Patty Cake!

Look what Tony started to do on Friday! Sorry the video is sideways, but I can't figure out how to rotate it.

Kindergarten

I loved kindergarten. My teacher let us call her Mary Ann, we sat on colored stripes on the carpet rather than in desks, there was a water table to splash in, and one time we actually made green eggs and ham.

There were only 2 things I didn't like:

First: there was a tooth-tree, so when anyone lost a tooth they got to write their name on paper tooth and hang it on the tree for everyone to see. I didn't lose a single tooth that year so I was the only kid unrepresented on that stupid little shrub.

Second: On a letter-writing test I once got -1 because while making a small "b" I did the loop part directly from the bottom of the straight line instead of starting from the center of the line. I got the correct end result, but apparently the process mattered. Hmph. If only she could see my b's now!

My best friend was Haley Baxter. We were like two peas in a pod. One of our favorite things to do was to trap this boy named Kyle by charging in to sit on either side of him on the floor. He was cute, and as far as we knew, that was the appropriate course of action. Ah, to be 5 again... I decided way back then that if I ever have a daughter her name will be Haley, in honor of my dear friend.

Seth was in second grade at this time, and one of my few memories of recess was me getting mad at him and his buddies, and kicking them where it counts. I had to sit in time out, but I felt it was justified. Sorry Seth.

In the picture above, my hair was crimped (thanks Dad), a huge departure from my normally straight and somewhat snarly style, and that t-shirt was from the Saturday Market in Eugene. It was my favorite shirt, and I probably wore it everyday. Kids are like that.

Nine Month Checkup

Tony went in for his well baby visit- here are his stats:

• 20 lbs 12 oz (71%)

• 29 3/4 inches (91%)

Remember how he was so tiny when he was born?

Look at him now!

Fun at the park

Today I actually got up off my duff and took advantage of the beautiful day! I packed Tony into our sedan #2 (aka the stroller) and set off for Columbia park about a mile away from our house. When we got there Tony had his first ever fun in the swings!

Swinging has always been one of my favorite activities, so I'm glad that Tony likes to do it too. Though the day was warm enough when in direct sunlight, it quickly got chilly in the shade, where of course all the swings were. We left the playground for warmer pastures and set up a picnic in the big field (by picnic I mean a bottle of milk for Tony) He really enjoyed being outside and watching all the people and dogs go by on the path.

Random pictures from this week

Family cookie party

(Of course, we didn't let him actually eat the cookie, he just had a taste)

Tony's first pancake

Basketball Jones

Happenings

We haven't really done anything in the past few weeks. Just the same old stuff: Don goes to work, I try to entertain Tony, while mixing in the occasional chore and dog-scold. Don comes home, one of us exercises, dinner, relax with a book or a show, put Tony to bed, more relaxing, then it's off to dreamland.

Tony is getting bigger. He has finally returned to eating his pureed foods with some rice cereal mixed in, which he did great at before he got sick in December. This week he's branched out significantly and eaten a total of 3 cheerios, two goldfish crackers, 4 Ritz, and two teeny bites of broccoli. Progress!

He has learned a lot about the intricacies of whining from Roobin, our lovable but oh so noisy dog. Somehow we got a dog that makes bird sounds and whistles out his nose. He also has quite the vocal range, which he demonstrates frequently through a succession of whines. Tony has learned from the master, so a good portion of the sounds I hear all day are a two part harmony of whines and whimpers. Lucky me.

The Spud loves to jump and cruise around the edge of his crib, and his favorite expression is one where his nose is scrunched up. Like this:

B&W Close Ups

**P.S. If anyone knows how to make these pictures be 2 per line, side by side, I'd love to hear how! I can make it be like that in the preview, but it doesn't stay when I actually publish. Thanks!**

Biter Biscuit Fun

For Grandma!

New Jumperoo