BLOG Alert! I'm finally writing! ;)
Let's see... what is babyj up to these days??
First of all, let it be said that sitting on hay bales surrounded by pumpkins and gourds while weird looking scare crows stare at you is really NOT his cup of tea. Chickens doing what chickens do are, on the other hand, quite interesting from a studying silently and with intense expressions. Sitting in trees at this age is something only moms and grandmas make you do--yawn... maybe in a few years. Wagons aren't too bad.
the chickens and a farm dog are over here to the right.
wagons are cool... can make driving noises.
- pulling to stand is for babies... now he demos how "big" he's getting by holding on with one hand and repeatedly picking up an object from the floor
- he likes to walk around the room with you holding onto his bent arms... he takes one giant step (depends on the day as to which leg it is) and one normal step... the giant one often has turnout that would make greatgrandpaj PROUD!
- trying to do fingertip (climber-style) pull ups on the dining room table which he can now reach to the top of... barely...
- he stands on tip toes to reach soooooo far for things--usually in front of him over an object (chair or his little piano)...
- he does quite a bit in tall kneeling...
- he's starting to squat... the way our ancestors did around a fire... that type... and he has enviable calf/achilles length as his heels are on the floor...
- he points at things (lights, clocks) and says "illth!" at first, i thought it was just for lights, but wall clocks have now entered the picture. did you know that the lobby of our gospel mtgs has at least 3 lovely wall clocks to point at and "illth" and add an excited squeal for good measure???? yes, indeedy.
- while (and after) granmama was here this last time, he said "uh-MA" quite a bit... especially if she left the room... i'm thinking that's his name for her... so far ma ma and da da aren't exactly lables consistently applied... ma ma is more frequently used--especially in crisis and crankiness.
- vacuums are still the number one obsession... oh yes... and he knows it's name, where it's located, even when the door is closed and it hasn't been out for a few days. BUT, in a pinch, i can get it out, lay the handle down on the ground, and chop/prepare/cook green curry with a completely contented baby playing where i can watch him. thanks hoover (or whatever brand we have).
(the following is a 3 shot series of my little vacuum salesman at work... demonstrating the design, the function, and the form... and then the post-fishie face... my little salesman had me hook-line-and sinker! :) hee hee! he also makes the noise really well, too!).
- beginning to sing a rousing rendition of "if you're happy and you know it" will diffuse any cryingfest... making animal noises is a close second but he doesn't clap along with that.
- he's like his mama and his doggie in that being outside, especially when it's cool, makes him allllllllllllll excited! waving his arms and bouncing his leggies! ohhhh so much fun!
- he can mimic the EXACT noise the carbon monoxide detector makes when it's pulled from the wall by little hands OR when the "test" button is pushed before mommy can remind him "no no"... he now will crawl toward it shaking his head "no" and usually be able to resist ... but sometimes the devil on that left shoulder wins out... not tooooooo often tho. :)
- and on that note... when the microwave beep goes off, he mimics that, too, from wherever he's sitting or playing... just to make sure you heard it... followed by a cute little toothy (8) grin! so helpful!
- when he's psyched, he's started flapping his right arm up/down verrrrrry fast and then progressing into excited hyperventilation which sometimes is combined with squinching up his nose and eyes for the perfect trifecta... wish we had a photo on this one...
- after taking a lonnnnng sip off the straw cup, he says "ahhhhhh" in a whisper... like all good j (maiden name)'s do. :)
- he's getting pretty good at high-5's with daddy (especially)
- swinging in the park is getting more and more fun
- he's crawling on all 4's a good portion of the time now... but still likes to throw in a good army/commando crawl for old times sake... it's still likely the faster of the two yet... but the difference is diminishing.
We had a wonderful visit with Miss MG... and he LOVED her... j showed her how to stand, how to hang on the table, had a little conversation with her, pulled on her blouse, and gave her lots of good smiles. :) Special thanks to K and N who fixed a tasty lunch and kept j entertained and away from their computer and printer buttons with a variety of other interesting noises and opportunities. :)
I also ran a trail/dirt road marathon with 3700ft elevation gain (loop, so therefore 3700 loss, as well) down in Ashland... it was an AWESOME course with fabulous organizers and volunteers! it was uphill for 8mi, and rolled higher to mile 10... then rollers with gradual descent to mile 20.5 or so, and then big descent (back to the bottom of the loop) to the finish. the uphill felt GREAT! i LOVE running UP! the middle wasn't too bad... i'm still battling the pelvic ligament and resulting stabilizing muscle discomfort with long runs especially that involve downhills... the last section was tough... not because of the distance as much as the child birth related discomfort... ARRRGHGHGH! i actually fueled, hydrated, and paced this challenging course really well, and if i didn't have the pelvic stuff, i could have pushed the pace on the last section and been really psyched! ahhh well... it was a perfect running day--40s, misty, no wind... in the woods, on a mtn side, in/out of foggy clouds, for a long run... can't get much better than that! :) Hubby and babyj went for a swim at the hotel, watched football, ate, had a nap (j) while daddy drove extra (to continue the nap) before picking me up. lovely! :)
NOW we get to enjoy some days with auntieree!!!!!!!
Still no mfg engineer job for hubby. sigh. I'm sending resumes out for real now... not just for vacation fill in and "on call" work...locally at this point... no point in adding condo selling stress.
Happy days to all!
skjhz
