Coming Soon!

I haven't had a chance to update the Papers since we moved to LA. Work is kicking my rear big time these days. Once our report is drafted, I'm hoping to devote some time to recounting our move, Moo's birthday parties and 1 year doctor visit. Please stay tuned!

Moo - 11 months

I've been remiss about keeping track of Moo's milestones. Stupid of me since I meant for this blog to be a baby book of sorts. So without further ado, Mr. Moo at 11 months:

He has sprouted 6 teeth and one is currently working it's way out. He's having a hard time dealing with the discomfort poor fellow.

He stands up quite sturdily now and is starting to cruise about. I'll find him cruising from one side to another in his crib. It's just so cute to walking into his room in the morning standing up gleefully in his little sleep sack.

He's doing a lot of babbling, like Pig he started off with ba-ba-ba, to a-da, a-da, a-da and then ma-ma-ma. I can tell he's trying to communicate with me. He'll turn to me babble a way and then pause as if giving me a chance to respond. My response is often a quizzical look and a cocked eyebrow.

He's starting to become a discerning (picky? oh horrors!) eater. He rejects certain textures and absolutely refuses to eat plain peas. I have to blend them up with something else.

His sleeping is improving. We're starting to see more full nights of sleep, he's averaging about 5 good nights a week these days. 'Course all this goes out the window when he's sick or teething.

He's getting to be a bit more independent. I was worried about this as he spent several months at Mrs. V's as the solo baby. He does get a bit clingy at times, e.g. when he's teething. But he's comforted by his blanket and his binkie.

Everybody sick

It is booger city here. Pig was sick last week and now Moo has it. While he's feeling loads better, I decided to stay home with his today so he could get plenty of rest and attention. Meanwhile, I'm his personal nose wiper. Every few seconds I turn around and see that the twin booger faucets have been turned on full blast oozing technicolor goo. His skin is super dry, so I've been rubbing Desitin all over so that he resembles a small grinning bodybuilder. I cannot wait until he learns to blow his nose! All one can do now is use steam and clean off what dribbles out. He loathes the Nosefrida. Though one thing I found to work is to hold a kleenex to his nose and then tickle him with the other hand. As he laughs, he snorts and pay dirt! A nostril full of booger-age.

Moo - It is your Destiny.....

So awhile back, before Moo was born, I mentioned that since I chose the decor for Pig's room, that K should do the same for Moo. He chose Star Wars... no huge surprise since K, like many a geek, worships at the altar of George Lucas.

So I kept an eye open for interesting Star Wars themed artwork. I wasn't interested in film posters, we already have those downstairs and this is for a baby's room, not a geek command center. Then while puttering about Etsy, I saw it. The coolest pop art rendition of an X-wing Fighter ever. It was simple and the colors weren't garish, it had me at hello. In my mind's eye I pictured that print growing up with Moo, catching his fancy from across his crib, over his bunk bed as a boy, in the moving van with him and his wife as they drive off to start a new life together...*sniff, sniff*

Ok, what was I talking about...oh yeah, artwork. When the X-wing Fighter arrived, K gazed at it reverently. We decided to take advantage of Michael's framing sale and dropped off a number of pieces. Well yesterday we went to pick up the finished product and it's now hanging in Moo's room. He's well on his way to become a Star Wars loving, computer building, Renaissance Faire attending, manga watching, Mountain Dew drinking geek boy.

Happy Valentine / Lunar New Year's Day!

The doorbell rang and I was greeted with these! They're in front of me as I type and I'm getting giddy from the fragrance. As far as New Years, not much we can do but just call my parents and wish them health and happiness in the year of the tiger.

Cookie Monster

Pig and I finally made cookies together. I bought this organic gingerbread cookie mix awhile back and kept meaning it for a rainy/snowy day project for Pig. But I noticed too late that the recipe called for a 1/2 cup of molasses. I rummaged and rummaged through my baking stores to no avail. Damn it. C'est la vie.

So once our road was sufficiently plowed, we lit out and got the molasses and today we plugged in the standing mixer. The mix created a wonderful, darkly rich dough. I prefer a clean wine bottle to a regular rolling pin, sticks less, so I got one out. Pig was plopped in a chair, a bib wrapped around her. The first time, I rolled out the dough and then gave Pig the cookie cutter. We had a mini celebration every time a little gingerbread person popped out.

BUT...the Pig is an independent creature, she was getting bored of just being the schmuck pushing down the cutter...that's just stupid. So I handed her our makeshift rolling pin and she rolled away. Unfortunately, she didn't roll for long so we ended up with a few cookies that were, ahem, a wee bit thicker than the suggested 1/8-1/4 inch. No matter, gingerbread muffin people make for good eats as well.

Slowly Losing my Mind

There's this episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show called "Space Madness" where the pair have been stuck roaming aimlessly through outer space. Ren slowly loses his mind and ultimately finds himself staring at a bar of soap, lovingly calling it his ice cream bar. Wracked by paranoia, he convinces himself that Stimpy is planning to steal said ice cream bar. I thought of this as I was washing my hands with a bar of soap the other day... I really need it to stop snowing.

Snowmageddon came with a vengeance and dumped about 40 inches total. At first, it was fun waking up and looking out the window to see white, white, white as far as the eye could see. But the novelty wore off pretty fast. The roads were in awful condition so the kids' daycares were closed and work was closed for me for 4 days. The kids and I were home alone for the first two days. It started off terribly, I've been experiencing horrid insomnia as of late so mornings have been especially rough for me.

After feeding the kids breakfast and cleaning the kitchen and clearing the floor of the daily detritus, snow that Kirb tracks in and the food that the kids manage to flick off their trays, we head downstairs to play. I plopped Moo onto the foam mats and Pig and I rummage through the toy bin. Pig loves anything Dora and has a Dora doll and a plastic purple Backpack that plays the "Backpack! Backpack!" song from Dora the Explorer. Her Elmo and Cookie Monster dolls are also particularly beloved. These are things she refuses to share with her brother and of course they're also the things that Moo makes a beeline for.

Basically it's meant mornings and afternoons spent keeping the peace in the barnyard. Pig would run up and snatch a toy out of her brother's hands and he would scream in anger. I would ask Pig to share with her brother and she would clutch the toy more firmly to her chest and run off. Problem is, I can understand why Pig is being so possessive. First of all, she's two and she's in her mine, mine, mine stage big time. Second, she fears that her brother is usurping all of the attention that had been solely hers and these fears are further reinforced every time we ask her to share her toys with him. Third, with the language barrier, we can't really explain to her that when she was Moo's age we humored her every whim as well so it's not that we're showing preferential treatment.

Pig has been challenging me nonstop this week. There is a Korean folktale about a little green frog or chung gaegoree. Without fail, the little frog did the exact opposite of what his mother asked him to do. The story ends sadly so I won't go into detail but Pig has been exhibiting little green frog tendencies. I've ended up scolding and meting out time out sessions and while I know that it's all for Pig's own good, it leaves me feeling very low at the end of the day. I've had Pig look at me mournfully, scornfully and it just hits home that my best girl is growing up way too fast. You see, Moo still gazes up at me with a heartbreakingly sweet expression, his grey eyes absolutely limpid and trusting. The contrast of their expressions these days makes me think sadly of how Pig used to look at me...back when her wants and needs were simple and I could fulfill them easily and without reservation.