New School Year

Bunny moves to a new class on Monday. I think it will be a good change for him; let's hope I'm right!

And I hope he likes his teacher. He's in the same school, and is already at least a little familiar with his soon-to-be teacher, so I'm hoping it's a smooth transition for him. Wish us luck!

Float Like a Butterfly, Jump Like a Rabbit

It's been a while! Mostly I wanted to post that Bunny can now jump. JUMP. Both feet clearly off the floor at the same time.

For a while, his jumps were mostly one foot off the floor, other foot on tiptoe. Almost a full jump, but not quite, though occasionally the toes of the grounded foot would leave the ground momentarily. Now, though. Honest-to-God jumping. We're so proud. I have no real idea how long he's been able to do this; we just saw him do it about a week ago. He may have been jumping like a... well, a bunny, at school for weeks now for all we know. But after we saw it and were all excited, he jumped all over the house.

What else? He's still hilarious and really only getting funnier. He loooves chips and salsa. He sits in his booster seat or high chair, pulls up a little bowl of salsa, reaches for the chips, and he's happy as a little clam.

Lately he's taken to lying on our big bed and dangling Woody over the side and saying, "Oh no, Woody, don't fall, oh no, oh nooo!" and dropping him, then getting Buzz to go down and save him. It's so funny. I tried to get it on tape but of course he was facing the door, so saw me immediately and said, "Turn it around!" so he could see himself on the screen while I was taping. My little narcissist.

Hi!

Still perking along... Bunny is fine. He was sick not too long ago with a really nasty viral infection. They said it wasn't the flu, but it sure was flu-like. He had a really worrisome cough with it that wanted to linger. Finally over it and now his nose is running again. Sadly, I'm praying for allergies. C'mon, run-of-the-mill allergies!

Not too much new going on other than that except I am swamped at work.

And I disagree with a couple of the decisions they've made on Project Runway. Ra'mon? I liked him! And he was creative! Admittedly his outfit wasn't very good, but... Oh well. I'm not that outraged about it. I think they've gotten rid of most of the clunkers already (except for Nicolas). Nicolas's outfit this time was okay (finally), but didn't seem particularly original to me. Christopher should have won.

Breathe, America. Lesli has spoken!

Aaaaand I'm out.

J&K+MJ=Who Cares, It's All About My Baby!

1. Jon & Kate + Zzzzzzz

I watched the show when Bunny was tiny and I was up at all hours, and I liked it. All those babies! I was struggling enough with just one! It didn't bother me when they started with some product placement and getting free trips. That's the benefit of being on TV. And they had to deal with the downside -- having cameras on them all the time. It did bother me that the children were growing up with people watching them. It just smacked of exploitation, and it bothered me more the longer the show was on.

People have mentioned how mean Kate has been to Jon, like they're surprised. She talked to him like that from the earliest shows I watched, season two at the latest. And Jon just took it. In every show I watched. Just like I imagine he did the whole time they were together, even before they had children and cameras got involved. Sure, she shouldn't talk to her husband like that, but then he shouldn't just put up with it if it really bothered him. Besides, can you imagine the show without her? With two Jon types? Oh, it's Jon & Kzzzzzzz.

What bothered me the most about the recent hoopla was the fact that everyone was picking on Kate. Wha...? Jon CHEATED on his wife with some 22-year-old tramp, and she's the bad guy? I don't care how mean she is to him, he doesn't have the right to do that. Be a man and stick up for yourself or leave her and stay away from floozies until you're divorced. YOUR CHILDREN ARE WATCHING YOU, YOU SELFISH IDIOT.

(And now he has yet another young girlfriend -- does he think they'd give him the time of day if he weren't famous? Well, maybe he does, he doesn't seem all that bright. And he's apparently going to be designing a line of children's clothes. Because he's such a loving father who knows so much about children. Not to mention fashion. Sigh. Is my disgust showing again?)

Anyway, that's my two belated cents on that whole mess. I'm just sick of them both and wish they'd pull the show and shut them up. I feel sorry for the kids, who are somehow all adorable.

ps-Others are catching up with my disgust (belatedly I think) and someone used the perfect word for Jon Gosselin -- odious. He is an odious man. Yes!

2. Enough!

I am sorry that Michael Jackson died an untimely death, though not surprised. I was listening to some CDs last week; I'd forgotten how good some of his music really is. It's too bad his weirdness overshadowed his talent. However, I'm glad that wall-to-wall coverage is finally over. There were other things going on in the world, after all, many more important than the death of a pop star, despite the fact that his passing apparently left all kinds of empty souls and lives behind. Get a grip, people.

Tip to estate executors: Neverland = California's Graceland


3. Audience Participation

I'm sorry to say that Bunny has turned into a picky eater. Last night Andrew made an enchilada casserole, green beans, and carrots, and Bunny wouldn't even try the casserole. We told him it was meat and cheese -- no sale. We ate it and said how yummy it was -- still didn't buy it. We gave up on that and pulled out some lunch meat. We finally got him to eat that and some carrots by telling him how funny it would be if he ate it instead of throwing it on the floor -- to him, the height of hilarity. Anyway, he's such a ham that he did it. He put some in his mouth with this little mischievous look and we laughed and clapped and he smiled and ate it. Yippee! This will work until he catches on. So we'll need a new approach by tomorrow.

First Day

Well, the daycare FINALLY opened their new location, so Bunny went to his first day of daycare last Wednesday. Andrew and I both took him, and he enjoyed it as long as we were there. After we left, they said (when I called later) that he cried a little but then was okay.

Of course, we found out later that he fell asleep not too long after we left, so I guess, yeah, he was fine while he was sleeping. Sheesh. Anyway, Friday Andrew said he did okay but didn't seem to want to stay and cried a little. And then today he SCREAMED AND CRIED when Andrew dropped him off, so of course Andrew was upset. I called later and his teacher said he was doing fine, they had colored and played and he was napping. So I hope he adjusts soon and does fine. We think he was more reluctant and upset today because he was tired. We got in sort of late yesterday from visiting family, and Bunny had taken a long nap on the drive back, so he didn't go to sleep until late last night.

Fortunately the new location is not full, by any means, so he started last week with only one other classmate in his age group, a little girl, and this week another little girl has started, so he is getting more one-on-one attention from the caregivers than he otherwise would, which I think is good.

Wish us all luck!

Pictures!

Here is Bunny before the haircut. See the lovely curls? This is why I resisted cutting his hair for so long.













Here is Bunny during the haircut. Notice the lollipop. Once he got it, it stayed in his mouth pretty much the whole time. Thank goodness for Dum-Dums!













Here's Bunny after the haircut. Still curly, whoo-hoo!! In the second picture, he's thoughtfully contemplating what's left of his lollipop.

Cut!

Yesterday we took Bunny for his first real haircut. He looks like a little boy more than ever now, not my little baby anymore! I'm a little sad about that. I'll post pictures whenever I can get them uploaded. He looks adorable, of course. Of course! And his hair is still curly, yay! I can't tell you how happy I am about that.

Bunny did really well. They had a big booster seat thing but he didn't want to let go of me, so I held him and the stylist cut his hair that way. She also gave him a DumDum and he didn't take it out of his mouth once he got it. He didn't cry and only tried to pull away when she was trying to cut his bangs -- yes, when she had POINTY SCISSORS NEXT TO HIS EYEBALLS. But we held him and it was fine.

We are all getting over the cold; it was a doozy. Nice to hear Bunny breathing easily again.

Update

Let's see... we've all got colds. I was actually the last to catch it, which is unusual. Andrew typically doesn't get sick but he got this one. It's pretty nasty. I can't wait for Bunny to get over it, I hate to hear him cough. He's never had a cough like this. Oh! And I think he caught it in the doctor's office when we took him for shots. And waited in the well-baby area. Thanks a lot, people who won't obey the rules; thank you for bringing your germy kids into the area reserved for kids WITHOUT germs. I appreciate your thoughtful efforts to boost my child's immune system. Why, without you, my poor baby would be breathing easily, sleeping through the night, and feeling generally great. So, thanks!

Today I wore a skirt without hose or tights because yesterday didn't seem all that cold, and I usually don't leave the building once I'm here anyway. It was 32° when I was driving in! Of course. Thank goodness I have a space heater in my office or I would be freezing. One wall of my office is windows, which is nice for the view but cold on days like today.

That's it. Nothing too exciting. Oh! Except Bunny knows a LOT of words. They asked at his checkup if he knew 10 to 15 words. Uh... yeah. He knows over a hundred, actually. Knows them, not just repeats them. He's quite the talker. Right now his favorite words are Super Why (he loves that show) and Percy (the little engine, which he carries around pretty much all day).

He's also in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. Andrew is excited about his height, though we both wish he'd eat better. He's turned into something of a picky eater and is not fond of vegetables. He loves fruit, though, which is good except for the fact that it means he likes sweets. What can I say, he comes by that sweet tooth naturally. Sorry, Bunny!

That Thomas Magic

Saturday, I was in our bedroom arranging books and Bunny was sitting on the floor by me, looking at his books. (Why, yes, we do like to read, why do you ask?) The TV was on in the living room, but was not very loud. Suddenly Bunny stood up and started talking emphatically. Of course I had no idea what he was saying. He pointed and spoke some more. I said, "What do you want?" and started trying to guess. Exasperated, Bunny took off for the living room (oh! he was pointing at the door!) so I followed him. He stopped and pointed at the TV, where Thomas the Tank Engine was starting. Following a few more emphatic hand gestures and words, he settled in to watch the episode (well, if you can call less than ten minutes an episode).









Not only was it funny because he was so emphatic and I was so clueless, but it was also impressive. That boy has good hearing! I did not hear the Thomas intro music at all. Of course, my hearing is not what it used to be...

It's Beginning to Look... Oh Wait...

I can't believe it's almost Christmas!!

We just bought a new artificial tree this weekend and put it up, still no decorations on it. At least there are lights! I did get our stockings hung and some decorations put up and some presents wrapped...

Christmas cards will be late but they are COMING SOON.

More Snow Pics

Here is a picture of Bunny and me in the snow. Well, kind of. By this time the snow had mostly turned to rain, so we had to stay under a roof.

A First!

Here are some pictures from Bunny's first birthday party, courtesy of his Uncle Mark. We haven't uploaded ours yet.

Sneaking a hand over to the big cake...






What cake? Who, me?






With his little chocolate cake. My cautious boy.









































Sugar kicks in...


















Whoo! Balloons! Whoo!

Random Samples

Bunny is moving into 18-month clothes (What's that? Oh, he's not quite a year old, thank you for asking!) and it's making me sad. I used to have to fold his onesies in half down the middle because they were too small to fold like I do our shirts, which is to hold the shirt up facing me, fold the sleeves in behind the shirt, then fold the bottom up behind the top (I really hope that makes sense). But now, the 18-month clothes? I CAN FOLD THEM LIKE OURS. He's getting big! I mean, I'm happy he's growing and all that but... he's already not looking like so much of a baby anymore. *sigh*

Have I mentioned that he is cruising (walking while holding onto something) all over the place now? And tries to stand up when he's crawling? And he now has SIX teeth?! *SIGH*

Also, I was thinking about Top Chef; the fact that there are three women to one man heading into the finale indicates that they are finagling for a woman to win this season. Well, that's great, I would love a woman to win, but I don't want a woman to win just because they think it's time one did. She should win because she's the best chef, not because she has ovaries.

If they did this on purpose, and got rid of most of the men, especially Douchey Dale, to stack the odds in favor of women, that's just... gross. If they were deliberately looking for reasons to send men home, Richard must have survived either because they needed to keep one man on so the PC pabulum wouldn't be quite so obvious as it went down our virtual throats, or because they just couldn't scrounge up a reason to send him home, or both. Meaning they would have had to pull something out of their... hats to get rid of him and it would have been completely transparent. And we're talking Top Chef here, not ANTM. You know, subtle.

I've come to the sad acceptance of ANTM being completely rigged; if you were paying attention, it was pretty apparent even by the second cycle, but now... painfully obvious. I don't like that, but since I primarily watch it for the photography and it doesn't seem to matter, anyway -- it's not like the winners go on to become the next Cindy Crawford or Heidi Klum -- I've let it go. But if Top Chef is going to descend down the rocky and treacherous path to the Level Playing Field of Mediocrity, well, let's just say I'll pack MY knives and go.

Mommy's Log

Bunny is crawling! Forward! He took off Monday all of a sudden, right across the room. He went after the telephone, one of his favorite playthings. That would be our telephone, a cordless. He much prefers our telephones and remote controls to any toys we give him. So why do we keep buying toys??

He has also started pulling up, so we really have to watch him now; he'll grab hold of anything and pull. He has also started crying when he doesn't get his way. Believe me, we're trying to nip that nasty little habit in the bud. It's hard sometimes, looking at his cute little face.

Mommy's Log

My poor baby has either bad allergies or yet another cold. He is stuffy and cranky. Well, for him; he's still pretty good-natured, just a little more clingy and apt to fuss. I don't blame him, I'm much more irritable than that when I'm sick. Oh, much. Much, much.

Otherwise, he's fine and adorable and handsome and all that rot. He's getting much more mobile now, though he still doesn't quite crawl or walk. When he's on his hands and knees, he pushes himself backwards more often than not, which doesn't please him. He stands really well but only takes sort-of steps so far.

We think any day now he'll at least be crawling, then Katie bar the door! And the cabinets, and the toilet seat, and the dog bowls, and...

Rampant Consumerism

But we NEED stuff, y'all!

I am pondering the purchase of some fairly big-ticket items. One thing we need is a new camera. The one we have now has no image stabilization at all; the slightest tremor and the picture is all blurry and worthless. I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE a DSLR, but we can't really afford one right now, so I'm trying to decide between point and shoots. Some of them are really close to DSLRs but they are also expensive, just not quite an arm or a leg. A couple of fingers, maybe a toe. I can spare a toe.

If anyone has any advice about digital cameras, come on with it! We really want to be able to chronicle the Life and Times of Baby Bunny and have the pictures actually look like him.

I am also trying to choose a stroller for Bunny. This has really turned into a super long-drawn-out research project. It would help if we lived anywhere near a place that sold strollers, well, except Wal-Mart, of course, bless your heart. They don't exactly have a large selection, you know. Anyway, then we could see which ones we like and which ones Bunny seems comfortable in.

There are certain things I'd like it to have: a decent canopy; a seat with some movement that goes from almost straight up-and-down (Bunny usually likes to sit up straight; he wants to SEE, by God) to some sort of recline; an adjustable foot rest; a window in the canopy so I can reassure myself that Bunny is FINE, my God, CALM DOWN, LADY, without stopping and running around in front of the stroller like a nitwit; durability; portability; and, of course, no recalls on it. One model I looked at came with bug netting, isn't that cool? I think so, for down here where they are out of control and possibly going to simply carry us all away one day, to wherever marauding insects would carry humans. Ugh, stopping there, imagery not at all pleasant or even amusing.

I've been wavering between just getting a cheapie umbrella stroller and getting a step up (not a whole-hog sort of rolling condo, though, please). We're planning a vacation in August and I think I'll want to get something Bunny will be more comfortable in than just a little bitty umbrella stroller. So any advice on a stroller would be much appreciated.

Heeeee!

Who would have thought LiLo had a sense a humor about herself? Go here to see.

Wacky drummer of a Korean band steals the show.

This is hilarious. And probably what Jeff Goldblum will sound like in 20-25 years.

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THIS JUST IN: Bunny is still adorable.

He's not as congested as he was, and his fourth tooth is out, so he's feeling better all around, thank goodness.

He clapped yesterday! It's the first time he really got the idea of bringing his hands together (not just toys), and he did it several times, and mimicked us doing it. (For those of you who aren't parents, that right there's a developmental milestone.) That was fun! He also was fascinated with my shirt (a blue tee shirt) and laughed and pulled on it, and then pulled on the neck and REACHED INSIDE. He was like, Hey, I remember those! Anyway, it was hilarious. He was in such a good mood, laughing at almost anything we did. He's such a little dream.

As for me, I am about to start a regimen of allergy medications that could probably take down an elephant, so wish me luck with that. I have some sort of respiratory something disorder something, not just allergies, not quite asthma, but all of the related problems lumped together, so I'll be swallowing pills, inhaling aerosols, and spraying mist up my nose every day for the next little while. FUN. But I'm so tired of coughing all the time, I'd try almost anything at this point.

Hallelujah

Last day of March, suckas!! I am so glad. And very proud of myself for managing to post every day except one! I'm still mad at myself for that one, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I guess I'll try NaBloPoMo again some other month, but not for a while. It's difficult when you work full-time and have a baby. ANYWAY.

Last night -- or rather VERY EARLY this morning -- I was changing Bunny's diaper. So he was lying on a changing mat on our bed (changing tables are for namby-pambies who care if their backs develop permanent kinks from hunching over to change a million diapers; you know who you are) and I had put a washcloth over his, um, personals, in case he decided to wee, which is pretty common. Something about the breeze, maybe? As I was wiping his little bottom (it was just a wet diaper), I realized he did, in fact, wet the washcloth. With much self-congratulation for not only putting the washcloth there but keeping it there as I cleaned him, I proceeded to put a new diaper on, humming a merry tune. Okay, that's going too far, there's no way I'm humming at 4 am, but you get the idea. As I'm putting the new diaper on, I realized the mat under him was damp. No, wet. Oh no.

I moved Bunny over, thinking, What the...? Okay, I guess he wee'd quite a bit and it ran over a little. Oh, but no. NO. As I moved him, I realized (yes, this was quite a night for realizations) that the side and back of his little pajama shirt was SOPPING WET.

I asked Andrew (who was also up, because why should one be up without the other? No, really, he got up to take the dogs out) to move the mat and see if the bed was wet. And lo, it was much sodden. Well, there was a wet spot on the coverlet and both sheets.

Apparently, Bunny quite fortuitously had a powerfully full bladder when I decided to change his diaper and when he felt the cool breeze wafting around his little joystick, he yielded to sweet temptation and enjoyed life to the fullest.

Well, why not?

Les Miserables

Well, Bunny's fourth tooth is coming in, you can see it now. My poor baby has been sick and cutting two teeth at the same time. Miserable? No, not at all, why do you ask?

He has been remarkably good-natured throughout, it amazes me. I hope he keeps this outlook on life as he grows up. It will make for a happier life for him.

Things I've Learned

Things I've Learned Since Becoming a Mother:

1. Baby teeth are sharp!
2. Baby food is like glue.
3. Baby food is also invisible until you're ready to go somewhere, then hey presto! There it is in the eyebrows, behind the left ear, in the wrist crease...
4. Baby drool is a force of nature; think Niagra Falls, only stickier.
5. Babies are amazingly strong, especially when pitted against my hair.
6. Once baby food is started, poop diapers achieve a level of stinkatiousness that can make a grown man shy like a frightened horse.
7. I'm equally dreading (see "stinkatiousness" above) and anxiously awaiting the start of "grown-up" food.
8. The weight of responsibility for another human being can be overwhelming, even paralyzing.
9. Nothing prepared me for this, or could have.
10. There is absolutely nothing better than having this new little person in my life.