On Communication

Erin is, I believe, always going to let you know how she feels.  Save her from imminent death when all she really wanted to do was fall head-first down the stairs?  She's gonna let you know about it.  Ask her if she's ready for a nap?  She's gonna let you know if she's not ready.  Tell her not to stick her cute little fingers in to an outlet?  She's gonna let you know she's upset.

But she'll also communicate in ways other than the yelling, screaming, crying, arm waving ways from above.  Ask her if she wants a hug.  If she does, she'll crawl right over and stick her arms up.  Ask her for a kiss.  She'll lean right in and slobber all over you.  She'll chat about anything and everything, all day long.  Between her and her brother, we're going to have a hard time getting a word in edgewise when she starts actually talking.

She has a reliable "all done" sign, and has just started a sign for "milk" and for "drink."  She waves, when she feels like it.  She enjoys a good "yay!"

Just this week she started drinking from a straw cup, and is also pulling herself to a standing position in her crib sometimes.  She hasn't quite figured out how to stand anywhere else besides her crib and her pack-n-play but I am guessing that will happen soon.

She still has no teeth, but she has spent all week with her fist shoved in her mouth and puddles of drool falling on the floor.  So I think some teeth will come in some time.  Maybe soon.  Maybe not.

Erin went to the doctor yesterday for her well baby visit.  She is looking good.  19.5 pounds.  29.5 inches long.  I went back four years or so, and here's how she compares to her brother at about the same age.  She might be half a month older than he was.

Here's some pictures of the munchkin, from our lake vacation.  John has decided he wants a lake house when he retires.  Just yesterday he started the process  of achieving his goal.  He bought a Power Ball ticket.

YAY!!

She decided the water was too cold.  She'll just lounge, thankyouverymuch.

Her high-stepping walk cracks me up.

Strawberry face

While backpacking she ALWAYS peeks over your left shoulder.  It makes for some crooked walking.

Very excited about Doug's Fish Fry.

Not Slowing Down

Dexter may well have a cast on his arm, but he's not letting it slow him down very much.  Sure, there's some things he can't do - eat with that hand, suck those fingers, ride his bike, swim in the lake.  But beyond that, you almost wouldn't know he's got anything wrong with him.

Climb up the bouncy house?  Check.

Slide down the slide?  Forward and backward?  Check and check.

Play ball?  Check.

Build train tracks and tunnels?  You betcha.

Sure, he couldn't swim IN the lake.  But play BY the lake?  Sure.  Check.

He even found time to hang out by the lake in his underwear.

Swing in the hammock?  Check.

Take pictures?  Oh, like a champ.  They are just as awesome as ever.

And how about swimming in the pool?  Silly pink thing on his arm hasn't impaired him one little bit.  Check to the power of three.

Carry on, big guy.  Carry on.

Ten Months

Erin is ten months old today.  Grandpa Norman is also 76 years old today.  I kind of feel like telling you of Erin's recent accomplishments is more fun that telling you about the five books Grandpa has already read while on vacation, so here we go:

For the first time, yesterday, Erin pulled herself up to a standing position.  In her pack-n-play, which has sides at just the right height for pulling on.  I am sharing a room with her this week, so this morning while I was still snuggled up in my warm bed, Erin was working on her standing muscles.  She'd be quiet for a while, and then I'd hear a tremendous THUMP as she sat or fell back down to the mattress again.

She's been pretty social this week - many people held her at the Goodspeed family reunion on Saturday and she didn't freak out.  She has let aunts and Nonnas hold her this week when she can still see me, and it's been mostly ok.  A miracle.

She is solidly crawling, still using one knee and one foot.  She also likes standing on both feet, with her hands still on the ground.  She hasn't figured out how to get mobile from this position yet.

She still has zero teeth.  It did not stop her from eating yummy steak for dinner tonight.

Ten months cute!

Pre-dinner family play time.  IE, the entire floor is a mess.

Post-dinner hang-out under the table

She's fascinated with the cake and candles.

Broken

You think it's an ordinary Sunday afternoon.  You think you can just put the baby in the grass and watch your big kid ride his bike around the yard.  And then you watch him ride through the front yard with the intention of riding up the driveway.  You realize this a bit too late, as he loses control of his bike that is just a touch too big for him, and you watch helplessly as he is suddenly zipping down the hill of your front yard, heading straight for the road, and then there's a green cable box in front of him and you watch him bail.  And you run down to him and carry him back up to the baby and just hold him for a while because he's crying too much to make any sense.  And then it's not really an ordinary Sunday afternoon any more.

Except you kind if wonder if there's really anything wrong.  He still plays.  He still swings.  He still climbs the slide.  He still pretends to ride the lawnmower, and he shows his baby sister how to do the same.

And then Monday morning your husband does some arm checking, and you are told that your big kid cries when asked to straighten his arm.  So you take him to the pediatrician.  Who says he probably ought to go for x-rays.  And you can't take both kids, because there's no way in hell the baby needs to be in the x-ray room.  And thankfully your husband kicks ass and comes home from work and takes him to the hospital for x-rays.  And you wait all afternoon for the results, and you don't quite let the information sink in when the ped's office calls and says yes, it's broken, here's the info, please call an orthopaedic in the morning.  And then you look it up.  And the more you read about it the more you worry.  What if he needs surgery?  We're going on vacation next week.  At a goddamn lake house, where he was planning on spending the week swimming.  How does one do that with a broken arm?

So Tuesday you call the local fantastic amazing children's hospital where both the kids have visited before.  And you get an appointment.  And it's not til later, so you still take the big kid to his dentist appointment in the morning.  And the dentist wonders why the broken armed kid is there with nary a splint on his arm.  No matter.  The big kid is awesome, and you are so proud.  And then you ship him off to the hospital with his dad and wait to hear if he is going to need surgery or just a cast.  And you are so relieved to hear it's just a cast.  And just for 3 weeks.  And hooray for fantastic husband who went to work and got some waterproof casting material and took it to the hospital with him, so the big kid can still at least swim in the swimming pool and take a bath and a shower.  Still no lake, because lakes have too many cooties.

And now you're exhausted.  And you didn't really even do anything.  Except worry about your big kid.  And wish to hell your baby's runny nose would stop running already, dammit, it's been 8 days and you sure do wish she'd be able to breathe already.

And that's how things go when your big kid breaks his arm.  Actually, his elbow.  His right elbow.  He should be totally fine.

What?

My favorite thing that happened today:

The kids and I were in the kitchen.  Dex was eating lunch.  Erin and I were learning about "in" and "out" using a basket and some farm animal magnets.  I asked her to put a magnet "in" the basket and got no response - she had lost interest.

Me:  "It's hard to talk to babies sometimes, Dex.  They don't listen as well as kids.  Erin doesn't listen as well as you do."

Dexter:  "What?"

Oh, I laughed so hard.

My second favorite thing was sneaking up on the kids playing together.  Well, ok.  Dexter playing with Erin's toys, and Erin eating a ball and watching him.  And I overheard Dexter say to Erin, "I love you, baby."  And then I ran away again because I didn't want to interrupt the peaceful playing.

It's been a good week for Dexter.  He's had M&M's in his Kindness Cup at the end of the day.  I feel like he is being more truthful.  He had a good week at school.  He hasn't hit anyone for, oh, days at least.  Somewhere a switch has flipped for his school behavior.  I don't know what did it, but I hope it lasts, especially when he goes to his new school in September.

Here's a random smattering of photos from July:

Erin on July 4th

She's got a good scrunchie face, like her brother used to have.

"Feeding fish" at Longwood.  Which means both kids shove old stale bread in their mouths, and John throws bread in to the water.

More scrunchie face

Jumping in the pool

Grandpa explains how the news stand works

Erin chats with Grandpa poolside

"So Big" with Grandma

Baby containment system

Family swing

Remember how I said Dex was pretty good at pumping his swing these days?  Yeah.  That.

Yeah for swimming!

When both hands are occupied, you gotta carry your measuring cup in different ways.

She's not exactly pleased about crawling on the grass.