Just Waiting

The girls and boy have only been gone for six days, and I miss them a lot...only a few more days to go. While they were gone, Minnesota went from a cold and frozen place to something much more hospitable. The lakes have thawed, the eagles are out, and I can't wait for everyone to come home so we can go exploring. Anyway, here is a picture of the girls and I on lake Pepin. Only Branda could have taken something like this...

Mum-mum-mum-mum-mum

Sometime in the past week Obie has learned some consonants. He has moved beyond his regular coos, gurgles, and cries to make some real baby words. Just now he was lamenting, "Bwaah, bwaah, bwaah, bwaah" and I've definitely heard the precursor to Mommy, "mum-mummum-mum-mu". I am utterly amazed by these utterances. He's my little baby boy - how can he already be making this milestone?

Today is his 5 month birthday. FIVE MONTHS! I can not believe it. Five months is only one month away from SIX months and that's also known as half a year! Half A Year!!! How can that possibly be? In some ways last October feels like it was decades away. So much has happened since then. And yet it also feels like it was just last night that I was feverishly pacing around the block in the moonlight trying to entice him to come out and be born. How strange.

I Couldn't Resist!!

Friday Foto

Babertainment

The Obester is fascinated by our cats. Whenever one of them crosses his line of sight he stares unwaveringly at it until they leave his field of vision, even turning his head to follow as long as possible. He watched Eiffel eat her whole bowl of kibble yesterday. He coos and laughs at Mr. Dalilah when he wakes up to find the cat on the bed near him. And he gets that big impressed-baby look of surprise when Oscar spats at the other cats. I'm sure the cats are just as excited about him... well, maybe not.

A "Haunted" Cupboard

While I was working on Potato Soup for dinner last night, Maggie realized that she could sit in the big cupboard in our kitchen.  She also realized that she could move the drawers from inside.  For the rest of the time I was cooking she and Beatrice pretended they were ghosts and that we had a haunted kitchen.

I made them come out of the woodwork for pictures.  I love the one of Bee peeking around the door.  And the look on her face when she throws it open.  And Maggie looks awfully proud to have figured it all out!  These Ghosts I don't mind!

Obie is Getting Better at the Bumbo

See for yourself:

This is what he does now while I work in the kitchen.

Note the My Little Pony in his lap.

He's a CHARMER!!

Come on, Spring!

We can't wait for Spring around here.  It simply is not coming fast enough!  

To hurry it along just a little bit we did the starters for our garden yesterday.  Well, Rob and Maggie did.  They planted two types of Heirloom tomatoes and one cherry tomato, as well as hot peppers, spinach, and a few beans and peas.  They'll be ready to put outside in 6-8 weeks.  The biggest trick around here is keeping them away from the deer.  We have a lovely old neighbor who likes to feed the deer just two doors down from us and we've had hoof-prints all over the yard all winter long.  This is not a good omen for peas and beans.  Or spinach.  So we're researching container gardening, looking for old sheets at thrift stores, and pricing tall fencing.  But for now we have one sweet little tray of potting mix and tiny seeds... and one excited little gardener.

Friday Foto

Why a chicken outfit?  Why not.

Beatrice, in Reference to Her PopTart Breakfast

"Well, I guess it will get messy on my cheeks!!"

-declared with utter joy and satisfaction.

Obie Stats

Obie had his four month check-up today with his new pediatrician, Dr. Spano. Now, no one can really replace Dr. Paul, but Dr. Spano was very nice, he seemed truly interested about us, and did not rush through our appointment. His nurse, Kate, was also very pleasant. Of course it helped that they both gushed over what a wonderful boy Obie is, how cute, and cuddly, and jolly. I totally agree!

At four and a half months Obie weighs 16 lbs, 9 oz and is 26 inches long. He's huge. Maggie didn't weigh 17 pounds until she was a year old!!

Here he is waiting for Dr. Spano...

THAT'S A BIG BOY!!

In which the eldest daughter displays her literary talent...

As dictated (verbatim) to a much impressed father...

I wish the little worm

swallowed a germ

and I wish the little baby worm

swallowed the same germ

as the mama one did

and at the royal palace

everyone was sad

and the little worm

gave it to all the other worms

and they had to go home

to drink some medicine

and they slept until the summer was here

and the germ had to float away

and catch someone else.

Of course, this was made all the more fun by using the Mac's text-to-speech capability, and its funny voices. Too bad I couldn't get that on here...