible to forget! It's going to be a long, long day.

-Lindsey

T-minus 31

Today Moses is 11 months! I can't believe that we'll be celebrating his first birthday in only 1 month. Yes, he is walking, talking (almost), and solving complicated algebraic equations, but he's still my baby.

Today was yet another freakishly warm fall day so we spent the morning outside.





We also took some more videos of Moses to celebrate his 11 month-self and to make up for the dark (okay, black) video in my last post.

-Lindsey

On turning pro

I'm so impressed with speed Moses has learned to walk: I mean really walk. Of course, he spends a large part of the day practicing--walking to the bedroom, beelining to the bathroom (his favorite place unless I have the mind to close the door), circling the sofa, and hunting for doggy Bella. His endless determination to explore his surroundings and learn new things is admirable. It's so amazing to watch him study an object that was once out of his immediate view and reach: he'll talk under his breath and turn it around in his hands, figuring it all out. He's also started to carry his finds around as inanimate companions while he scouts the house for fun (and sometimes trouble--see bathroom reference above).

Tonight, I took some videos to show the progress he's made in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to adjust the exposure or turn on the overhead light so one of the videos is impossibly dark.

-Lindsey

Fun with Photoshop

Early this week I downloaded Adobe's trial version of Photoshop Elements 6. I've always wanted to learn my way around Photoshop and Illustrator, but at $600 a pop, it's not a practical hobby at the moment. I'm learning that Elements is a good alternative, especially since the price is an eighth of the other softwares'.

So, in my non-existent leisure time, I've been playing around with some of my favorite pictures, making signatures for an online message board I frequent. I'm pretty pleased with the results:





-Lindsey

Genetics

All these months of denying that Moses has my sensitive, eczema-prone skin went down the drain this morning.
Moses woke up with bright red cheeks, which at first I thought was due to our use of the heater last night and that his skin was simply dry. Then, we noticed that he had spots on his torso too. Thinking it was related to the mysterious short-lived fever he had Friday night, I called the doctor and he suggested I bring him in.
I was certain it was going to be Fifth Disease (not really a disease) because of the brightness of his cheeks, unexplained fever, and restlessness over the past few nights, but Dr. Gray said that even though Moses probably had a viral infection last week that contributed to the rash, it is ultimately his dry, sensitive skin that's causing the problem and that it's his body's way of telling us we're in for a long winter.
Great. I guess this year we're going double our purchases of vaseline, baby oil, and shea butter creme lotion and put the humidifier on wheels. I'm sorry kiddo.

(Now, after applying some Aquaphor, his cheeks look 75% better.)

-Lindsey

From the weekend

It was freakishly warm last weekend so Moses got to play outside with his dad at least one more time before fall settles in. If you didn't know, Moses is the stereotypical boy in that he loves being outdoors and getting dirty (we're talking ring-around-the-tub type dirty). After a good time outside, it's sometimes hard to get him inside peacefully.

We've also found a miracle in Baby Mum-Mums. They are rice rusks (which taste and dissolve like paper), and Moses adores them. One day last week, his teachers at Parent's Day Out told us that after finishing his first mum-mum in record time, he went over to his diaper bag, dumped out the contents, and secured a second one.

-Lindsey

If I were a bettin' mom...

I *think* we'll see teeth soon. I know I've said this before, but I'm certain this time. I don't think I could get it wrong at this point, though.

Surely, we'll see something before he's one.

His girl and his curls

I was looking through our pictures and couldn't find any recent ones of me and Moses so we had an impromptu, fun photo session today. There are some gems but also a nice selection of double chins. Here's the cream of the crop:

The below pictures are from last night when we were waiting for Dave to come home from class. I was trying to capture his beautiful "bath" curls, but no picture does them justice. His fresh curls are so, so very cute and ringlety (that's right, they are so cute that I made up a word for them).

-Lindsey

Like a mule.

As most of you know, Moses has never sat. By sat, I mean he has never ever sat in the traditional way--on his behind with his legs out front. If we try to sit him that way, he arches his back so we are forced to let him stand or lay flat on his back. Even in the bath, he reclines himself or stands, but he won't sit up. I brought this up to his pediatrician at Moses' last appointment, and he said that as long as he can physically sit up (which he does in his stroller or a shopping cart) then there's nothing to worry about and he's just showing preference.

In the past month, Moses has perfected his own version of sitting and does it all the time now. I think it's downright adorable.

Now, I can finally get some professional pictures done.

-Lindsey

Go Moses Go!

Moses is walking better and better each day. Today, Dave captured Moses taking an unprecedented amount of steps, for him at least.

-Lindsey

Cute little boy, am I.

Here's a glimpse of the future fun we'll have come October 31st. Yes, I know he's too young to know what's going on, but that doesn't mean we can't have a good time.

Also, we're contemplating this one for Bella.

-Lindsey

Anticipating fall

I've been a little lazy with my camera lately so I took Moses outside (it's beautiful today) to "play" with our lone pumpkin. I got some good pictures, and some not so good pictures (thanks to his affinity for leaf eating).

-Lindsey

Acocado!

Last week, Sally (Gran) came over to watch Moses while I had class. Moses had a great time and even devoured a whole avocado.

-Lindsey

Sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

Moses loves blueberries, but I don't think it's mutual. His poor hands and face were blue, blue, blue after this snack.

Figuring it all out

Last night Moses started to stand solo, and he even took some steps by himself--several times! He's been practicing all this for awhile by cruising then falling towards furniture that is too far away. It's hard to capture his successful moments, but we got a snippet on camera. Do these count as first steps? He's 10 months old today!

-Lindsey

He's crazy pants-head man!

Catching Cooties

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, but the nasty virus that Moses battled last weekend came knocking down my door on Monday. It was relentless, but I'm at the tail end of it now.
While I was imagining my imminent death from the stomach flu, Dave took care of Moses. He took time off from student teaching in order that I could get some sleep (plus, in my weakened febrile condition, I was not physically able to care for a child). And maybe, just maybe, he thinks Moses is cooler to hang out with that high school kids.

Dave discovered that Mos adores our curtains. Now, he spends tens of minutes a day just cruising through them, laughing hysterically.

-Lindsey

A Mom-servation

I know Moses isn't feeling well when it actually becomes easy to change his diaper.

Bugged

Well, this morning I called Dr. Gray's office to ask about this mysterious illness, and his nurse informed me that there's a terrible stomach bug going around and that it can last up to a week. A week! This is not good news. I hope Moses' dance with the virus is shorter than the norm. The poor kid...

-Lindsey

Sick and tired

This weekend marks Moses' first bona fide sickness, and it just breaks our hearts to see our little man under-the-weather and unable to understand what's happening to him.
He had a runny nose all week, but we attributed it to allergies (Dave and I are suffering now) or a cold he picked up from Parent's Day Out. However, last night it took a turn for the worse and we're not sure what's plaguing him.
I put Moses to bed at 8 o' clock as usual, but three hours later he woke up yelling an angry, "na, na, na." I'd never heard him yell like that before and went to check on him. He was sick to his stomach--man, I never thought so much liquid could inhabit such a tiny body. It was strange too because he would vomit, want to play, and then vomit again 20 minutes later, play, and well, you know. He was in relatively good spirits too even though this continued until 2 a.m. When he was finally able to sleep he just tossed, turned, and whined all night. I was so concerned about him that I didn't sleep well at all but found relief when Dave took over at 6 a.m.
Moses had one more episode this morning, and despite his all day fussiness, we thought he was out of the woods. We were wrong. When I put him to sleep at 8 o' clock this evening, it happened again, and this time he was not in good spirits afterwards. He was so obviously tired and I could hear his poor stomach rumbling. Dave and I took turns walking him around the house, but he just could not get to sleep. After some milk (I know, I questioned this, too), he finally went to sleep and we haven't heard from him since. I hope he has a better night tonight and can get the recuperative rest he needs.
We're not sure what's going on--stomach bug? teething? I'm going to call the doctor in the morning to see what he says. We've given him some Pedialyte, but he's really not interested in drinking anything. I'll be sure to update everyone on the outcome.

Last night, between "episodes"

-Lindsey

He's a champ!

FYI--

Moses finished his first good week of Parent's Day Out today! When I picked him, they told me his day went even better day than Wednesday had. He ate more! He slept more! And, he played more--even getting on the floor with the other kids! By himself! He's transitioning so much better there.

On a side note, here are some pictures of him playing in his new favorite place (and yes, it makes me nervous).

I just love his expression in that first picture. If he had a corncob pipe, I think he'd look a bit like Popeye.

-Lindsey

A Work in Progress

Today was Moses' second day at his new Parent's Day Out. I decided to drop him off quickly this morning to see if my lingering presence there really made a difference to him. It didn't. When I called to check on him before my class, I was told he only cried for a brief bit. Whew!

When I picked him up, the report was full of good news. He took two (2!) short naps, ate some baby macaroni and cheese, and drank 2 ounces from his bottle. Can you believe this? He napped! He ate! He drank! I'm so thrilled that he's made so much progress in just three days time. I really have to hand it to his caretakers--they are working wonders with my sensitive sweetie.

Walk-ish

Moses has gotten really good at cruising along our furniture and walls, and with help, can walk decently. We've been trying to catch him on video while he does these things, but once the camera is out, he forgets what he's doing and tries to get the camera. But, this morning I caught him briefly...

-Lindsey

"Mulligan"

Today was the 1st day of Parent's Day Out for Moses, again.

And, it went well--thanks in part to him being the only baby present for a better part of the day. When we arrived, I hung around for an hour until he seemed comfortable enough with his new caretakers (who are really sweet and fun). When I left, he didn't fuss too much because they successfully distracted him with a stroller ride.

Moses does love a good stroller ride.

From the rest of their report, he really did well considering we'd hit the reset button on his PDO experience. He didn't drink any milk but was willing to eat some baby food (!) and take a short nap, and another short nap.

I didn't have to pick him up early either which was a relief to me! I was able to get a lot of work done and feel prepared for once. We know it'll still take some time for him to adjust and feel more comfortable , but this is a great start.

Today was such a good day!

He's discovered that he can scrunch up his eyes when he laughs (so it's the only way to laugh)

He has a stuffy nose so his mouth is constantly agape.

Here, Moses drums up some laughs.

-Lindsey

9 Month Check-Up

Yesterday, Moses and I went to visit Dr. Gray for his 3/4 year check-up. 9 months! I'm in disbelief. What happened to my helpless infant?

Then

Now

The check-up went well. Moses is 29.5 inches tall (75th percentile), 19.2 pounds (25th percentile), and his head circumference is 46.5 centimeters (73 percentile). I was shocked that his weight put him in the 25th percentile. Even though he's thinned out over the last few months, he still seems chunkier than most other kids. Dr. Gray assured me he was growing well and not to worry.

We discussed his continued lack of teeth and his severe separation anxiety. He said both were completely normal and that in time, we'll see his chompers and the anxiety will improve. In the meantime, there's not much to do but wait.

For next time (gulp...1 year!), we're to wean him from the bottle to the sippy cup. Of course! Now that he finally takes a bottle, we're supposed to say, "no, use this instead." A parent's job is never done... I'm also to strategize a plan for weaning him from breast milk to cow's milk after he turns one. It makes me sad that our special time will soon end, but he's getting to the point where I don't feel like I can offer him enough of what he needs--without him nursing constantly. He also really seems to enjoy feeding himself table food, and I just can't compete with the goodness that is chicken ravioli and carrots. I'm just thankful we'll make it to my goal of nursing for one year!

-Lindsey

Like Father Like Son

Two weeks ago, Dave's parents (Martie and Richard) brought us these pictures of Dave as a baby to compare to Moses at the same age. The pictures of Dave were taken in October 1980 so Dave was around 9/10 months old.

You can definitely see some resemblance between father and son.

-Lindsey

Fun Footage

These video aren't the best, but they make me happy. Isn't that the sign of something great?

1. Moses' laugh at the end of this one brings me great joy.

2. Here, Moses is trying to pull up on some furniture and hold on to his blue tube**. He'd been doing this for awhile before I taped it so his interest is beginning to wane. But, his frustration is still very obvious.

** A component of my exercise ball pump, he's grown attached to that blue tube so much and plays with it A TON. Why is it that he must enjoy non-toys more than toys?

3. Our camera ran out of memory on this one, but even in its brevity--it's precious.

-Lindsey