Austin

We're back. It was fun and tiring. But that's like everyday, so I should come up with a better description. Hmmm ... Yeah. It's 9:00 p.m. and I've been up since 5 a.m. and that's all I've got. But there are some REALLY cute pictures if you click the one above and there are some even cuter ones at www.parkerblue.blogspot.com.

SSL,
MotherofGoose

p.s. SSL stands for Sorry So Lame.

He's got Ore-Ida on Speed Dial

If only I had known. If ONLY! We could've stocked up the last time we were at Costco. He is definitely not deficient in lycopene. The ketchup bottle has become our favorite friend. If given one hundred opportunities to plunder through the refrigerator, he would ALWAYS choose the ketchup. This love affair has been brewing for some time. I've been trying to ignore it. Trying to stop myself from thinking that ketchup is not good enough for MY BABY. But you can't stop love.

And speaking of love ...

This'll make you wanna cook up something good every night ... just so you can watch the two of them clean up.

In other news ...

Today The Goose and I went to the park (again). The park is one of my favorite places because there are always other moms there. Other moms who can commiserate with me about how hard it is to wrangle a toddler into shoes and socks. Every five minutes. Or how glorious it is when they have a good nap. Simple things, really.

Today we met Mae & Evan, best friends of the three-year old variety. At first, I was enamored. We met Mae upon our arrival. Beautiful Mae, with two braids and blue eyes and an announcement: “My best friend is Evan. She's on her way.”

"Great!" I said. What could be better when you're three than meeting your best friend Evan at the park?

And then there was Evan, or “Evvy” as she’s known to those in the loop. You know that book The Devil Wears Prada? Well Evan could be the heroine in a spoof on that title: The Devil Wears Gymboree. Pink shirt, denim miniskirt, pink tights, pink shoes with bunnies on them, pink & white hair bow.

When Mae saw Evan, she made bee line off the swings ... running toward her ... and Evan was doing the same. It was the sweetest thing I have seen in a long time.

Five minutes later …

The Goose grabs Evvy’s water bottle. And granted, it was HERS! And it was special and fresh and sprung from a volcano somewhere in Europe. But she had abandoned it under the monkey bars, and he found it. And there was no ketchup around … and you know how the song goes … “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”

But then she grabbed it back: “MY spring water.”

“She’s right,” I said to myself (and Goose). “It’s her bottle and LOOK here’s this beautiful oak leaf!” He’s sobbing.

Five minutes later …

Goose is attempting to climb the stairs to the slide. Evvy and Mae approach. Mae slides by him ever so sweetly. Then Evvy. And just as she’s right above him, looking down, she looks at him with this evil, evil eye and says, “WE can go up faster than you, Little Bitty.”

Remember Kim Laden (pronounced like Bin Laden)? Out she comes, ready to pounce. But then in the distance I hear Evvy’s mom saying, in a sing-song voice: “Evvy … are you being POLITE?” Kim mutters, “No, she’s being a bully.” But alas, it falls on deaf ears. Thus, the first bullying occurs, just like that.

Now, for some reason, homeschooling sounds so appealing. I just cannot bear a bully. The way she said “Little Bitty”! Like “bitty” is a noun! Like sticks and stones can break his bones, but names can never hurt him! As if! Where do they learn this? Or is it just the nature of some kids?

Oh well. Tomorrow: AUSTIN!!!!!!!!! I hear they have a low occurrence of bullying in public parks there.

If he gets any cuter ...

I'm gonna eat him.

This picture is interesting for several reasons. First, because he looked right at the camera and smiled that yummy yummy smile. Second, because in the background is The Dad of The Family (most of whom I cropped out), sacked out on the couch (we have all had a cold-like thing and are trying to get well). I think we just keep passing it back and forth or something.

Yesterday we took a family outting to the park where The Goose and I work out (Mommies in Motion class) on regular Saturday mornings. Yesterday morning we didn't go to class due to The Goose's low-grade fever. But he was feeling better by the afternoon, so we went to check out the ducks and dogs and squirrels and old rusty cans of Vienna Sausages (pronounced "vie-eena" for those of you not from the South).

If you click on the picture above, you can see more photos of this event and some amateur portraits that were taken right here in our own living room. We hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Halloween Approacheth

More fun fall photos are just a click away folks. I am feeling uninspired to write much ...

There is lots of walking going on around here. And lots and lots of babbling and squealing and laughing.

We are all excited about our upcoming fun events:

• Monday-Wednesday of next week, Macy & G-Daddy will be here.
• Thursday - Monday (10/31), we'll be in Austin at Aunty Amy & Uncle Todd's house.
• Then Grammy & Grampy will visit.
• Then we'll go to Newton for Thanksgiving (maybe we can see a bullfight!).
• Then to Milwaukee for Christmas.

VERY EXCITING!

Drop us a line ... we are disappointed in the low number of comments (but we also realize that not everyone has as much free time as us). And truthfully, it's not that we have that much free time. On the contrary, we like to stay very busy. It's just that when we do have free time, we use to take pictures, crop them, upload them, and then write extended commentary about them and post it to the Internet. It's a hobby, remember? Sorta like doing laundry. Yeah! Like that.

Have a great weekend!

Haircuts, Weight Training, Etc.

Pre HAIRCUT do
Originally uploaded by Kimmy Crack Corn.

The Goose got his haircut yesterday (in the tub with Dad as the stylist). He's really happy with it so far.

I just uploaded a few recent photos, so click on the above picture to see more.

Happy Tuesday!

Lucky 13

Dear JEB,

Today is your 13-month birthday, and the big news is that you can walk now! Actually it’s more like a stagger, and there are lots of forward and backward and sideways crashes. But in general you are officially bipedal now. This makes me really happy because taking you to a playground is much more fun now that you are not constantly crawling over mulch and sand, eating mulch and sand, and just generally being annoyed because the older kids can get to the slide faster than you. The taller and faster the slide, the better. The higher I push you in the swings, the better. But the best part for you is having your dad there to emulate primate behavior and otherwise entertain you. I just cannot compete with that.

Now that you are tottering around everywhere, you are much more interested in going outside, and when I say, “Do you want to go outside?” you very clearly answer by going to get your push cart and immediately running to the door. While you’re out there, you like to find leaves or rocks on the ground, and usually you hold them up for me to see. Then you say, “dat” or “urt” or “bot” and I say, “Thank you!” in this very animated voice, as if that will make you more likely to use that phrase someday. Sometimes you want me to keep the leaves or rocks, and this just steals my heart.

Usually you hear airplanes way before I do and you look up and point and wait until they come into view. Then you say, “dat” or “urt” or “bot” while pointing and scrunching down your eyebrows and I say, “Wow! Zoom! An airplane!” Then you look at me and clap. Recently your dad taught you how to kick a ball in the backyard, and while you’d still rather waylay the chickens, you do find this mildly entertaining as well.

We take lots of walks down by the lake, and when you see a dog, you begin making this very excited noise that involves breathing in and out hurriedly while making a squealing sound. If a truck or a tractor happens to pass by then you almost cannot control yourself. Sometimes when you see a State Parks truck, you say, “Dah!” and I say, that’s right, “Dad’s white truck.”

You think it’s really funny to splash in the tub. You like to hold your shampoo bottle (or any bottle, for that matter) because the cap flips up and down, and this is fascinating. Your dad won’t let you do that when he’s in charge of bathtime, but sometimes when you’re really dirty and I just want you to let me scrub the caked food out of your neck, then I let you. This always results in catastrophe … either you get soap in your mouth or you pinch your lip. The other night, while I was dutifully washing dishes, you and your dad were having a fun bathtime and all of a sudden I heard a desperate “Kiiiiiiiiiiiim!” and lots of loud banging. I ran upstairs, terrified at what I might find. And there you were, red faced and wailing, having had a brutal encounter with a bar of Irish Spring soap. Mama to the rescue! The crisis was resolved with a little cool-water eye splash, some nursing, and your blanket.

Whenever you encounter your blanket or some other such soft object, you immediately insert your right thumb into your mouth and make a very sweet noise which can only be described as a high-pitched, hummed trill. Sometimes when I'm driving and you're in the backseat, I know you are sucking your thumb when I hear this noise. This steals my heart too.

You must feel like such a big boy now that you’re no longer a “baby” and can be classified as a “toddler.” I feel like I have graduated into some new era of mommyhood. An era where watching will be replaced by chasing and where talking will be replaced by listening. Every change, every milestone, every leaf is precious. Someone reminded me the other day that we only have about 17 more years with you in the house. I know that there will be days (ok, so there already are days) when this feels like way too long, but on the whole, I know that it will pass entirely too fast and I will look back and say, “It seems like you should still be a BABY!” as all parents do. And like all parents, I will probably always like to think back, but I also like to look ahead and imagine what you’ll be like in your bright, bright future.

Happy 13 months, buddy!

Love,
Mama

Accelerated Learning Week

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man!" ~Elton John

Wow, this working outside the home stuff is really cramping my blogging style! So, here's what's been going on around here ...

This whole week has been dubbed ACCELERATED LEARNING WEEK by The Dad of The Family because of The Goose's increased walking & talking. The walking has increased in quality, while the talking has increased in quantity only.

He can now walk clear across a room and usually when he falls down, he stands up again (rather than the old crawling stand-by). In other words, he's made great strides (ha ha! I am cracking myself up with the puns.). Here's what it looks like:

"And the walkin' man walks." ~James Taylor

The talking, on the other hand, has increased in amount and has changed in nature a little. He still imitates words here and there, but the new thing is to mimic the sound of complete sentences while using the syllable "Da." And since I spent two years of my life getting a degree in linguistics, I'll go ahead and tell you that he's right on schedule. This is his way of practicing intonation. You can even tell when he's asking (questions have RISING intonation) and when he's simply pointing out something (statements have FALLING intonation). Funny, I've been practicing this with my students as well.

In other news ...

He still won't drink milk (cow's milk) very much (unless I'm at work and it's mixed into a bottle with formula). I have to be out of the house for him to drink it. And it has to be mixed with formula. And it has to be in a bottle. But I really don't think he's a picky child.

Yesterday when I dropped him off at school he didn't even cry! I think it was because Ms. Sarah was not there yet (he associates her with me leaving) and the much more animated Ms. Vicki had just pulled out a large, plastic, flatbed truck. While I snuck out of the room, The Goose was pushing around the flatbed while Warren pushed around a crib. Yeah, a big metal crib on wheels. He can push the whole thing across the carpet. He is huge. Emma was there too, with her denim dress and her white tights with purple flowers. Her fat little calves were hanging out over her white shoes (which also had purple flowers). She likes to pull up her dress and say "button!" She's 14 months and her head is covered in white, curly hair. The three of them are like a photographer's dream.

And speaking of hair ...

"Purple clover, Queen Anne lace, crimson hair across your face, you could make me cry if you don't know. Can't remember what I was thinkin' of, you might be spoilin' me too much love ... You're gonna make me lonesome when you go." ~Bob Dylan

The only other bit of news is that I have enabled commenting on this site. This means that you can now leave comments on each post. You can always leave comments about the photos, but now you can leave your mark on the actual blog itself (which, by the way, I print out monthly for posterity and put into a three-ring binder labeled "Goose Bumps" -- it's my substitute for scrapbooking. I call it "e-memories"). So, comment away!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Here he is fresh from a 12-hour sleep, still in his PJs. Macy bought these a LONG time ago (probably on sale for 75% off). Basically, it is an orange jumpsuit (with feet). On the left side there is a scarecrow and the words "Happy Fall, Y'all!" I love it. The crooked lips, the car, this is CLASSIC JEB.

And his other grandma bought him this little sweater and hat set ...

which he wore yesterday to our first Mommies in Motion class (click to read an article about the program) at Centennial Park, home of Nashville's Parthenon. It was a blast! We walked and jogged and squatted and did hand weights and abs and stretching and dips and up hill and down hill and backwards and forwards and sang silly songs. We also fed some geese, ducks, and pigeons, which I think was The Goose's favorite part, of course. He made his famous Sound to Denote that Animals are Present, which is a high pitched shrieking sort of noise combined with the syllables DA-DA-DA. I was actually surprised that none of the pigeons came and ate off of his snack tray in the stroller since about 10 minutes into the workout he had smeared cream cheese and jelly and smashed cheerios all over it. The whole time I was amused by the fact that here I was working out and simultaneously stuffing his face with every snack I could find in his bag. The Goose isn't crazy about the stroller, but if snacks are involved then there's hope. We may even try this again!

In other news, The Goose can now say "Bird"! He was outside with his dad and a bird flew overhead and The Dad said, "Bird!" and The Goose replied "Bur." This is not surprising, since he makes this same sound for "burp."

It is finally FALL and I love the cooler weather. What a fabulous time of year for him to start walking! He now BEGS to go outside to push his cart and because of the cooler weather, now I actually enjoy going with him. So indeed, "HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!"

p.s. Click any of the pictures above to see a couple more.

Xylophones & Pancake Syrup

He's just like me: so musical and he loves pancake syrup.

Today his two obsessions were this new all-wood xylophone that The Dad brought home from the health food store and an empty bottle of Log Cabin Original (see below). The music set also included a pair of castanets (sp?) and a dysfunctional kazoo. We called the 800 number that was listed on the back of the box to report that it was wasn't working and they promptly informed us that it was not a kazoo -- well EXCUSE us -- and that it wasn't necessarily supposed to work all that well. I guess it's just for show. At any rate, I have tried and tried to make it whistle and each time I blow into it, The Goose melts down into a puddle of shrieking and pants-leg yanking. It terrifies him even more than the Cuisinart food chopper.

And here he is with his empty bottle of Log Cabin syrup. It finally found it's way to the toybox after riding around on his cart for a while, watching Baby McDonald (On the Farm!), and lying around outside in the yard while he was chicken chasing. In teh background is The Dad, who is actually on the phone with the kazoo manufacturers being belittled. Thank goodness he didn't embarrass me further by telling them that I couldn't figure out how to make it work even though I have a minor in music from a private college.

His new big thing is to set things on the cart and try to travel without them falling off. This is another future Olympic sport, I'm sure. Below is another example, with a small teddy bear riding shotgun:

Otherwise, he's still just a destruction machine (we haven't heard from NASA about that robotic arm that I requested several months back). Here's what the kitchen looked like after only about 10 minutes of Goose Occupation. He's like an army of one: rummaging, pilfering, destroying everything in his path.

This was all TODAY. I feel like each day is an endless clean-up marathon. Tonight there was angel hair pasta in his butt crack.

Also today we went to the doctor just to be safe (he hasn't coughed in two straight nights!). She decided it was best not to expose him to radiation since he wasn't currently having a problem (thanks Uncle Keith for the mattress suggestion & Grammy for the cool-mist humidifier). She listened to his chest and looked at his ears and we got the all clear. She thinks he's her best patient ever. She said he had a charming smile and I can tell that she thinks he's way cuter than any of her four kids or any of her other patients. This is also very much like me: one time I got the Patient of the Year award from my hometown dentist, Dr. Rives. The prize was one of those Crest electric toothbrushes that has the swiveling, circular bristles, which has also made its way to the bottom of the toybox, but I digress ... the important thing is that he is fine for now and we are hoping and praying that the cough doesn't resume.

After going to the doctor we stopped at a playground where I sat back in utter amazement as The Dad and The Goose attacked the slides. The Goose probably went down the slide (feet first, on his stomach) at least 20 times. The Dad probably went down 40 times (in various positions) and a little boy, whose name is Florian (bless his heart -- y'all don't make fun of his name -- his father is European and they just moved here from California), joined in on the fun as well. At these times in The Goose's life, it's as if I don't even exist. I attempt to help him up the stairs to the slide or stop him from sticking sycamore leaves into his mouth, and he pushes me away and promptly looks around to see where The Dad is: Oh! there he is hanging from the monkey bars ... no, now he's on a swing ... nope, now he's CLIMBING the sycamore tree. No wonder I'm unnecessary at times like this.

The fun and games finalized with The Goose attempting to snag Florian's Mommy's water bottle, me saying "no," and then him having a BMSF. We said goodbye to Florian and high-tailed it outta there.

So that's about the extent of our day. I hope yours was filled with as much excitement, enthusiasm, and action. Saturday The Goose and I will be attending a "Mommies in Motion" class, which involves power walking with a stroller, squats, & stretching. Lord, help us all.

Naked Cart Pushin' with a Cow

The next sport in The Olympics: NCPwaC (goal: to push the cart as far as possible while simultaneously holding a stuffed cow named "Douglas" in your mouth). I told y'all he was a future Olympian. And there are more pictures where that one came from but I am always too lazy to post more than one.

Updates:

COUGH
Slept 7 - 7 last night without ONE SINGLE COUGH. Well ... maybe one or two, but no coughing fits, which is what we were worried about. So the new mattress and the cool mist humidifier must be working (and they ought to for a combined total of $100)! However, he's still going to the doctor tomorrow to have his chest and ears examined and then he'll get a chest x-ray just to be safe.

WALKING
Still just getting braver and braver and taking several steps at a time, unaided, without coaching.

TALKING
Attempted to say "chickens" the other night. Came out "chih." Also attempts "socks," which usually just sounds like "kssss" and "shoes" sounds like "oos." They're all attempts, though, not much consistency other than "bye-bye."

Not much other news. Happy Hump Day!

A BIPED!

A BIPED!
Originally uploaded by Kimmy Crack Corn.

Well, almost.

I think we're almost there folks. Today I took him to the park and the mulch beneath the playground equipment was too difficult to crawl over, so he was FORCED to walk. It was with much trepidation and reluctance, but he basically proved today that he is capable of walking, though not always willing.

Later tonight, I caught him in the bathroom walking (naked, mind you) to get a ball out in the hallway and so I suspect what we've got is a perfectionist on our hands. It's one of those "I don't want you to see me doing it until I've got it down pat" kinda things. But he's so, so close to just taking off.

And it's so, so cute!

For those of you following his persistent cough, I have spoken to the family expert, Great Uncle Keith the ENT doctor, and he says that it *could* be a matter of dust mites in the mattress, which I got (of course) at my fave consignment store. Gross. Who buys used mattresses?

Well, Me. Forgiveness, people! It's always in order. And here I was thinking that I was doing him a favor by not paying top dollar for a fancy new crib and mattress and instead saving that money for his college fund and now look at what's happened.

So tomorrow he's getting a brand-spanking new mattress with a hypoallergenic cover. Hopefully this will quell the nocturnal coughing spells.

I'm sure there will be more news soon of the "he's really walking now for real all the time" variety, so stay tuned.

Chicken Chasin' & Chicken Kickin'

.

The former done by The Goose.

The latter done by The Mom.

Yesterday at approximately 6:23 p.m., I was pecked in the left ring toe by one of The Girls. I didn't have time to think; I just acted: I kicked that chicken right in the tailfeathers. Perhaps she thought that my red toenail polish was a nice juicy bit of tomato, but she hasn't yet been questioned. They're all on lockdown as punishment. It drew blood!

Otherwise, business as usual.

I have just uploaded several of Grammy's photos from the party, so click on the one above to see more.