Aug
1
August 1, 2006
A couple of housekeeping notes: sundrymourning.com has a spiffy new header graphic, made for me by the talented and fabulous Ranie O’Dell (you may have to hit refresh for it to show up), and look, the archives actually work now.
Is it bad when you wish you looked as good as your website? Eh, don’t answer that.
:::
Riley is 11 months old now, MY GOD, MY GOD.
This has been one of the biggest months in terms of milestones, I think. He started crawling – just all of a sudden, back at the start of July, he rolled up onto his knees on my brother in law’s carpet and cruised forward a few feet, and he hasn’t stopped since. For a while he would also drop to his belly and scooch along like the world’s tiniest G.I., elbows akimbo and his face a mask of concentration; now he moves so quickly his knees seem to barely skim the floor.
He “cruises” along the hearth, the coffee table, the couches, and the edge of his highchair, giving me constant heart palpitations (what if he smashes his face? what if he smashes his chin? what if he smashes his face and THEN his chin?). He stands unassisted for brief terrifying periods of time. He holds onto the headboard of our bed and bounces up and down, his mouth wide open with glee.
He YELLS. Oh god does he yell. When I annoy him by taking away a toy or changing his clothes or prying his little death-grip fingers off a pencil he’s attempting to thrust into his own eye socket, he YELLS – with great vengeance and furious anger, just like Samuel Jackson. “No yelling,” I say sternly, and he yells louder. I hope it’s a stage, because if this is indicative of his burgeoning personality we are going to be investing in a LOT of duct tape over the years to come.
He laughs easily, and it is the best sound I have ever heard (it sure beats the holy hell out of the yelling). If I inadvertently stumble upon something that makes him laugh, I’m happy to do it over and over again, even if it means I must repeatedly fall to the floor in a heap like I’m Ann Darrow and he’s King Kong.
He’s got at least 8 teeth now, and judging from the drooling/whining/general turdiness of late, he’s currently working on more.
If I say “high five!” he’ll reach out and slap my upraised hand. For a while he clapped a lot, but he seems to have abandoned that lately.
Both JB and I think he can almost say some words, like “ba pah!” for “backpack” or “duh duh” for “dog”, but I’m sure it’s just as likely that we’re hearing the same sounds he always makes and putting our own spin on them.
He ate practically nothing but macaroni and cheese for weeks, and now he completely refuses it in favor of chopped-up deli turkey. At daycare he apparently eats all kinds of food from their menu, but at home we seem to be in a turkey/banana/yogurt rut. I am slightly ashamed to admit that I fed him a couple small pieces of a Krispy Kreme donut recently, which he devoured with a worrying amount of speed and enthusiasm.
Also, Dog has learned that Riley’s mealtimes are usually worth hanging around for.
This may have been one of the hardest months, in its own way. I feel like I’m constantly chasing him, constantly monitoring what he’s doing and where he’s going and I can’t turn my back for one solitary second (something I thought was a parenting cliche, but it’s true! it’s true!).
And yet even though it’s exhausting, and there are times when I am absurdly grateful when he falls asleep for the night, it’s a no-fucking-shit miracle, all of it. I celebrate and mourn each new accomplishment, like I do every month, while I watch him grow up before my very eyes.
Comments
-
My product review site:
[
Love the new header!
Me too, and that photo ‘movie’? LOVE IT.
GREAT header!
Dude, you make me laugh AND cry all in the same post. It isn’t fair! (the new header also rocks)
kd
Oh, I love the new header. That photo of Riley doing his dinosaur screeching is one of my favourites.
Just keep telling yourself: “8 baby teeth. We’re nearly half way!!!” Seriously, each tooth gets easier after 10, so it’s really only 2 more teeth from hell.
Love the new header BTW.
Your site, more than any other, makes me feel like I have to have a baby RIGHT NOW. Riley is the cutest baby ever.
It goes so fast, doesn’t it?? And yet, it’s been a wonderful ride, watching you grow up with your beautiful boy. He is darling! Congratulations on almost-a-year…. P is almost 19 months old, and seems like she changes from the time she goes down for a nap, to when she wakes. No wonder people wake up and say, hey how did I get to be 60?!?!?!?
ALSO: I want a cooler interface than what I have, and more like what you have. In the simplest of terms, can you please share with me the who/what/where/when/how via e-mail? I am tired and bored of my site, yet am also a dummy when it comes to the tech stuff.
Thanks!
De-lurking just to say that the “Crawling Phase” is the WORST phase–they have FREEDOM and SELF-DIRECTION and can pull themselves up on anything and everything, but can’t maintain their balance once that happens! So Scary! Of course, my kids are 7 and 9 now, so life is EASY again….Mwahahaha! (You have SOOOO far to go….)
When my daughter started pre-school at age 4, I was afraid that she would tell her teachers that her Real Name was actually her Middle Name, and that her first name was actually, “Dammit” because that was the word that prefixed her “Real Name” from the time she learned to crawl until the day she started Pre-school. (And at about that SAME time, some pinhead pointed out to me that I had named my daughter after “the little girl in the Exorcist”–%#@&$%!)
Enjoy!
Love the new header! and the photo movie is so cute! my son just started army crawling his way around and it is absolutely insane. he’s not fast yet, but I can see the future and I know it’s going to be a lot of work! =)
The header is bee-you-tiful! And the boy has some serious cute issues himself.
OF COURSE we love the header…more Riley & a cute pic of you, too. Ahfriggindorable. Ok good. I’m glad my son isn’t the only baby that doesn’t like variety at home (in terms of food), but will eat anything daycare gives him. What gives?
The picture with the dog is hysterical.
The new look is awesome! I’m so happy to see you up there in your cute little pigtails. And is that Riley making The Noise?
Seriously dude, you are KILLING me with the baby. Riley’s face, which is a perfectly adorable blend of yours and JB’s, is almost too much for me to handle. But to add the downy little head? And feet? And little BOYNESS of it all?
Shit. It’s basically all I can do not to run out (or roll over) and get pregnant RIGHT NOW.
Didn’t see the header, must be me.
I miss little handprints on the windows.
It’s only gonna be a second till he starts walking. THEN you’re in deep shit.
holy crap, he looks like a little boy now instead of just a baby!!!! Love the new header!
“Is it bad when you wish you looked as good as your website?”
I know what you mean. :)
The banner image is a masterpiece, and so is Riley. That animated image is so cute I had to watch it a few times. I can’t believe how he has grown and developed, thank you for sharing your life and the precious moments with us the way you do.
Yeah, you’ll be able to take your eyes off Riley when he’s about 3.5 years. Until then, yeah…but fortunately they are so cute and amusing that watching our children is not as draining as it could be should they have been, say trolls or goats or something. The picture of Dog so so cute! Fergus used to get the same look on his face at Miss B’s dinner time.
Love the new look, and Riley.. when did he grow up so darn fast? As always, such a cutie pie!
Oh, my ovaries!! ; )
Love the new header! It is gorgeous and makes me WANTBABYRIGHTNOW. NOW!
But reading your site always makes me feel that way… you are unequivocally truthful, but that makes it sound all the better.
Love, love, love!
oh man…i just want to hug you, yanno? and reading your site always makes me think back to when my boy was that age…and the constant worries, and self doubts, and joy, and being thankful. you’re an awesome mom. JB is an awesome dad. Riley is very lucky. also, he’s totally adorable, and were it not Against The Rules, i might say he is as cute or cuter than my own son was. ;) i wish i had known someone like you when i was a young mum…we could have gone to the park together with our kids and our dogs, and watched them eat dirt and such.
ok. i’m rambling now. sorry.
Another great post. Takes me back to that wonderful time which I am glad is over.
He’s getting so much blonder, no? Thanks for sharing him and your motherhood experiences with us.
I think I have the same plastic measuring cups. Granted, for some reason I have a lot of different sets of measuring cups. Strange.
Btw, Riley is getting soooo cute!
I know what you mean about not taking your eyes off of them. I turn my back for one second and my boy is prying the cover off of the outlets. For goodness sakes I need eyes in the back of my head!
It just gets better and better.
It’s so nifty to read your posts and do a little bit of comparing with Ian, who is only two days older than your son. Ian is still crawling, not cruising, and has six teeth instead of eight, but judging by the drool that is leaving big puddles on his shirt and dripping down his face like little strings, there’s more to come. I can’t convince Ian that chewing anything besides Chereos and graham Crackers (crackers in general) is a good thing, but I’m trying. Sometime, if you don’t mind, I’ll have to send a picture of Ian, who won’t be as cute to you, I’m sure, but he’ll still be cute. *smile* If you would like that, please let me know by e-mail. I’ll have to trust my husband not to sneak a picture of me crawling through the kick-and-crawl to show Ian how it works.
Does everyone in the world have the SAME dishwasher? That’s just weird. That’s MY dishwasher. Only mine’s full of dirty dishes, because SOMEONE who shall remain nameless but is my husband “forgot” to turn it on.
I can’t believe Riley is 11 months already. He’s so big now!
I just shot (another) egg out of my ovary and it bounced off my husband 2 rooms away. Riley? So. Cute. It. Hurts.