Babies make me sick (49 weeks, 5 days)

I'd planned to write today to tell you all about Zeke's first plane trip to DC and everything he and his daddy did while I was working. As a bonus, photos with my family, as well as a friend from school. It was going to be great. Is that what you are going to get? NOPE!

As I have repeatedly mentioned in the past year, babies are yucky. Not just mine, but other people's, too. Babies make me sick, literally. I have never been as sick as many times as I have in the past year that I have been contact with these little creatures. I have had three colds in as many months -- I feel like I have permacold. So, last week, what just seemed like a harmless cough became a cough with a cold. But, wait, there's more! Then on Monday, I got that stomach bug that everyone seems to be getting this year. One minute fine, the next totally incapcitated. Still, I planned to go on the trip on Tuesday, figuring it was a bug of a 24 hour variety. Well, achy and vomiting an hour before we were supposed to leave for the airport, I cancelled. Disappointing! Still, the people at my little gig let me do the work from home, and I spent the past four days on the couch. All in all, it's for the best we didn't go. First, most of my pay was going towards leaving Maggie at doggie daycare all week. Second, then Baby got sick yesterday. Third, then Baby Daddy got sick tonight. It's like Outbreak but without the little monkey.

Instead, it's more like Outbreak with a little panda.

(I know I'm posting a repeat photo, but I haven't taken any photos this week and I posted this before I remembered.) Good news is that I'm doing better (other than a lapse of memory), Baby is in good spirits, and we will take care of Daddy. Regular baby blogging returns soon.

Bet you hadn't thought of this (48 weeks, 3 days)

In the past year, I have learned so much...more than I thought I could about a whole range of things. My knowledge of baby gear is much broader than I would have either thought possible (though during pregnancy I bought and read a whole book of advice and reviews, so I may be a little responsible for this). What I am struck by is how often products must spring from a parent thinking, "Why don't they have one of these?" and then they go and manufacture and market another $40 thing to go on the shelves of baby megastores. Here are three that made me giggle a little recently...

* A changing pad with a full harness to strap your child down. I would consider this. Zeke is only 20 some pounds, but he can be the Hulk when I need to change a dirty diaper.
* A way to stow your baby/toddler when you have to use a public restroom. Look it also serves as a toilet paper holder -- hee hee.
* Every baby needs his own iPod to be cool, but how to attach to the crib? Ah, yes, here's your answer.

If I could save time in a bottle... (48 weeks, 2 days)

Dear About Sprout Readers:

Have you been watching the little ticker at the top of the blog when you check in on us? Do you see what is happening? Do you see that little baby crawling past the "12"? Sprout is on that same track and headed towards being a one year old. What a journey we have all taken together!

Readers, I try not to trouble you for much other than to come and see us every once in a while (and to have patience with me when posting is sparse), but with Sprout practically a toddler, I have a favor to ask -- or, if you will, an invitation.

In honor of his first birthday, I am making something of a time capsule for Baby. I'd like to fill it with a few reminders of the time Baby was born into, as well as a few keepsakes of the first year (a favorite onesie, an archive of the blog, a family portrait). What I am really interested in, though, is including something from you. What? Well, an email, a letter, a photo, or anything he might be interested in 20 years from now in 2027. (I haven't quite decided, but I think I will give this to him on his 21st birthday.)

Be as creative or as straightforward as you like. Maybe you would like to look to the future -- make predictions about the future or give some advice to the adult Sprout. Maybe you can think about the near past and share a favorite memory. Maybe just send a message of hello. I just want to include something from the people who have shared this experience with us.

Also, let me know if you have any ideas about things that you think I should put with this collection -- I know you all will have good ideas.

Please, please consider participating! Maybe it's a little silly, but you'll be saving me from having to find him a birthday gift in a couple of decades. Don't rush your decision -- you've got a month to decide. I can't wait. Thank you!



If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

...

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

-Jim Croce, "Time in a Bottle"

You knock me off me feet (48 weeks, 1 day)

More on the developing relationship between Boy and Dog.

Maggie has realized that Zeke is much more than a shrieking primate at the top of the food chain. Not only does Boy regularly provide table (or rather, high chair) scraps, he actually has the most time and inclination of anyone in the house to provide the attention such a Good Dog deserves. Zeke, for example, will actually pick up and throw Maggie's toys, unlike us. (I think, though, he does it as much for his enjoyment as Maggie's -- there's not much difference between a pet toy and a baby toy other than where the shopping gets done.)

Because of this, the Boy now regularly receives heaps of dog love, demonstrated primarily through big wet yucky dog kisses that always get a giggle (see at left) and some powerful nuzzling (also as seen at left).

More, please!

We think Zeke signed "more" at dinner tonight to get some extra Cheerios! When we tried to get him to repeat it, he said (in an exasperated tone, I think) "MAMA!" He's no trained monkey, after all.

Pushing my buttons (48 weeks)

Zeke controls a lot of things around here. Now he also likes to control my computer. This is only made acceptable by adding an old keyboard and a neato program for my MacBook, a computer I love and that I would like to survive my baby's attempts to control everything in his environment.

The program is AlphaBaby. It's free and lifesaving. He pounds on the keyboard and, in response, he gets letters, shapes, sounds or images from my photo library. You can see the joy he gets out of it! The beauty of it is that he doesn't rename my documents or delete things. However, he still wants to touch the laptop keyboard, I think because it lights up. Or, because he needs to touch everything.

Also in button-pushing news: Zeke's fine motor skills are really developing. In the past week, he has really refined his ability to push buttons with his thumbs. All of a sudden, he can very deliberately activate buttons on a stuffed animal, a busy board, a book with sound effects, Sesame Street pop up character board, and the race track that I just bought him.

They grow up so fast (47 weeks, 6 days)

Mr. Baby really had a lingering cold the past two weeks. It really wrecked his otherwise decent sleep schedule and kept him from all of our regular outings to playgroups and Little Gym. I think that was as upsetting to him as all the runny noses. Last weekend, we started going out into the world again (now drip free!) by visiting the open house for the neighborhood preschool coop. He enjoyed the open house: he played with some cute little girls and crawled all over everything. I liked it, too: a stimulating environment, near by, run by parents, good staffing, based on a great early childhood approach Reggio Emilia. I had always planned on him starting preschool at one because: he loves being with other children, I could use the time, and I think he could get a lot from being in an environment like that. I have been wavering in recent months, though, wondering if he should stay at home until he is two. That hesitancy, however, was just a reaction to the inevitable reality clutching at me that Zeke is going to grow up. It is bittersweet.

Sniff sniff -- we applied for him to be in the one year old class two days a week starting in the fall. Our baby going to school! Our baby will be one! Well, of course, there is a very good chance that he won't go. There are less then a handful of spaces available and there were dozens of families there. The school will pick families by lottery. We find out next week how we did in the lottery and whether we made it in or where we are on the waitlist. Keep your fingers crossed!

As this photo shows, though, plenty of fun times to be had home for awhile. What a silly boy he can be!

Trip to the Zoo (47 weeks, 5 days)

Baby is feeling better (after two weeks of a runny nose!), Aaron and I had a break from work, and Wednesday afternoon was a surprisingly spring-like day. We were going to take a walk around the neighborhood, but then -- light bulb! -- why not take a walk in the park and use our new zoo pass? (Thanks, Grandma, for the great Christmas gift!)

So, Zeke got his second trip to the zoo. (His first was January 15.) And, for the second time, the zoo's new baby panda was not on exhibit. Maybe she didn't want to be upstaged by the cutest panda there.

There weren't many people there, so I got to see some of the animals that I normally miss through the crowds, including the tigers and this kangaroo and her joey, with whom Zeke had an immediate connection. After all, Zeke understands how comfy it is to be carried around in a pouch.