a 1st for Adin

ok. if you enlarge this a lot, you can barely see Adin's 1st tooth! it erupted yesterday. I'm hoping he goes back to being all happy, all the time now. I know that's pretty unlikely, but hey, it could happen!




It's funny how hard it is to get a smiley picture. He'll be smiling and interacting with me, but I hold up the camera and his attention is diverted. Then if I get him smiling again, once the red eye comes on he gets his deer in the headlights look. Then if I can get him smiling yet again, when I take the picture I usually only get about half his face! So treasure these good pictures, they take a lot of work.

Adin seems to have caught Erik's cold. He has a runny nose, goopy eyes, and he sneezes and coughs a lot. Erik caught his first cold at 2 months, so I'm very thankful that Adin made it to 5 mos.

Adin's a lot of fun now. He'll reach for and play with cloths and soft toys. He will roll off his tummy and laugh at his own cleverness at escaping tummy time. He will sit with some propping or sit in my lap. That has to be fun for him. When I lay him down again, he strains so hard to sit up! He lifts his head and shoulders off the ground, and his feet and legs too.

I enjoy comparing where he is now with where he was a year ago. Wow! It's pretty amazing.

Adin can play!

Adin is up to some cute highjinks as well. I can prop him up on the couch and give him a toy and he'll hold it and play with it for a while. Yesterday he had a funnel and I showed him a stuffed duck. He was excited by the duck (I guess it's more fun than a funnel!) so I handed it to him. Adin set down the funnel, reached for the duck and then brought his hands together to play with it! It's definitely the most complicated action I've seen him do.

When I put him on his tummy, usually he tries to roll over right away. Sometimes, I can sit next to him and put a little pressure on his shoulder so he can't roll over. If I put a little toy in front of him, he'll reach out for it. That's a big deal too!

Erik's Imaginings

Erik's been imagining things a lot recently. Joe washed a quilt and when he pulled it out of the dryer he wrapped up Erik in it. Erik really adored that and set up a little space with the quilt on the floor, his pillow, nuk & lovey, and then he went and got two stuffed animals. He told me the small monkey was Mormor and the large bear was Morfar. He talked with them, went and got a piano and played a concert for them and kept asking me who each one was. He's continued to pretend the animals are Mormor and Morfar and plays with them and asks them if he can go to their house.

Last night at bedtime, I was reading Erik this book called "Baby Brother". The text of the book is a letter to a grandma, telling about the girl's cat. She had a big belly for a few weeks, then wanted to get into boxes all day, then had kittens. In the pictures, you can see a parallel story about how the girl's mother is pregnant and has a baby the same night as the cat. The last page is "P.S. I have a new baby brother." Erik wanted me to read it to him several times and kept asking why the cat was doing this and that. I tried to explain about her wanting to protect the kittens by having them in a contained area. So then he wanted to pretend that his sock bin was his box and the socks were his kittens! Joe was the neighbor's dog who he had to protect the kittens from. It was so cute!

Sometimes I fail

This is my failure.

Please don't judge me too harshly.

Ha!

Last week, Erik pointed to his belly button a couple times and told us it was his penis. We said, no, it's your belly button.

Erik has been obsessed with cheese sandwiches for months now. We try to offer him other kinds of sandwiches in an effort to distract him and try new things. My mom and I are big fans of PBJs and the Lindells put peanut butter on everything so he is often offered peanut butter. He usually says no.

Earlier this week, Erik was shirtless getting ready for a nap. He looked at me, pointed to his belly button and said very slowly, syllable by syllable, "This is my peanut button." I don't know if I have ever laughed so hard.

Aww.

Tonight during a re-putting Erik to bed, he was kneeling by the bed with his head resting on the bed. I suggested we say our prayers and thanked God for a bunch of stuff. Then Erik said he had one. "Dear God, thank you for Adin."

Belly Laughs

Ok, if you can't get enough stories about cute and funny things kids say, check out the post and comments from Laid Off Dad. Don't read this at work, unless your office has a door, because your co-workers will be annoyed hearing you laugh out loud for a half hour.

http://laidoffdad.typepad.com/lod/2008/08/in-the-defense.html

Every day Erik says things like this that I try to remember long enough to post about here.

Look at me!

 

 

Erik and Joe were playing in the basement and Erik found this fleece my mom made me. Erik asked to see the blanket and was amazed when he learned it was something to wear! He came upstairs wearing it to surprise me. Mabye mom will have to make him one while she's here.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

 

Joe decided to take Erik to the Twins game today. Erik was very excited about taking the bus. I walked with them to the busstop, then decided I was jealous and decided to go along.

 

Erik enjoyed looking out the windows at all the exciting things Minneapolis has to offer. He was looking for the bike trail in this picture. I believe we are stopped on a bridge and the trail passes underneath.

 

We started off in the lower rows of the upper deck. It was a well attended game, and there were people on all sides of us. It was too hard for Erik to keep from kicking the people in front of us, or walking around, so he and I went up, up, up to the top of the stands. He had lots of fun walking around up there, looking for the number two on seats, banging on seats, and doing the wave.

 

As usual, Adin was pretty chill about the whole day. He was happy just hanging out, taking in his first Twins game.

Erik was ready to go home in about the sixth inning but hung in there till the top of the eighth. On the bus ride home, the woman sitting across from us started talking to us about the game. He asked me if she wanted to get off the bus (like he did). I said I didn't know. He said maybe he should ask her. So he did! She said she was getting off soon. It was fun to see him feel comfortable interacting with strangers.

baby birds

 

We went to Sunset Park but the playground equipment was all wet. So we found other things to do. Like watch the baby birds being fed by their parents. Erik was enthralled and so was I.

Summer Fun

 

Adin is doing his tummy exercises. This mat helped a lot. I think he stayed on his tummy for four minutes at a time the first couple times I put him on this! Thanks Mormor.
 

We drove out to Minnetonka and watched the Wesley Homes team beat the Cutting Edge team 11 to 1. Afterwards, Erik got to run the bases for the first time.
 

It's a home run!
 

Adin found it all very overwhelming. Or else it was sunny and naptime.

Glimpses of maturity

We were getting Erik ready to go to the neighbors and he was starting to spin out of control. I sat him down in a chair and told him to calm his body. He said, "ok". He then dumped out a box of Little People. I picked him up, put him by the front door and told him to stay there. After asking if he could walk over to Michelle's by himself (no) he said he was going to clean up! I was so pleased. I told him how happy it made me and that it made me want to help him clean. Hooray!

Future Cobbers?

 
 

We made an appearance at the Concordia College Corn Feed in Richfield today. Adin won the prize for youngest future Cobber. Erik ate more corn off his cob than I've ever seen him do before. Then we went and played on the great playground until the gravel was hurting his feet too much. Next year we won't wear sandels. I hope next year the mid-90's grads made a better showing. Joe was the only one!

True Confessions...

of a mother of two. I know I'm not supposed to compare but...I'm going to!
Two things about Adin that make me do a happy dance:

He can put himself back to sleep. If I'm walking with him and he's getting nice and drowsy, I can set him down in his crib and his eyes may open briefly, then flutter shut. Erik was more of a screamer when he touched the crib which was very stressful.

I can take him to the child care at the YMCA and come back an hour later. To be fair, I joined the Y when Erik was closer to one, and so more of an age of stranger anxiety.

Friday night

We went to playgroup at church today. It's tough because it's just a little too late in the morning for Erik. He almost fell asleep on the way to playgroup! He did ok the first half, but the second half he was acting up, in retrospect because he was tired. I tried to get him to come over and join the group in prayer and he started wailing that he didn't want to, he wanted to play. So that disturbed the group more than if I'd just left him alone!

In other news, I have completely forgotten the middle part of the times tables. I can't for the life of me figure out 40 divided by 7. I blame pregnancy and parenting.

Tummy time

Adin had his most successful tummy time ever this morning. I put him on his tummy in his crib and did an oldies song and dance routine. He stayed on his tummy a long time, lifted up his head a lot (to see his mama) and he even laughed! Plus I got a pre-YMCA workout.

Ditto

I had a little adventure today. Erik doesn't particularly like getting dressed. This morning I got his shirt on, but he was resisting the diaper and asked to go "bare". (We read the comics together this morning and he was quite taken with this one) I told him it would be ok to air out for a while, and let him run off. I turn around and he's run out the front door and onto our step! So I bring him in, 'lock' the screen door (I thought) and he runs out again, this time running down the sidewalk! I was torn between running after him, which would make him run faster and hoping he'd come back on his own. He came back, and it was hilarious. Of course, not only was he almost naked, but his face and hands were also covered in green marker. Boys.

Friday night Erik fun

 

 

 

Friday Joe and Erik went into Minneapolis to play with new friends Sawyer and Tinley. Erik loved going down the slide with them. They took turns, help each other, had lots of fun. Erik got to try his hand at cranking out some ice cream. I'm not sure it ever solidified but he enjoys machines of all kinds!

Sunday morning Adin

 

I went out Friday night with Adin in tow. We met some of my co-workers at a restaurant for over priced dinner and drinks. They enjoyed holding him, but were having a hard time getting him to smile. This is unusual, as he's quite smiley and laughs when anyone looks at him and talks to him. Bonnie and Linda thought he was probably overstimulated in the restaurant. I think they were right, because as soon as we got home, he was his usual self.

I was thrilled this morning to see the beginnings of a roll on his thighs!

Vignettes

This week Erik and I were in the front yard watering and I asked him to do something for me. He said, "I'd be happy to"!

A couple times I've told him we're going somewhere and he's burst into tears and said he didn't want to go. It happened that it wasn't a big deal, so I said, 'ok we'll stay home.' His tears wound down, he asked where we were going, I said, 'nowhere, we're staying home'. He began to cry again and said he wanted to go!

Imagine that!

 

Erik has been showing some imagination the last couple days. Yesterday, I came into the living room and he informed me he was going to a party. "Where?" I asked. "At Nora's". He walked over to the back door and said he was going to the car. He let me know he'd driven to the party and asked if I was going to come. I said, "sure", and he asked what I was going to bring to the party!

He will often now say, "I have an idea" and then take me by the hand to show me what he has in mind. He'll say, "it's a surprise, close your eyes."

Yesterday he wanted to watch a video but I told him I didn't know where the DVD book was. He said he could find it, put a finger up to his chin and said, "let me think".

Adin's Baby Book

 

Warning: this post refers to human waste products.

So I got out Adin's baby book last night and decided to start working on it. I filled in the easy stuff: background info on both his parents and grandparents. Joe picked out this baby book, it's a very cute one designed by Eric Carle with a "Very Hungry Caterpillar" artwork theme. You can tell it was designed by someone who is either a man, or has never had kids. On the page called "Your Birth Story" there's a section for "Mommy's Story" and "Daddy's Story" and they each have three lines! I'd like to see someone go through childbirth and sum it all up in three lines!

There's also a page on what was going on in the world around the time he was born. So I Googled his birthday. As it turns out, April 18, 2008 was "Poop for Peace Day". Wow. I'm happy that Adin did his part for peace. Maybe he will grow up to be a non-hawk moderate or liberal.

Erik's big ideas

 

Erik has all kinds of new tricks, too. We have been talking a lot about Michigan. He kept saying something about "again", which happens a lot. We'll read a story, sing a song or say a funny work and he'll want to hear it again. But this time he was thinking that the word "Michigan" sounds like the word "again". (He's been into rhyming lately.) I was pretty impressed.

Yesterday we had a very long car ride from Michigan to Chicago. He got pretty punchy at the end, but at one point began amusing himself in the car by rubbing a wipe on his fingers and face. He rubbed his ears. Then I suggested he rub his feet as they were actually fairly dirty. He did and held onto each side of the wipe and slung the middle around the bottom of his foot. Then he said he was using it "like a jump rope".

Today we were riding in the car and he was singing "Row row row your boat". He'd sing it fast and then slower, slower and then faster. And after each verse he would describe it: "fast and slow" or "slow and fast". It's so fun to watch his brain figure out the world.

Little Adin

 

Adin's up to some new tricks. A couple of weeks ago, I put him on the changing table, which usually makes him cry, but this time he laughed! It's happened a couple times and I was able to record it once. It's so fun, so cute.

Then yesterday, I set him down on his back on the floor and went to wash my hands. When I came back he was on his tummy with his arm trapped underneath him. This didn't take me too off guard because I have caught him rolling onto his side a few times. He finally made it all the way over!

Our Stimulus Check Summer Trip

 

We took a trip earlier to help stimulate the economy. On the way we saw a ferocious bear. Erik made friends with him so that turned out ok.

 

We stayed in Green Bay Wisconsin and visited the the National Railway Museum. Erik got to crawl around on a bunch of trains. This is the cab of the Big Boy, the largest steam engine ever built.

 

After looking at some real trains that didn't move, we got to ride on a train. It was pretty fun.

 

We took the S.S. Badger across Lake Michigan. After assuring the captain that he would be very careful, Erik was allowed to steer.

Summer update

I'm so glad I did that flurry of posts a couple weeks ago, since we have had very poor internet connectivity since then. Adin is getting more vocal, cooing a lot. He is able to bat at little toys that hang above him. He can lift up his head on his tummy and when held on my shoulder.

Erik has been saying lots of sweet things about Adin the last couple days. He told me this morning "I like his eyes." Aaawww. We were all sitting reading and he kept absent mindedly patting Adin's head. Erik helped Joe take the sides off his crib and make it into a toddler bed. He says he was very careful with the tools! He is proud of the bed, will show it to visitors and is even sleeping in it!

Hail!

Saturday we had a hailstorm. I was out gardening and the weather seemed fine to me. I heard the sirens go off around 5, so I went inside. Joe turned on the weather and there was a big storm heading for us. We went in the basement and when we came up an hour later the ground was covered in pea sized hail, with some hail up to quarter size.

Erik ran around the yard singing to himself while Joe and his mom cleaned up. Then Erik wanted to help.

Arty Party

Saturday we went to the birthday party of little Tenny (Tennyson). It was an Arty Party, which means an art teacher came in and lead some activities. Look how serious Erik is about his art.

Other people's babies

We went to a baby shower on Memorial Day. The very clever hosts created a Parenting Olympics. Joe and I were on Team Tinkerbell, the team that beat Team Transformers. My event (which I won) was dressing a Barbie doll.



Although I had to go first (a distinct disadvantage) and have two boys (same), my years of Barbie dressing served me well, and I won by two nanoseconds, approx. Joe's event was Playdough sculpting and I'm sad to say that he lost. However, could you sculpt a dragon?




Adin spent the shower being cuddled by the grandma-to-be. Erik made friends with their dog. Well, the dog wanted his bread and he managed to tolerate her watching him eat it.

Brother sweater vests

Our friend Carla knit the boys coordinating sweater vests, which they wore to church last week.


Erik seemed to think his was a basketball jersey!

Cuddle

After a bath, it's nice to have a cuddle.

Brothers

Erik will often request to hold Adin. I think it's a good sign.

How big is Adin?

Like father like son.



Bigger than a bunny, smaller than a bear.


We went to Penny's yesterday and had pictures taken of Adin. Joe saw the proofs but I haven't seen them yet. He thought they turned out nice. Adin is very smiley at home. I'm not sure the photographer got his best smiles, but that's ok.

Erik is funny

Erik, Adin and I had lunch with my co-workers today. Adin slept through the whole thing but Erik had fun. He played with some cooking toys and was completely enchanted by Anna, the other two year old visiting. If she left the room he asked "Where Anna go? What she doing?" When he was just playing on his own, he did his usual thing of talking and singing to himself non-stop. People kept telling me how funny he is. I have to agree!