8.29.2006

Back to work

So, I've started back to work full time.... and with mixed feelings.
New school.
New staff.
New students.
New office.
New parents.
Long commute.
And much less time to do much of anything else. It's going to take some time to find my stride, so please be patient with me. I'll update as I can--and I'm still taking pictures, so there's lots of material...finding the time will be the trick.

Pure sweetness


August 2006
My heart completely melts when I see this picture.
Completely.

NO BATHS!


August 2006
Suddenly, Zachary has decided that he
hates to take a bath. He screams as tho we are
cutting his arms and legs off with dull
butterknives the whole time he STANDS
in the tub. However, he will play for hours
in the kitchen sink, and loves to dunk his head
under running faucets (see this post on
Uncle Jason's blog)...so bathtime
has moved to the kitchen sink (we do
usually remove his clothes).
So far, he hasn't caught on, and we
seem to be keeping the grubs at bay.

The joys of boys


August 2006
One evening, we looked out the back door and this
is what we saw...yup, in the mud in
his white socks.

Crashing the hella in the mud

Think Oxyclean can handle this????

Growing up


August 2006
...and moving to the big boy bed
Supervising the setting up of the new bed
(from the safety of the crib -
which he hasn't been in since!)

Yippee! A platform bed!!

Hmmmm....easy for sneaking out at nite?

The finished product...I adore this room.

A Day at the Fair (AT LAST, new pictures!!)


August 2006
Let the coveting begin...

Yay goats!

Is that thumb just ASKING for ecoli, or is it me?

Sharing funnel cakes and lemonade - YUM!

This was some huge bovine type creature
in the creepy petting zoo - we felt
sorry for those poor animals

Checking out a 4H guinea pig

And what's a trip to the county fair
without a picture of your son as a sheep??

Ending the adventure with a new hella (helicopter)
makes for a terrific day - even for a tired boy.

8.28.2006

Where does the time go?

Somehow, I went from having three weeks of summer left to the start of school this morning....

Yikes.

I'll get some updates posted soon. Stick with me.

8.15.2006

So much changes in a year...


August 2005
Last year he couldn't reach the door handle...
NOW, he's figured out the lock and comes and
goes as he pleases!!

Wow...he really was little once!


August 2004

Silly boy


August 2006
Sitting in the dog water bucket
(the 10 Qt. dog water bucket)

8.10.2006

Evening exchange

Zach (passing gas): Poop!

Mom: No, that wasn't poop, it was a toot.

...5 second pause...

Zach: TOOT!

Mom: Yes, that's right.

----

The joys of parenthood!

Computer Whiz


August 2006
Well, maybe not a whiz YET, but with his
gene pool, it's bound to happen.
Got this cool toddler keyboard on Ebay,
and so far, Zach really seems to enjoy it.
It has 4 different game discs that get
progressively harder as he gets older.
Right now, it's just fun shapes and colors
and music stuff--but he sure gets a kick
out of making things happen on the screen!



The requisite thumb shot

A beautiful gift


August 2006
My dear friend Kate in NH
(hi Kate!)
made this sweater for Zach's birthday
and we got it yesterday.
It's wonderfully soft and will
definitely keep him warm all winter.
Can't you tell he loves it?
(well, as much as a toddler boy can love a sweater)
Thanks again, Kate!
I love it enough for all of us.

8.09.2006

So sweet


July 2006
Zach with Grams' bird (Birdeaux) on his shoulder
(photo by Grams)

This is why I don't put him up for adoption or sell him to the gypsies (well that, and I can't find any gypsies when I need one)


August 2006
He does have his moments of exquisite
sweetness and lovableness.
Many of them, really.

Silly, Silly Calvin


August 2006
This goofy cat loves to play (and sleep) in Z's crib.
The other day, this is what I saw when I walked by...

That super adorable teddy bear he's fighting
is the Build-a-Bear bear Zach made for his birthday,
compliments of Aunt Andrea and cousins
Ellen and Molly (pictures of that delightful
outing will be posted soon).
Oh, and by the way, Zach was the first person in
the city to have THAT bear--it had just been released the
morning we went.
Pretty cool, eh?



Apparently, Super Grover tried to escape the
cat's wild antics...

Either that, or Calvin tried to escape the crib with
a hostage.

I'm not sure which.
And I'm not sure I want to know.

Trip to the park with Auntie K (the day mommy's Mom Radar malfunctioned)


August 2006
What's a trip to the park without
riding the big duck?

Trying to climb up the tube slide (with little success)

Taking a more traditional route to the top of the slide

Playing with that thing (what ARE those things anyway?)

And wading in the river...

We fed the duck a Wheat Thin

Such a cute face!

I love the devilish look on his face in this shot...

Peaceful days


8.9.04
Those were the days...
(this after multiple tantrums/screaming fits this evening)

8.08.2006

Better

Thanks for the kind thoughts and words, everyone. Zach is better...it was a bit of a long weekend, with all the fussing and crying and screaming that went on (him, not us), but we all made it thru. His rash is fading, his fever is gone, and last nite he slept thru the nite without the 5AM wakeup (once he FINALLY went to sleep at 10).

So life is better.

Pictures will be posted later today, so check back!!

8.04.2006

Sick baby

Boy, there is nothing like a sick child to put a person into panic mode...or at least put ME into panic mode.

Auntie K and I took Zach to the park this morning and played on the playground, then waded in the river a bit (pics upcoming), then headed to Costco. We thought Z felt warm when we changed his diaper at the park, but didn't think too much of it--since the weather has been warming back up.

Went to Costco, and he was pretty lethargic (should have been a clue to me that something was wrong...mommy radar on the blink today, I guess)--laying down in the cart--this from the kid who always wants to push the cart!

When we got home, he still felt quite warm so I took his temp (102.1), gave him Tylenol, and put him down for his nap. Three hours later, his fever was worse (102.6) then 104.5 then 104.8. He was so hot to the touch, it was unbelievable. Finally, Chris got home from work, and I was overtaken with panic and started tearing up--esp when Z started vomiting. We thought we were headed to the ER for sure...but once we composed ourselves and called the local hospital nurseline, we realized that we didn't need to make the trip. Yet. If his fever or vomiting sticks around for 24 hours, he will need to be seen, I guess.

So, the poor little monkey is down for the nite with a good dose of ibuprofen to help the tylenol bring that fever down (102.5), and we'll hope he's feeling more like himself in the morning.

Time for a flashback!


August 2004
Can you believe this is the ONLY picture taken on
August 4, 2004???????

He loves that kitty


July 2006
And I assure you, he's very gentle with Calvin,
despite what it looks like in this picture!

The more the merrier


July 2006