Happy baby

At the grocery store every old lady stops to say hello and you give them all your BIG SMILE.

At the fair friends and strangers admire you and your BIG SMILE.

At the playground in the swing every time I give you a push and snort you hit me with a BIG SMILE.

When I climb into the van to get you out you always SMILE.

Yes, my son, you are a happy baby.

Not Separated at Birth

Tell me you see the resemblance. This is Mary Catherine at 5 months. And Mary Catherine holding Arveragus at 5 months.

First food?

Well, not really. He's been tasting watermelon rind for a couple of weeks. And he's not too into anything but mush--no blueberries etc. They make him choke. Of all the traditional signs for readiness to eat--sitting, teeth, no tongue thrust reflex--Arveragus has none of them. Except that he cries if we eat and he has nothing to taste. Wonder if this desire before ability thing will become a personal trait?

He liked the pears from a jar anyway.

God Bless Babci

For being an extra pair of hands. For reading to, and doing activities with the school children. For buying lunch, and providing kielbasa. For taking us out to fly a kite on the most beautiful late summer day ever. Grandparents are blessings to their grandchildren--but most especially to their grandchildren's parents!

The Incredible Rolling Baby

Arveragus is definitely trying to crawl. He can get his bum up into the air, but nothing else. In the meantime he has mastered the art of rolling to get anywhere he wants. This is very creative, and fun to watch--except for one thing. The Bed.

Arveragus has fallen off our bed more than any other baby in Eddyblouin history. The thing is, he is active AND mellow. A combination we have not seen before, and which means he does not cry when he wakes up--he just rolls--right onto the floor.

I'll try some fancy footwork with pillow barricades. If that doesn't work I may have to put the mattress on the floor.

Getting as much as we can

Snuggle time, that is. Over the past month Daddy has been on a whirlwind tour of the job market in Oregon. Not really. Just one job. But they hired him. And since it's a bit much to begin teaching 5 subjects and find housing for a big-ish family, Dad is going out by himself. He'll stay with Uncle Paul and settle into the work. Then have a leisurely time finding housing. We will be apart for 3 months and one week. Arveragus, you may begin to crawl while Daddy is away. We all feel this sacrifice sorely. But I keep reminding myself that he's not going off to war! This is a great opportunity for all of us. But I know on some level you will miss your Daddy--so snuggle-up my baby with your loving DADA.