Adventures in Being Myself

Zane busted out two new words since I updated this joint yesterday: "hah" - he does a pretty good job of keeping his hat on when we're in the sun. *** "pur" - the boy knows him some accessories. No wonder it is hard for me to keep up.

Magic 8-Ball says, "yes." It's been awhile. As much as I love writing, I find it very hard to keep up with regular posts. There is so much to write about and I'm a Virgo so I want to do it all in order, but I can't keep up with writing about everything that is happening so fast...so I don't know where to start...so I become...paralyzed. I don't know why I put so much pressure on myself to make these blog entries "perfect:" timely, relevant, smart, witty, whatever. But, I do. And then there's the matter of pictures. All of our thousands of pictures are stored on a hard drive. At home. The trouble is, I don't have much free time for blogging when I am at home. And the truth is, I don't want to make the time for blogging at home. I would rather spend my time playing with PG and Zane. So my first entry here in two months will be all words. Fittingly, it is about words. Specifically, all the words my 19-month-old genius has mastered. At ...

It's time to lighten the mood in this joint. It is Friday, after all, and who wants to ride ickiness into the weekend? Not me. So, here are two brand-spankin'-new photos of my boys. It's too bad they really don't like each other very much. PG - 43 years, Zane - 17 months Nice try, but no. We are not cutting Zane's hair. EVER.

"Hi, Mama! I ate all my lunch!" "...and I really, really enjoyed it!" "Peanut Butter and Jelly is my favorite!" "Jeah!"

After church, before a nap. No, Mama, I won't smile. Paci gooooood... Loot from the Easter Bunny. Round 1.

A boatload of toys (and I mean that literally...Zane's toybox is an actual boat...) and what does Zane choose to play with? Dental floss. The special dental floss. Woven. With fluoride. For sensitive teeth. The $3.59-a-box special dental floss. His mission, seemingly, was to remove all of said floss from the box; and he succeeded. I can't really complain, though; he happily amused himself while I dressed for work. It was all pretty cute actually. Reach woven floss with fluoride: $3.59. Happy 16-month-old toddler: priceless.

I think it may be time to lock the trash cabinet. This morning I found two cordless phones and one sippy cup in the household garbage bin. In other news unrelated to garbage, Zane's new favorite words are "woooooooow" (he usually busts out with it when presented with a meal), "whooooooaaaa", "ballllllllll", "wa-wu" (waffle) and "buh-bye." He is also blowing raspberries with his tongue out, which just cracks me up. He has also taken to pointing his tiny finger to my belly button and saying "bay-bee." I know Zane is an old soul, and I can't help but wonder if he is asking for a baby brother or sister. PG and I are mesmerized by the cognitive development taking place right before our eyes. Zane understands how to put things away in their proper place; he will come find us when we call to him; he can distinguish between bunny and bear and monkey when we ask him to bring a specific toy to us; and he will come sit down in f...

Lesson learned: it just keeps getting better. For about two months before my baby turned a year old, I was wistful and sad about the (rapid) passing of infancy. The sadness permeated every sector of my life and sort of "paralyzed" me for a few weeks as we careened toward December 12, 2008. It's another one of those things that nobody tells you when you become a mother: it's the biggest and most wonderful thing to give birth, until you begin to realize that your baby becomes more independent of you with every passing day. Because Zane will likely be my only child, my feelings about his transition from newbie, to baby, to infant, to toddler were particularly keen . How could it go so fast? (I know I was warned, but still...) Did I miss anything? I hope not... Remember when?...and the "when" was only a few weeks earlier. Sigh. But, then, after the Big oh-1!...after marking the day with all of the pomp and ceremony befitting such an occasion, Zane was the same s...

When Zane was born the refrain sounded, "he looks Just. Like. His father." He still does look a lot like PG, and that is a good thing; PG is smokin' hot. As he gets older, though, he is starting to look like me, too (finally...) Useppa Island Club - September 2008 Labor Day 2008

We are 39 days away from the big OH!-1 and little changes are appearing daily. Sweet little nuances that make our Zane the precious boy he is. Here are 7 new things since our last update: Zane has always been ticklish; but, now he is AWARE of his tickle spots (ribs, knees and neck). When PG and I get anywhere near those spots, he starts laughing before we can even make skin-to-skin contact. His current favorite food is a lentil & brown rice recipe that I make for him. But we still have great success with sweet potatoes, squash, peas and all fruits. Except prunes. The Z-man thinks prunes are definitely no bueno. He regularly pulls himself to a standing position - using a table, a chair, his high chair, or his parents' legs for support - and, while standing, he frequently pushes up to his tippy toes and balances there with a pseudo-dancing motion. First steps are coming any day now...we just know it! In the mornings, as I take my shower, Zane loves to play peek-a-boo with the sho...

This week we reached a record low temperarture for October in Fort Myers. 43 degrees. That's pretty chilly for Southwest Florida. This is what Zane chose to wear for school that day.

In one of my recent posts here, I said I wished that time would just STOP for a while so I can memorize every small, changing detail of my sweet and beautiful baby as he careens toward the one-year-old mark. In much the same way that time moves faster in the fourth quarter of a football game, it seems like time is moving at warp speed in these last two months before Zane turns one whole year old. Where monthly updates were sufficient during the first seven months of his life, it seems weekly - or even daily - updates are not only warranted but necessary . So, here's what is new in the last week : He has five teeth now. Desi has joined Lucy & Ricky on the top choppers. Fred & Ethel are still enjoying their alone time on the bottom choppers. Zane has been officially crawling for about three weeks. Until last week, however, he was content to "crawl in place," never leaving one room for adventures in the great beyond. Now he CRUISES! He may start in the office with P...

Three months ago I posted the Seven Month Update about our Zane. Three months! It is a truism that infants change by the minute; but it is also true that, as time passes, and if you pay close attention, babies become less a mystery. The more things change, the more they stay the same... So, here is what is still true about our little man - three months later: He is still the happiest and smiliest child I have ever known. He still LOVES people. He still has 100 different variations of his smile, and I love that his face is so expressive. His fingernails still grow faster than mine. Blowing raspberries still cracks him up. He is still a very good eater. He will eat most anything we prepare for him, but his favorites are lentils/brown rice, yogurt, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, pears, peaches, applesauce, bananas and apples with any other mix-in. We have not tried the prunes again (no need) and we do not push the green beans (there is plenty of time for him to learn to love the...

Yes, we still bathe him in the kitchen sink. But, our kitchen sink is large enough to bath a 5-year-old, so this practice does not qualify me for Worst Mama points . Besides, see that kid-stuff drainboard in the background that is chock-full of bath toys? Yeah, he loves them. Zane at 8-1/2 months. The bath toys are great, Pop, but what I REALLY want is that camera! He has a crooked smile like his Mama. Such a sweet face!

A longer update about our Z is in order, but these shots can't wait for my writer's block to subside. These are some of my favorite current pictures of my baby: Sitting up like a big boy, playing with his favorite toy. Oh, please don't ever stop doing this... Silly Mama Silly Baby Adapt-a-Baby asleep in the rented infant seat traveling through Canada

One of the most fun adventures of the summer was getting Zane to eat. Compared to stories we had heard, we think he is a very good eater. However, at first, we tried very, um, creative , strategies for getting food into his mouth (read: using a pacifier as a spoon) In these photos, Zane was soooooooo tired and he was a hot mess; but, he ate!

PG's first OFFICIAL Father's Day This photograph makes me smile. Zane at 6 months. PG at 42 years.

My first OFFICIAL Mother's Day* PG and Zane treated me to the most excellent Mother's Day ever. PG let me sleep in while he and Zane made my favorite blueberry pancakes for breakfast in bed. We spent the remainder of the day chilling on our back porch and enjoying the pool and jacuzzi. Mother's Day 2008 was also Zane's 5-month birthday. After we enjoyed blueberry pancakes, Zane wowed us with his rice-cereal-eating prowess. He ate like a champion from the very first bite of solid food! Zane at five months. Paige at 37 years. *( yeah, we're not going there about last year...when I didn't KNOW I was pregnant...and was recovering from bronchitis...and enjoying MANY pina coladas with Myers floaters at the pool at Useppa...no, no, we're not going there...)