Sunny Sunday

Evan and I missed our opportunity to watch David autocross today, his first event of the season. So instead, we enjoyed the beautiful weather close to home. We walked to the park and did some swingin'.

Regardless of his total lack of expression, he actually enjoys the swinging quite a bit. I think it's just weird and requires some concentration. So much concentration that he can't possibly smile at the same time. 

When he was back in his stroller, he was all giggles and chatty. We stopped on a bench to watch the ducks. 

We walked home "the long way" and saw kids playing, dogs walking, lawns being mowed and flowers in bloom. And, this is what you get after just an hour of neighborhood adventures. 

Frenemies

I can't believe I almost forgot to post about this. A week or two ago, we got to daycare and were greeted with an incident report. This is not unusual; they fill them out for everything.

One of Evan's friends had bitten him on the belly! You could tell that Ms. Betty was used to the whole gamut of reactions to such a report because she seemed very cautious about telling us. Meanwhile, I was like, "Well, what did he do to deserve that?" (Not really...just in my thoughts.) And David was like, "He's still wearing what we dropped him off in, so there wasn't enough blood to change his clothes-- not impressed." (Not really...just in his thoughts.) We're good parents.

Seriously though, it was very minor--  tiny mark on his belly that was way smaller than a fresh gash on his face that he had inflicted on himself. Nonetheless, I'm glad they're so diligent about the paperwork.

We had our suspicions about who did it. They, of course, couldn't tell us. We were sure it was his gf. She's a mean little kid. We've seen her knock him over and climb on top of him to get his pacifier. She doesn't even take a pacifier; she just doesn't want the other kids to have one either.

The weird thing was that everyone I told said it seemed odd for kids that age (0-12 months) to bite.

And then, the very next day, there was an area taped off on the floor that said "Older children must stay behind this line." So, now we think one of the older siblings came in during drop off and bit him!

We're just left wondering. Was it gf's equally angry older sister? Was it whiney boy's whiney older brother getting revenge because Evan's the favorite? Or maybe it was girl-with-the-stupid-name's brother with a stupider name. Obviously, we have no idea but it's fun to speculate who gave our special snowflake his first daycare battle wound.

[No bite pics, sorry.]

Hello, handsome boy!

"Rawr!"

Magnus Thunder

That's Evan's tough alter ego name. He's such a sweet, smiley, chatty boy... until Magnus Thunder comes out. Magnus Thunder destroys everything in sight. I have very few pictures of Magnus Thunder because I cannot wield a camera and manage Magnus.

I posted before about how he uses his toys in alternative ways. He's recently figured out how to rip the noisy part off of one of them. And, he'll use any handheld toy that ends up in his hand as a hammer. Also, the sippy cup is a hammer too, and my kitchen table has the divots to prove it. And, to take the kitchen destruction one step further, he drops the sippy cup onto the tile floor-- I'm sure it doesn't have many more drops left in it-- and grabs the white curtains, but not until his hands are sufficiently grubby.

The other day, I left him playfully rolling around on the living room floor. I came back, no more than three minutes later, to find him flailing his arms and legs, happy as a clam, screaming in delight and covered in magazines. Ripping them, shredding them, soaking them with slobber.

Related to that, I like to sit on the living room floor and clip coupons on Sunday morning after our newspaper-like coupon book is delivered. He'll roll over and start pulling pieces out of the stack. I'll give him "his coupons"-- the glossy pizza ads usually hold up to his destructive ways the best-- and slide him across the room, away from my stack. He goes ca-razy with his coupons. Until he realizes that I still have coupons. Then he rolls back over and starts tearing at my stack again. I spend most of the time moving my stack away from him and saying, "Evan (Magnus), your coupons are OVER THERE!" I think he's a future super couponer.

He cannot be changed on his changing table anymore. He's like kamikaze baby the minute his butt hits the changing pad. He arches and twists and turns. He grabs the prepared diaper or his pajamas or whatever is laying close and starts chewing on it. He launches the diaper bin, the wipes, tissues and any other innocent bystander baby item onto the floor.  He is completely unfazed by having a crack full of poop. In fact, that might energize him to twist and flail even more violently. It's a game, a game that I'm not winning.

I have a feeling this is just the beginning of this kid's path of destruction...

A fun place to play...

...and some much needed confinement. 

And it was even more fun when I tied a belt around the handle and took him for a ride through the house on The Laundry Express. Chooo! Chooo! 

8 Months

Dear Evan,

You turned eight months old yesterday. Un-stinking-believable.

As with every month since you started daycare, you spent most of this month sick. It's really getting old for all of us, Buddy. This month, the doctor gave us a nebulizer so we could give you breathing treatments at home, morning and night. You did not like the nebulizer but you eventually accepted it. It was during nebulizing that we learned something funny about you. We (and by "we", I mean Dad because he was the nebulizing king!) always ended up giving you your treatment around 7:30. We're also in the habit of watching Family Fued at 7:30. We noticed that you'd get fussy during the commercials but calm down when the show came back on. Buddy, you love Steve Harvey. We ended up playing the Family Fued YouTube Channel on the TV for you every time you needed a breathing treatment. Whatever works, right?

"Aw, Steve. You so funny!" 

You have become so mobile this month. You're not crawling yet, but you've gotten quite directional in your rolling. You're pretty good at getting up on your hands and knees, sometimes hands and feet, but you haven't quite figured how to start moving. It should be any day now.

Motion Shot

Concentration

Like spread legs push ups

You now have five teeth with one more on the way. Thanks to your cold(s) and teething, we've all been pretty low on sleep lately. We've tried pain medications, icy chew toys, numbing gels, you name it. The only thing that seems to make you happy when you're uncomfortable in the middle of the night is Mommy. It sucks for me, but I kinda don't blame you. I'm pretty awesome.

We're still having a good time introducing new foods. You're eating more and more table foods lately. I love to watch you enjoy a new food...or the faces you make when you don't enjoy it. We've been attempting the dissolvable puffs with you for quite a while. You do not like them at all. I was telling a friend about this and she suggested just plain Cheerios instead. My response was, "Yeah, maybe. We'll give it a try." But what I was thinking was, "That's the most idiotic suggestion ever! The puffs are sweet and taste like apples and bananas! If he doesn't like those, there's no way he likes Cheerios!" As it turns out, occasionally the other mommies know a thing or two.

Deliciously sweet, dissolvable puffs

Cheerios make you cheery! 

Celery: delicious and good for teething

You're chattering away pretty much anytime you're awake. "Mamama... Dadada..." You smile at us like you know that those words have something to do with us. Yet, you can't quite figure out what that something is. Also, your dad thinks I'm a crazy, but I swear you've said "Laika" twice, possibly more.

First, you were in your exersaucer while I was trying to get Laika to behave. I was saying, "Laika, no! Laika, get in your bed! Laika, lay down!", and then from across the room, clear as day, you said "Laika!" Of course, I was the only witness so your dad doesn't believe it.

And then, you were rolling around in the living room while Laika was sitting in the kitchen. You, very obviously, looked into the kitchen and said her name. Your dad won't agree, but I'm going on the record that your first word (that you actually assigned to something) was Laika.

Hugs (next was tastes- blah)

A favorite pastime for the two of you

You're growing so big and learning so many new things every single day. It's so easy for me to get caught up in what a big boy you're becoming:

I sometimes have to remind myself that you're still a baby: 

I love you, Buddy.

Mmmmmom