Day 7 - What's Your Sign?

Today was our last day of Baby Sign class. Which for Dex was basically a fun play date every few weeks. He certainly never signed in class. But he has, in the past few weeks, started signing more at home. He has a fairly reliable "drink" sign, which actually means "hey, give me that thing over there." Most of the time it means drink, but who knows - it could mean yogurt, or broccoli, or hi. Last week, in the middle of the night when he woke up for a fever, Dex asked for milk for the first time ever. And, pretty much the only time ever. In the past week his "all done" sign has become reliable. Usually. Sometimes he signs all done and then shoves another cracker in his mouth. And he kind of does a sign for "cracker." It's always entertaining when he wants something, and just goes through all three signs a few times to see if anything sticks.

Enough snow has melted around here and turned our back yard in to an ocean that we were actually able to go for a walk today. On a sidewalk. And I? Am out of shape. I am not sure how that's possible, with Jillian workouts and the like. But it's been a while since I've carried a 25 pound kid on my back, while walking up a steep hill. We need to get back out and walk some more. Winter, winter, go away.

John's got to go play with Jillian for a while, and then we may watch a movie. Or watch the Olympics. Or take a nap. Or, perhaps, all three.

Day 6 - You're Cute Even When You're Not Sleeping

I turned the baby monitor on as I was going downstairs this afternoon to do Jillian. About 25 minutes after Dex went down for a nap. I was expecting to just hear the ocean from the baby monitor, but instead turned it on to immediately hear "Tooka, tooka, tooka" from Dexter. His new favorite sentence. Tooka tooka tooka. Who knows what it means. Could mean "Life is good, let me just take this here nap." Could mean "Dear Lord, why am I trapped behind bars AGAIN?" Regardless, it is hella cute to turn on the baby monitor to hear some tooka-ing, even if the baby was supposed to be asleep long ago.

I resisted beer and wine temptation (easy) and cookie temptation (not as bad as expected) last night at movie night. Quite possibly because I ate my weight in soft pretzels. That were OH SO GOOD. I did Jillian this afternoon today, because I took a nap this morning, which was rudely interrupted by a snow plow. Plowing, may I ask - WHAT SNOW??? There is no snow to speak of here. Go about 10 miles north, however, and you enter a new state (called Pennsylvania) of snow hell. Which I drove through at 1AM. It was... a wee bit on the treacherous side. Fortunately I had the truck, and fortunately I followed a snow plow for part of the way home so I could still find the road.

John said he wore his IPod while working out last night because he was sick of Jillian talking to him. He had it on random shuffle, got stuck in Christmas music hell, and somehow ended up doing most of his workout to the songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Not all bad, really. Not exactly workout music. But better than listening to Jillian.

Hmmm. To post this now, or to wait til the baby gets up and take a picture of him in his cute turtleneck that he won't ever wear again because it's too small? That is the question...

Dex spent a fair bit of the afternoon in this position. The sleepy, I don't feel well, let me cuddle in your lap position.

But he rebounded after a while to play some more. With his cute, too small turtleneck.

Day 5 - Tales From the Tub

Dex has always been fascinated by water. In the past week or so he's taken to putting his hand under the shower head when I am filling up his bath tub. And then will use one hand to pull the shower head closer to him, so his other hand can reach. It's cute. Today, though. Today he got brave, took the shower head in one hand, and guided the water right on to his face and in to his open mouth. Multiple times! So cute. I, of course, had no camera. So you'll have to trust me with the cuteness.

I went downstairs to do Jillian during Dexter's morning nap today. As I was in the basement I heard Dexter's little Ernie "he-he-he" laugh. And then a couple squeals. And some more Ernie laughter. What was the child doing up there? He and Frazier (the stuffed horse he sleeps with) must have been having some serious fun and games in the crib. I have no idea what he was doing up there. What he was NOT doing, at all, was sleeping. So we had a sleepy boy during My Gym today.

Today is going to be a tough one for me, to meet all my rules. I've already done Jillian, so that's cool. But I am STARVING, and I have no idea why. I need to find a snack, before snack time. Plus we have Girlie Movie Night tonight, and there is sure to be something sweet and terrible there for me to try not to eat. We'll see how I do. Perhaps I can load up on hot soft pretzels and can avoid the sweet stuff.

Oh, and also! We're supposed to be getting more snow. Not as much as you suckers up in NY, though. Ha-ha! We've had our blizzard. It's your turn now!

For you, today, only because I love you - video of Dex from My Gym. Enjoy!

Dexter at My Gym from Alissa Norman on Vimeo.

Sorry about the lack of sound! It would have just been loud music, anyway. From My Gym on 2/25/10

PS - I have no idea what happened to the sound in the video. Sorry!

Day 4 - Archives

Nothing going on here today. Jillian? Check. No sweets? Check. Nothing but water? Check. John, by the way, doesn't subscribe to the nothing but water rule. Which is fine. He has his own rule - no alcohol after 9PM. So the other day at 8:58 he looked at the clock and said he'd better hurry and open his beer if he was going to have one tonight. Go, us. We procrastinate even in our drinking! :-)

We weren't home much today, so I have no new baby pictures. Here's another one from the archives. Cute baby? Check.

No worries. My archives are deep. I won't run out of new baby photos for a few years, at least...

Day 3 - Relief

I know that the past week and a half or so has been hard on the baby. Also hard on John, as Dex hasn't really wanted anything to do with him. Only Mom was good enough for the sick boy with 17 teeth coming in. Now that I think we're out of the woods for a while (fever is gone, teeth have broken through the gums) I am realizing what a relief it is for ME to have my cute fun baby back. It's so nice to have him happily keep himself occupied with his toys in the pantry in the kitchen while I am cooking breakfast. SO much nicer than having him hang off my leg, crying. It's definitely been a better week.

Dex went to My Gym today and was the most independent he's ever been there. Off on the other side of the room, cheerfully chasing a ball around, and occasionally looking over to make sure I am still there. Most excellent.

He also was quite the walker today. Several times he let go of what he was holding on to and stood on his own for a few seconds. And a couple times I stood him up and pointed him in a direction, and watched him walk off. It was impressive.

Anyway - Day 3 of our little challenge is going well. Jillian and I duked it out this morning, and I even managed to shower today, which is impressive. I might need to get myself a snack before 8PM, because dinner of fish and veggies is not cutting it for me. But no sweets at all. Unless you count graham crackers. Do you count them? I am going to say "no", even though the second ingredient is sugar and the fourth is high fructose corn syrup. I am still going to say they don't count as a sweet. Cool?

John, dear cute boy that he is, has been doing Jillian in the evenings wearing the black socks he wore to work. Which is... quite the fashion statement. He says it's because he doesn't want to give me any more laundry to do. Awwwww. What a sweetie!

OK, off to find some peanut butter. Or something. And you'll have to deal with an older pic of Dex today. My camera was acting funny, so none of my pictures turned out. I might need to read the directions...

Day 2 - I need a tiny little pass

I've been good today, I promise. I did Jillian this morning. I ignored all the candy in the Wal-Mart check-out line. I ignored all the candy in the Target check-out line. I EVEN ignored the cheap cheap cheap candy at the Dollar Store! I've had lots of water. But dinner today? It's going to be a late one.

Monday nights are swimming nights for Dex. If he gets up early enough from his nap I can cram some dinner in to him before we go, and also in to me. Today that didn't happen. And I didn't have enough leftovers to feed John, Dex, and I for dinner. And John didn't want to eat dinner before Jillian, as he didn't want pizza sloshing around in his belly while he was doing jumping jacks. And so - dinner is late tonight. Pizza in T Minus Three Minutes. And it's currently 8:05.

Enough excuses. Here! Look at a picture of a cute baby!

Day 1 - Oh, It's ON

Bring it, Jillian. We're on it. Day one of our 30 day challenge. Jillian and I had a date this morning while John paid our taxes. Oh, no, wait. While John computed our taxes and saw that Uncle Sam owes us money. Sweet! Thanks, Dex! And also thanks jobless wife. John is currently watching girls jump up and down in the basement. Hopefully he's doing a few jumping jacks of his own.

And day one of no sweets, no chocolate. So far, so good. Although the night isn't over yet. And I didn't go through any grocery store lines today, with Cadbury cream eggs saying "Psssst. Alissa! Eat me!" So it's been fairly easy to avoid the sweet stuff.

I thought, briefly, that my cute sweet cheerful baby had returned to us today. And he did, for a little while. And then he woke up after his second nap and WOW. WOW. Yeah. That child went to bed early early. Poor kid. His fever seems to be better, but he's got some deep congestion in his chest. And those damn teeth haven't come in yet. Boooooo, teeth!

Off to watch some Olympics! A little less interesting when you already know that Bode Miller won gold today. Oh, sorry. Did I spoil it for ya? :-)