So, um, yeah. This went well...

A photo story from Dexter, Halloween style:

Mom had to take individual portraits for her photography class, and since I am the only cute one in the house, guess who got tapped to be the subject? So, ok. Cool. What's with this orange pumpkin thing, Mom?

Huh. A brush. That's a weird treat. Where'd we go trick-or-treating this year? Claire's at the mall?

Yeah, yeah, Mom. Keep fiddling with your camera over there. I'm doing just fine.

But... Wait. There's this... thing. On my head.

No! Wait! Hold on! TWO THINGS! Did you hear me? TWO THINGS! On my HEAD!

Mom, I'm not sure you heard me properly. How about now. Are you getting that there's TWO THINGS on my head? And that I DON'T LIKE IT?

Maybe if I flap this silly white thing attached to my hand enough times, I can get out of this mess.

Nice try, Dad. I know you're in cahoots with Mom.

Happy *$#@!% Halloween

So, needless to say, if you come trick-or-treating at our house on Saturday night Dexter will NOT be wearing cute little Mickey Mouse. Fortunately, Grandma Cowan bought Dexter an alternative that I think he'll be happy with. We'll do the big reveal this weekend!

PS - am I a bad Mom for just hanging out behind the camera taking these pictures and kind of giggling? While my baby cried? Cuz he was really pretty damn cute. :-)

Perspective

We just started swimming lessons again, at Kids First in Elkton. We did a session over the summer, then skipped a session, and now we're back on. So I was thinking about it today when I was driving home. 12 weeks ago was our first swimming lesson. 12 weeks ago Dexter could not be trusted to sit up on his own. 12 weeks ago I would nurse one side before swimming, then the other side after. 12 weeks ago I could just lay the baby on the ground and not worry about him crawling over to pull a night light out of a socket. Ah, how things have changed!

Now, at the start of this swimming session, I have a crawling baby who pulls himself up on flimsy plastic chairs in the waiting room. I still nurse before our lesson, but then after we go to the Elkton Diner so Dex can throw Cheerios and cheese and bananas on their floor and I can eat a bacon and grilled cheese sandwich (OMG AMAZING! Seriously. I never knew what I was missing all these years!). Now I thank heavens there's not a lot he can get in to in the 3 foot square changing room. Perhaps I can just lock him in there for good?

Regardless, Dex still LOVES swimming. He remembered how to splash (with a bit more vigor, and I think he was surprised when water splashed right in to his face). He remembered how to "blow bubbles" or in his case, just eat water. And he remembered that sitting on the wall and then jumping in the pool is wicked fun. I remembered that the salt water pool makes my skin feel all dried out and gross.

The other thing I just started yesterday is an online class about how to take better pictures of people. So I will be taking lots (more) pictures of people(AKA, Dexter). Here's a few from this morning (we're supposed to just take a few pictures inside and outside, think about the composition of the photo, and discuss how lighting just completely messes up your life).

Completely un-edited. Inside, with flash, and with light coming in through the door behind Dexter. Lighting seems ok. Composition? OK. Could be a little tighter on the baby, I suppose, getting in less of the plastic mat on the ground.

Again, un-edited. I feel like it maybe could be brighter. But I always feel that way with this laptop, so maybe that's the problem. Composition is good, I think. I need to tell myself every photo to NOT center the subject. It's hard to remember to do, though. Centering is so natural.

Also notice the very nice self-feeding Dexter is doing with his spoon. He self-feeds his yogurt right on the the floor, the dog's back, his ear, and his nose before the spoon finally finds its way in to his mouth.

OK, I cheated. This is yesterday, not today. Outside, in the shade. No flash. I think it was in sport mode here, so super fast shutter speed, and it was a dark photo that looked much better after I edited it.

Notice baby who looks like he is up to no good. I do believe this is really him just grinding his teeth. Awesome. Maybe they will stop being so damn sharp.

Same location, but on portrait setting or auto setting. I can't remember which. No editing needed.

Also, sorry, CoCo. You're a trooper. But, you know, you still can move faster than the baby, for now. So I don't feel too sorry for you yet.

More Room to Roam

We still don't have much on the deck, so there's still plenty of room for the baby to romp around, chase a ball, and pull himself up on any and every available railing. Maybe we should keep the deck this way. The newly stained, kind of slippery, fabulous-looking, much darker, almost makes you feel like maybe you should stain the fence again, deck.

Oooh. Pretty deck...

Hey, check out my new bottom tooth! Mom was so focused on my damn top teeth (one has broken through, the other one not so much) that this little old bottom tooth just kind of snuck up on her. Til yesterday when she happened to look in my mouth and wonder what that new pointy thing was...

Also, I have figured out how to use my teeth for actual CHEWING. As well as for teeth grinding, which makes a terrible noise. Ugh. Mom grinds her teeth - surely it doesn't sound this bad?

Perfect, beautiful, amazing fall day.

Oh, yeah. Now I remember.

Every now and then when we head back to New York in the summer time, when it's ninety-twelve degrees with 127% humidity in Maryland, and only 80 degrees with zero humidity in New York, we think "Hmmmm. Maybe, some time, we could move back here." And then we go home in the MIDDLE OF FREAKING OCTOBER and we remember that all of New York is the GODDAMN ARCTIC CIRCLE. So, yeah. We'll stay right here in Maryland, thankyouverymuch.

Dude. C'mon, weather. It's not even HALLOWEEN yet! Like, I haven't even bought Halloween candy yet!

Anyway... We packed up our winter coats, bundled the baby up warm, and headed to the Great North for a wedding. Saw lots of family, Dexter met lots of people, and we stopped in to see an old friend from high school, who just had (bless her heart and hope she gets a girl dog soon) her third boy last week. He is hella cute, and I forgot (so quickly!) how damn little babies are.

Now we're back home in Maryland and all is right with the world. Dexter's ass didn't have to touch a car seat today. The sun was shining. The temperature hit 60. The grass is almost still green. And we have no plans, no plans at all, til John and I go to Virginia in November and Dex stays here with only CoCo to feed him black beans and change the ensuing poopy diaper. Oh, yeah. And Grandma and Grandpa. Good thing, cuz CoCo is getting more and more useless as a babysitter every day.

Goodness. 8.5 months ago Dex was that small... Now he is a giant.

With Mama at rehearsal dinner. Where Dex ate LOTS and LOTS of cheese.

The one shot of the night where both boys' eyes were open. Couldn't capture one where both boys' hands were not in their mouth, though.

The fam-damily. I am the cute one... ;-) Truthfully, I think that title goes to Dad. He looks like Dexter.

Congrats to the bride and groom!

Things the baby eats that totally make me gag

1) Carrots. I have just recently gotten to a point where I will eat raw carrots. Mostly only if I am at the barn and am also feeding carrots to a horse. But cooked carrots? Really not necessary.

2) Celery. A completely useless vegetable, unless (strangely) when paired with chicken wings and good blue cheese dressing. Also, the origin of celery salt, which is the worst spice known to man.

3) Peas. Oh, I'll eat raw peas. Raw sugar snap peas? Yum! Even steamed whole sugar snap peas, fine. But those little round balls of peas? No way, man. Feed 'em to the dog.

4) Pineapple. Not yummy. I have yet to try it while feeding it to Dexter. I don't think I'll have any problem just letting him eat it all.

5) Pears. It's really the consistency of pears that I hate. I hate mushy pears and apples. I think they must be growing better pears these days, because the one I cut up for Dex was not half bad.

6) Yogurt. Really. Even worse, the baby eats just plain old yogurt that tastes like dirty socks. Oh, sure, he makes a face after the first bite, but then willingly eats more after that. Maybe that's my problem? Maybe yogurt gets better after the first bite?

7) Cheerios. Not of the Honey Nut variety. So damn boring. I will snack on them now, while Dexter eats them. But certainly they are not my go-to cereal.

8) Black beans. Now, actually, I like black beans in stuff. They are a tasty addition to any Mexican dish. But to just open up a can of black beans and eat them? Right out of the can? Never struck me as yummy. But Dexter LOVES them. And they... well, let's just say they are a definite cure for baby constipation. WOW.

So that's like, oh, half his diet. That I won't eat. Someone might need to start changing her eating habits...

Now if this child decides he loves lima beans, I'll just die on the spot. I am NOT popping a lima bean in my mouth to see if it's the proper temperature!

Hey look! I'm a pony! And Dad is a jockey! In his dreams...

One more picture of me with my Christmas present (thanks, ahead of time, Santa!)

I really thought the dog might bite the baby's hand here. And I would not have blamed her. To her credit, she just glared at the offending hand, then got up and moved to the couch.

John insisted I take a picture of this classic outfit. Because it is so dead sexy. It didn't last long that day, as a WOW black bean poop got it a little bit... soiled.

Dude, I did all this work, I pulled myself up on the coffee table, and now you want me to SMILE, too? You must be nuts.

Motion

Some people who don't get to see Dexter very often (ahem, Nonna) have been asking for a video of Dexter crawling. So without further ado...

Sorry if it's a little on the long side!

Pony

Dear Santa,

Please, in my stocking this year, could I have one of these fuzzy things with the soft nose? I promise I will love it and take very good care of it.I have been very good this year. I have been especially helpful to Mom while she is at work. I eat paper really really well.Think it over, Santa. We have room in the back yard, and I am sure that CoCo wouldn't mind sharing her dog bed and her water bowl.

Thanks, Santa!

Love, Dexter

Dex and John came to visit me at Graw Day in down town HDG today. Free pony rides! We decided that a pony ride might well freak the baby out, but that petting a cute pony would be right up our alley.