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.

Room to Roam

Dex is having a bit of a rough week, poor kid. His two top front teeth are thisclose to popping through his gums. He has a runny nose, either teeth related or because he has a cold. He's been sleeping like poo, partly because of the aforementioned things, and partly because we've been on the go this week, so he's been napping in strange places. All of this equals sad baby, who woke up from a late afternoon nap sweaty and crying, and cried all through a bath and a diaper change and half his dinner before finally settling down. We're going to need more Motrin in this house. For all family members, I think.

However, when Dexter forgets about teeth and runny noses, he has a fabulous time playing. The new favorite play place is our fun, empty, wide-open deck, with Mom sitting at the top of the stairs acting as the "gate." Because, as Dexter showed me yesterday, he is perfectly capable of climbing up a stair. And also perfectly capable of falling sideways right off that same stair.

So much room! So many balls to chase!

Ooops! Hold on - got to check out this leaf first

Dude - I am wicked fast. So fast my arms are blurry!

Showing my support for the Cards. They need it - they're 0-2 right now in the play-offs. Why the Cards, you ask? I've got cool friends who live there.

Apparently the whole standing thing just doesn't make Dex tall enough. Must! Get! Taller!

After all that crawling Dexter needed a little protein to boost his energy. How about some salmon? Sounds like an excellent first meat to try. John couldn't believe I was going to feed the baby salmon. He said it wasn't fair, as he didn't get to eat salmon til he was 23 years old... By the way? Dex thought salmon was most excellent.

Tippity-toes

You can't beat the real thing

I have a Cheerios Snob on my hands.

Dexter loves Cheerios. He gets excited when the big yellow box comes out of the pantry. He shovels 27 of them in his mouth at once, gags, spits out the half-gummed, spitty Cheerios, and shoves in another handful. He loves them.

Last week I bought knock-off Cheerios. Great Value toasted oat cereal, or something to that effect. I brought it home and John shook his head sadly. He said there was no way I could pass off fake Cheerios to the baby. He recounted the time his dad tried to do the same thing, even going so far as to put the fake Cheerios in to the real Cheerios box (that he apparently kept around for the sole purpose of tricking his children). To which I said "pshaw." He's a baby. He's not going to know the difference. Plus, look! They look like real Cheerios! They taste just as crappy as real Cheerios! It'll be fine.

Except... I was wrong. (I am now picturing John's jaw dropping to the ground in amazement. And him bookmarking this page on his computer so he can forever remember the day that his wife admitted she was wrong) OK, so maybe the Great Value brand doesn't taste EXACTLY like Cheerios. And they are somehow... CRUNCHIER. Or something. Don't melt in your mouth quite as easily. Even after I left them out on the table, opened, overnight a couple times in hopes that they would get stale and soft. Too hard. Whatever the reason, Dex hated them. Would put a couple in his mouth and gag. Try again, and gag. And then just stop trying.

So, I caved. I spent the extra 30 cents and bought some real Cheerios today. And gave them to Dexter at dinner time. And had to give him some more. And some more. And some more, again. He was making up for lost Cheerios time, I believe.

So now I have an enormous box of Cheerios, a happy baby, and half a box of Great Value brand fake Cheerios. Which John promised he would eat. I don't even have to put them in a big yellow Cheerios box for him.

Both kids went out in the yard to play today

I am, apparently, a jungle gym

Crawling across the grass is hard work. Also, leaves a plethora of stains on knees for Mom to try to get out. Just bought Oxy-Clean

Thank the lord for the fence. Our next house shall also have a fence, thankyouverymuch. With padlocks on the gates.

Sexy. You'll pick up all the ladies that way, Dex.

Whiney McWhinerpants

My lord, but this child has been a pain in the ass recently. Waking up at 5:30 AM. Whining and fussing in the morning after breakfast BECAUSE he woke up at 5:30 AM. Taking short naps. Fussing in the evenings. Today, flat-out crying for two hours after his afternoon nap. A sad, sad boy.

I've been checking his temperature for a few days. No fever. I've been sticking my fingers in his mouth. Nope - don't feel any new teeth. But today during a nice crying spell I got a particularly good look inside his wide-open mouth and saw the little white tops of his two front teeth, just barely breaking the gums. Ahh. Poor pup. Let's give you a little Motrin (as your bad mom has yet to check to see if her Tylenol has been recalled), put your butt in bed for a little while to see if you might nap, and run FAR FAR away as soon as Dad gets home from work! All three things seemed to help, really, as Dex was in better spirits when I got home.

Here's a few pictures from the weekend and from today. He-he! :-)

John finally got sick of my bitching and complaining about our dishwasher. So we took the approximately three dollars and 76 cents I made from working the past three months, and bought a new dishwasher. My expectations are low - I simply want it to suck less than the old one.
New dishwasher means, of course, new cool box for Dexter to play with. He is currently afraid of the new cool box, but maybe we can get CoCo to sleep in it for a while, thus making it more interesting to the baby.
Eat your heart out, Nonna and Grandpa... You, too, could have a new dishwasher!
Walking with Dad at a fun picnic we had with the Movie Night Gang
Dex is obviously quite impressed with his walking skills
All three kids are playing in their own separate areas
And then Dexter makes his move. What's that cool toy Greyson is playing with? Perhaps I will steal THAT!
Greyson graciously shares with Dex. I don't think he had a choice - Dexter pretty much just stole his train and threw it across the floor. Way to make friends, Dex.
Pet the pretty puppy. Pull his ear.
You're damn lucky, kid, that you are this cute. It goes a really long way on days like today...

I usually think these little mesh bag feeder things are silly. But today I had a crying baby, it was time for his dinner, and I thought that something frozen and cold might help him out. So out came... frozen blueberries! And since I didn't think it was wise to just put a pile of frozen little rocks in front of the baby, we also broke out the mesh feeder. And it was a huge hit!
Yeah, yeah. So it looks like Dexter single-handedly killed his own meat for dinner and dug in to it with his hands and his face. I promise, it's blueberry, not blood!