One year ago

It was on this day last year that we found out we were having another boy. I have to admit I was hoping for a girl at the time because we knew this baby would be our last. So when the ultrasound technician showed us--there was no mistaking it--I felt a slight pang of disappointment, but it was gone as soon as it came. I think that almost more than anything, the idea of me having two boys was hard to fathom. I don't have a brother, so little boys were foreign to me, and now I was having two.

Now that Noel has been here for nearly eight months, I can't imagine having a girl, or that I might have ever been disappointed that we weren't. Yes, I won't get to buy the supercute girl clothes that our friends have, but that's hardly a major problem, is it? I mean, look at this sweet boy!

Toys in the wall

We hit the jackpot tonight. All of the above items were retrieved from the vent in Dominick's room after we realized that seven pieces from his snail puzzle were missing. I knew that the stacker pieces were down there, too; they'd been gone for months. I can't blame the comb on Dominick because it's not even ours. Maybe it was put there by Sandy, the daughter of the original owner of our house. She was three or four when it was built. Anyway, Mike managed to pull these twenty or so things from the ductwork, which wasn't exactly easy. Now we need to do the same thing in the living room. That vent holds some Mr. Potato Head parts and a bendy bunny, and that's just what I can see.

Noel really found his voice today. He said "dadada" and must have thought it was pretty cool because he repeated it all day long. I've got to make a recording of that because it could be the sweetest sound ever heard on this planet. Adorable! He's also rolling around like crazy, so much that diaper changes have become very difficult. No crawling quite yet, but Noel has mastered the art of spinning around in a circle by moving his arms. He can also scoot backwards across the hardwood floors.

Dominick continues to say amusing things. If only I had a transcript of his phone conversations. They are hilarious, as his grandparents can attest. You'd just have to call him and experience it for yourself. Here are some other Dom sayings of late:

vegetabubs

eessert (dessert)

not weawy

Doklin (Joplin)

muck (milk--still!)

hamburgerger (still!)

snot (snout)

cayrons/carrons (crayons)

my's, me's

That last one I mentioned before, but I put it here now because this is truly the age of my's. Not mine, my's. We're hearing that a lot, along with that other word so cherished by three-year-olds: no.

And now for some more pictures...

Dominick being nostalgic for his baby days. He also likes to be swaddled in a quilt and climb into Noel's crib with him (see below).

Self-explanatory. Noel loves to suck, and he's not picky about what.

My eye!

I'm writing tonight through bleary eyes, or rather, a bleary right eye. For two days now I have been suffering from a corneal abrasion. Wow, that hurts. Today has been much better than yesterday, when it was a miracle that I didn't have a wreck driving home from playgroup. The sun was at its absolute brightest just to spite me. I've just started an antibiotic and pain-relief eyedrops, and the ghastly redness is going away.

Yesterday was also fun because Dominick got almost his entire left arm stuck inside a toy's ball chute during playgroup. We had to use olive oil to release it. Fortunately, no lasting harm was done.

My dad, who is in town helping my grandma prepare for a yard sale, had a good idea for dealing with Dom's nighttime issues. Last night he told Dom to order the lights to stay on the ceiling, so they both pointed sternly at the light and said "Stay!" Maybe it was only a coincidence, but Dom slept all night without any disturbances. He did the same thing tonight, so we'll see how it goes. My fingers are crossed.

Miscellany

So far, a mostly uneventful week. We did host playgroup on Tuesday, and a good time was had by all. Even better, for some reason the kids were uncharacteristically neat this time. The house has never been so clean after a playgroup.

Last weekend we--and by "we" I mean Mike--began preparing for our big basement remodel by removing a cabinet and taking down some of the plywood ceiling panels. There's a lot of junk to get rid of, too, even though we've already made three large Goodwill donations this year. Anybody want a Schlitz light fixture?

In closing, some new Dominisms...

unwet (dry, obviously)

par, har (pear, hair)

ope-ten (opened)

seed, doed, goed, broked (His past tense needs some work, doesn't it?)

mize, mees (as in "That one's yours, this one's mize.")

stuck together (Kashi GoLean cereal, which has some little stick-like pieces that can be single or fused in groups of two, three, four or six; "I want string cheese and stuck together.")

last night, yesterday (anytime in the past)

...and a new video. Our laptop suddenly insists that it has no audio device, so I haven't even been able to listen to this yet, but it should be pretty good because it involves a laughing baby.

Happy Birthday, Mike

Today is Mike's birthday. Dom and I decided to set up a little family celebration to surprise him when he came home from work. I made a cake, and this afternoon Dominick and I frosted it. Actually, I handled the frosting and he licked the beater, then the spatula, then used his finger to scrape out the bowl. Somebody likes sugar! It was the first decorated cake that I made without help, and I think it is a respectable effort. We're going to be celebrating lots of birthdays from now on, so I'd better get some practice. We also put up streamers in the dining room, blew up a couple of balloons, and made the birthday sign you see above. Noel even contributed to that. The longer crayon marks in the top left corner are his. The other marks are Dom's attempts at letters, some better than others.

It turns out I spoke a little too soon about Noel's weight being an improvement. The nurse from the pediatrician's office called today to say that the doctor had looked at his weight and, while Noel has gained some, it's not as much as she would have liked. Percentile-wise, he's right at fifth, whereas before he was slightly above, so he's not catching up. The nurse asked me a series of questions about what he's eating, how often, how much at a time, how often he nurses, etc. She said we're doing everything right, and the doctor doesn't recommend changing anything, so we'll see her in August for Noel's nine-month checkup.

Seven months

Yet another month has gone by. It's a little distressing how quickly the time is flying. Noel won't be a baby much longer. Here he is at seven months:

Mmmm, toes.

When I did these photos with Dominick, they started out fairly easy, but as he got older, he refused to stay still or keep his hands off the paper. The same thing is beginning to happen with Noel. Here's another photo from tonight's session:

I took Noel to the pediatrician today for his weight check. He's gained eleven ounces since last month and now weighs 15 pounds, 1 ounce. The nurse said he looked great. Before weighing him, she said he looks bigger. I think so too, but I see him every day, so I may not be the best judge of that. But his thighs seem ever so slightly chunkier.

Sunday at the Garden

Today we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go to the Missouri Botanical Garden. We'd been there fairly recently, but this time we visited areas that we didn't have time for in April, like the maze, Climatron, and the new Children's Garden. Dominick loved playing with the boats and running through the fountains (see photos and video below). I was really impressed that Dom went across the rope bridges without any fear or hesitation. I don't know if I could do that! He did fall into the little stream where the boats were and then got soaked in the fountains, so of course he had to ask Mike to carry him after that. Some smart people actually bring towels and extra clothes for their kids.

Dom at the Climatron

Going over the rope bridge. He must not have inherited my fear of heights.

Playing with the boats

Noel has started making some rudimentary vocalizations. I'm pretty sure he's said "ga," and today he said "da" quite clearly. It's very exciting. He's still eating well, so we'll find out on Wednesday whether his weight gain has picked up or not. Noel has liked everything I've given him so far, and he cries if I take a little too long getting his next bite ready or when the food is all gone. He's as impatient as his big brother, who, incidentally, is going to drive me crazy with his constant refrains of "Let's have a snack" (starting 20 minutes after a meal or snack) and "I want something else" (i.e. something additional) and "I need that!" Will we be able to afford to feed these two when they're teenagers?