New photo album

I'm up past my bedtime to share some amusing photos: 38 beautiful works of art, most created by Dominick. (Mike and I were responsible for a few, too.) The image quality isn't so great, but what can you expect from a digital camera made for kids? Still, I thought some of Dom's pictures had their own crazy sort of artistic value. Of course, I could only be saying that because I'm his mom. Judge for yourselves.

Look for updates on our basement renovation in the next day or so. We've been busy!

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.