Leveraging synergy to maximize ROI.

Daycare was closed unexpectedly yesterday, so Calvin and I had a work from home day in our pjs. While I did some writing, he got down to business.

He set up his home office.














Completed a thorough inspection of our equipment (the visual inspection was followed closely by an oral one).


















Tested our security system.


















And conducted a very important meeting with his business partner.














At least one of us had a productive work day.

Give peas a chance.

I think peas are disgusting. They are the only vegetable I cannot, will not, eat. I was forced to eat them as kid, as was every kid, and I've tried them numerous ways as an adult. I'm an adventurous eater, but it doesn't matter how they are prepared. Hate them. HATE THEM. Gag.

Nate, of course, loves them. So we were curious to see how Calvin would like them. I was certain he'd think they were disgusting. Mushed up baby food peas? Couldn't be anything worse (except maybe those Gerber stage 2 meats).

He scarfed that container down. And every subsequent one, too. Nate gloated, visions of father/son bonding over heaping plates of hot peas dancing in his head.

I was a little put out, as I was hoping for an ally in my fight against the nasty green buggers. Just as Nate swore he'd never make his kids eat beets, I swore I'd never make them eat peas. I wasn't counting on them wanting to eat peas.

So, imagine my delight when I gave Calvin regular old steamed peas on Saturday night, and got this reaction:



And moments later, he tried this old trick:














Which, when it comes to peas, I will totally let him get away with.

Four in three.

Calvin gained four pounds in three months. FOUR POUNDS! That's a lot when you're only 17 lbs to start. I knew my arms were starting to look more toned!*

At nine months, Calvin...
Weighs 21 lbs, 3 oz — 50th percentile
Is 29 inches long — 75th percentile
Has a head circumference in the 95th percentile

Since his head size jumped up about 20%, I'd say most of his weight gain is probably up top. Which might explain the faces he's been making lately.














It's hard work carrying around a head that's bigger than 95% of the nine month old baby population.

*Ha ha ha. I wish.

Nine months.

My nine month old is a crawling, cruising, standing, bouncing, laughing, screeching, waving, hugging, kissing, chattering bundle of energy.

Calvin now says "hi" and "up" and "baba." He takes his hat off as soon as I put it on. He grabs my face and puts his slobbery open mouth to mine. He waves at the pictures of our friends' babies hanging in our kitchen. He drinks from a sippy cup and feeds himself dinner. He leaves a trail of toys all over our house. He settles into my lap every night to read before bed, and often turns the pages before I even have the chance. He moves so quickly and so much that I can't even get a picture of his face — only action shots.

Somehow, my baby turned into a little boy without me even realizing it.

Pocketful of sunshine.

Even on the most frustrating days — today being one of them — my beautiful blue-eyed boy makes me smile like no other.

He is such a gift.



Turn your face to the sunshine and all shadows fall behind.
-Helen Keller

Literary.

He pulled the book out of his pile of toys, sat down with it on his lap, flipped through it one page at a time, and pointed to the pictures as he went along.

All by himself.















































Eeeee! Do you think he's ready to read my Nancy Drew books?

Okay, fine. Hardy Boys?

Up to something.

I have a feeling these two are going to be quite the pair.

The next best thing.

Nate and I have spent the last week of January in Mexico for the past five years. But now we have a baby and no money, so this year we spent it in Minnesota.

I don't like Minnesota the last week of January. It makes me crabby.

Since we couldn't go there, we decided to bring a little Mazatlan here. Saturday night we had a fiesta with our beach buddies Jon and Mary — complete with fajitas, salsa, guacamole, nacho platter, Pacifico, margaritas, my Mexican tablecloth and dishes, Mary's beach hat, sand, shells, and some very interesting candles purchased at our neighborhood mercado.

We ate, we drank, we played a few ridiculous hands of the card game 500. It has to be said: my friend Margarita gave me some very poor card playing advice. Nate and Jon ended up winning, although at one point Mary and I were, and the boys were not impressed. I distinctly recall Nate saying to Jon "THIS is what we're losing to?" while gesturing toward Mary, who was giggling under her beach hat and asking "what's trump again?," and me, giggling so hard I snorted after realizing I'd just played an entire hand with two extra cards.

She may not do much for my card game, but that Margarita sure is funny.

Laughter & Noise.

There are lives I can imagine without children but none
of them have the same laughter & noise. — Brian Andreas