So sweet

We have a sweet dumpling on our hands, ladies and gentlemen. Every day it's something new. Recently, he's been very snuggly in the mornings after his post-breakfast nursing, and it's sooooo sweet. Cynically, I wonder if it's because we started sleep coaching (letting the poor little man cry a bit, and sometimes quite a bit more than a bit, before going to bed). I know what a good out-of-control cry gets you first hand, and it's exhaustion, and a shellshocked need for snuggles.

We're headed to the beach this weekend. To family camp at the beach, actually. There are five families with babies littler than H up through a five-year-old, and my fantastic cousins Don and Carla all going down to Santa Cruz. Right now, with the wind whipped way up, and a cold bite in the air this doesn't seem like the best idea, but I have faith in the weather never staying the same for very long, so we should be in the clear this weekend.

We got a new turtle potty seat for H yesterday. He really likes it, but not so much to sit on it. I've been working to keep his diaper off (keeps diaper rash down), and I'm pretty good (better than batting average) at taking a hint and getting him to his cooshi changer (thanks again for this multi-use gift, Micah) prior to P-time. In fact, I chose the bright green turtle potty seat because it's the same color as the cooshi changer, and I'm pretty darn sure H has positive pee associations with that thing. Arne, on the other hand, is not so good at getting the hints. In fact, I don't think he ever has. What he gets is: a wet shirt (change clothes), wet pants (change clothes), a wet hoodie (change clothes). This makes me laugh... a lot. I think we're seeing early evidence of H showing Arne who is boss.

Another sweet thing is that he has friends. He and Lux are getting pretty sweet on each other. Well, at least compared to when they would smack each other by accident and cry, or when H stole each and every toy that Lux would pick up (that's how you know which toys are really cool!)... I came home for lunch today and they were playing in the same vicinity (not exactly together, but close) and having a lovely time. And then Lux was jumping very joyfully in the bouncy chair, and H just could not get enough of watching her, and walking over to hold her hand (or anything else he could manage to get ahold of). Very sweet.

Bigger and Better

He's bigger. Much bigger. Almost 20 pounds. And he's crawling. He actually mostly does a funny shuffle, crawling with two hands and one foot, and more or less dragging the other knee around. I've seen him drag four blocks and his red nose ball halfway across the room unintentionally with that knee. Without pants, he likes to "crawl" by using his hands and his feet (not his knees), but I think with a diaper it's harder to maneuver that way.

He knows what "light" and "kitty cat" mean. I've seen him search for the kitty when I asked him where she was, and he has looked up at the light when I was talking about it. He *loves* our overhead light. He's liked it since he was little, and his obsession with the light has inspired a few songs at our house, most notably, "The booby in the sky."
Take me up to the booby in the sky/
That's where I'm gonna go when I cry/
When I cry and I lay me to rest/
I'm gonna go to my place on the breast

Arne and I are so thankful to share a bit of space with our little good-spirited beast. Here are more stats about the effervescent munchkin:
Fears: vacuum cleaner, coil heater (thank heavens!)
Likes: red, standing, pulling books off shelves, trees
Loves: turning book pages (board books), tearing book pages (paper), avacado
Dislikes: sweet potato (there's no comprehending that one!), mommy or daddy leaving

Bed movement diagram (beware!!!)

Spooky

Ok, this is getting weird. I suppose I'm an agnostic, with tendencies toward doubt, but something is happening with Harldur that's beginning to make me wonder if I understand much at all. This started with him on my lap a month or two back. He would fall asleep, and I'd be tired too and wanna take a nap. After securing him on my lap with pillows and bracing my arms under him and all I'd finally start to close my eyes, but the moment I nodded off, he'd rustle and wake me back up. This happened about 5 times, and I eventually gave up on sleeping. I couldn't figure out what was happening, because I sorta tested slackening my muscles, and was still conscious enough that I didn't notice any obvious drooping of an arm or anything.

I paid it no mind, but it happened again the following week. Same thing, in a slightly different position. He just would not let me slip into unconsciousness. Now I was beginning to wonder. What was he noticing? And why would he care if my muscles slackened a little anyway? This is a kid who can sleep through a raucuous family dinner at a restaurant, and napped for about half of game one of the Giants vs Braves playoffs at the ballpark. But somehow, some tiny something was setting him off in my sleepiness.

And then Dad came down to take care of him, he fell asleep sprawled across his chest, totally different position, head not supported by Dad's arms or anything, and apparently did the same thing to him! He said everytime he nodded off, Harldur fussed. 

Now this is where I can't tell if I'm indulging in groggy inventions, but it's happened two times this week...when he wasn't on my lap! I put him down in the front room, and just as I was nodding off on the couch, he started crying...and today, I put him in the co-sleeper in our bedroom and lied down on the bed, and sure enough, he cried the moment I was near sleep. Of course, part of the confusion is that I don't know if I really have "just" fallen asleep. Maybe I slept for a little while, but usually the time doesn't show it as being long, if at all.

And funny thing is, he doesn't do it at night. Is it because we're both home? Is it because he's more deeply asleep at night? Is there some kind of primitive instinct surfacing that daddy needs to remain alert to guard the cave?

He also doesn't do it with Cati, but maybe that's because she puts him to sleep during naps with a nice meal, and the deliverer of his meal still resting against his face? I have no such enveloping reminder of security, I guess.

All I know is that it's got me a little unnerved, but also basking in a bit of wonder. Is there some level of perception babies know about that we forget at some point? A way to register attention of a conscious mind, when that big eye is present and listening/smelling/looking for danger? It reminds me of the Golden Compass books, where the mysterious "dust" turned out to be sort of a form of Attention.

Or is it just a dad in the heightened state of "everything my boy does is amazing" mixed with sleepiness?

H's new pet

So proud of H's new pet dragon. Made from chalk board contact paper... So he can write on the wall!

Fish Story

Today a little dad's group I've organized took our sprats to the California Academy of Sciences, which has recently been rebuilt to much hoopla round here. I've only been once since it was anew, and it was so crowded I saw very little. We went at the crack of dawn (11am) so as to potentially keep ahead of the crowds, and it turned out to be the right plan.

It was the first time H has been to a zoo or aquarium or anything of the sort, though when we were at Alex and Matt's over the holidays he loved their aquarium, so we had hopes.

And I can happily say that the only thing that made him really mad was that he was not able to penetrate through the glass and hold onto the fishes (and probably put them in his mouth). He was absolutely absorbed from the first moments at the penguin tank until about an hour later when he fell deep asleep on my chest amidst the humidity and soothing sounds of the rainforest dome. I think his favorite was the enormous jellyfish, which he pawed at repeatedly and made several excited shrieks and gurgles for. In general, he was most fascinated with underwater, so we stuck with the aquarium this time. He stared, and watched the fish go round and round and smiled and giggled and wow...it was a sweet experience. Cati was sad to miss out, but she also got a few hours off with her girlfriends to drink christmas beer and eat coconut pie. I've been working hard to make sure the mom's don't just see our gang as their favorite babysitting collective, but it's still nice to give mama a break.

Needless to say, we'll be headed back to the aquarium again. We may even get him a small tank at home for Christmas as long as the cats promise not to eat the fishies. We're constantly excited and surprised at how well H takes to new experiences...he loved a post-impressionist exhibit we went to awhile ago too...makes me think we need to try more stuff out...the zoo, boat rides, etc.

Man, what fun we have ahead!

Cute Update

 there are actually three kids in this picture!

 Chillin with gram on the ole stoop

 Meeting new buddy Liam

 blah blah blah

 I'm cute and i know it

 hugging the world

 munch

 peek a boo!

granpa study