Christmas in Mexico

We've just returned from Akumal, Mexico. I can safely say that it was the first Christmas that I've spent in a bikini. Miles, as you can tell, loved the beach and the water. Happy Holidays and New Year, Everyone! (What a difference a week makes...a 50 degree swing in weather from Miles's first sledding experience.)

Miles loved putting things in and out of the bucket.

Miles loved this kayak on the beach.

Resting...

And...

Snow Day!

The first snow day of the season, and it's very Minnesota-like! Temperatures in the 20s, and about 3-4" of accumulation. Miles & I walked to the coffee shop this morning, bundled up. Here are a few photos and a video of Miles's first sledding experience, which he loved. He cried when I brought him in the house.

Miles & Mom

Ethan and his boys

What is this mysterious white stuff?

Wheeeeee!

Looking like a little boy...and walking!

Miles took his first steps on Friday! Ethan and I both saw him; he stood up, and shuffled a few times, then sat down. Nothing over the weekend, though. Miles is standing unsupported, but seems uninterested in walking when we try to encourage it. But he's quite controlled in his sitting on his bottom from standing.

Here he is, looking like such a boy, and not a baby:

Some of my favorite photos from the past 15 months...

Sleeping and (almost) walking

Hi Everyone,

Here's a picture of Miles sleeping:
He is often clutching a "blankie" at bedtime. Though he can fall asleep without it, when he sees his puppy or piggy, he immediately puts him finger in his mouth and lays down. I bought back-ups, too, for the inevitable loss. There's a dedicated piggy at daycare, and the provider says he clutches it and goes straight to sleep at naptime. I think these are just the best: http://www.angeldear.net/blankies_individual.html

Miles practiced his walking tonight:

The drool king

I've been having Miles wear bibs again...his eighth tooth is emerging, and boy does he drool! It's either four shirts or two bibs a day. Here he is, playing with the door to our office. He likes to open and close doors. (Of course there have been a few pinched fingers, but he's pretty good at it now.)

November

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry it has been two weeks since my last post. Miles has been sick; first bronchitis & ear infection, then a post-flu shot fever of 103. Here he is on a better day, in the toy box again.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Miles the Lobster!

Another day at the farm...

Another beautiful day in Bellingham, and another excursion to a local farm (this time, for a birthday party). Miles went on a kids' train and hayride, which he seemed to enjoy. I think it must be fun for a baby to ride unfettered in a vehicle, not stuck in a carseat. Hope everyone is having a wonderful autumn!

Also, Miles has been really intent on CLIMBING into everything lately: within five minutes, the CD cabinet, then the toy box:

Miles's Day at the Farm

Walking!

Though I've been saying it for several weeks, Miles is pretty close to walking unassisted now. He can pull himself up quickly and cruise the furniture pretty competently (traversing the couch). He has stood unassisted for about five seconds, but so far, no steps. But here he is walking pretty well with the help of a chair:

Happy "Real" Birthday

What? But Miles's birthday was six weeks ago, you say. October 8, 2007 was his official due date. So I shouldn't feel so bad that Miles is measuring small, when compared to other August 26 babies. He's right on target compared to other October 8 babies. (Sorry, no pictures today.)

Crawling and looking cute

After months of belly crawling, Miles has recently started to crawl on hands and knees. Sort of, anyway:

And here he is, looking cute:

Minnesota

Hi Everyone,

Miles & I have just returned from a trip to Minneapolis to visit friends. Miles did great on both outbound and return flights. (I bought a seat for him, which makes all the difference in the world.) We had a wonderful visit with Dr. Dorothy Anderson, my Ph.D. advisor, who is leaving the U of MN to take on a department head position at NC State. Here is Miles with Goldy Gopher.

The rest of the time we spent with dear friends, the Stahls...here are some random pictures. It was HOT in Minnesota, and the leaves had yet to start changing colors. Hope everyone is having a good fall so far:

Miles laughing!

Those of you with kids know how hard it is to capture a laugh on video. Well, here it is! Seth is shooting foam darts in the background, and Miles loves it:

Speed Racer?

Miles's second bike ride in the trailer...the helmet didn't last too long because it's too big on him and it kept covering his eyes. He cried and cried, so we had to take it off. Poor kiddo. Next time we're going to try one of those bike seats that mounts to the back of the bike. At least the weather was perfect!

First day at day care!

Sorry, no photos today...but I wanted to update y'all on Miles's first day at day care. We're starting 1/2 days (afternoons) this week, and going to full-time next week. He did GREAT! My biggest concern was that he always gets an afternoon nap from about 1:45-3:15, and there's only one nap scheduled for this toddler class, and it happens before Miles gets there at 12:30. I was expecting a cranky crybaby at 5:15, but the teachers said he was happy and curious and on-the-go the whole time. But he was so tired that he almost fell asleep at dinner. I put him to bed an hour earlier than his usual bedtime.

Problem Solving

I'm having a lot of fun simply watching Miles these days. He spent about half an hour today stacking, unstacking, and nesting these plastic cubes. You can see in his left hand a little wooden ball, which he kept putting in and out of the various cubes. The ball only fits in the larger cubes, which he finally figured out. (In this particular photo, Miles has his hand through the cube.) Later, he kept dropping the ball into a big bin, which he couldn't retrieve because he couldn't reach the bottom. Sure enough, each time I got it for him, he dropped it again until I told him I wouldn't do it. He dropped it again and then protested when I wouldn't get it. I am really loving this almost-toddler stage!

Teeth!

Hi Everyone,

Here's a good shot of Miles's two bottom teeth. He's got four on top, in various stages of growth:
A cuter full-frontal face shot:

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Miles! His latest "trick" is raising his arms and hands when someone says "hooray!" A year ago today, I didn't even know I was in labor...three hours later, in the hospital, out comes my beautiful baby boy...

Then:
Now:


And with big brother Seth...

Miles's Birthday Party

Whew, 18 adults and 13 kids over tonight for Miles's first birthday party. (Of course, the party was more for me than him!) I don't have any party pictures; the whole thing was a blur. But here's my almost-one year old cutie pie with balloons. Do you know how hard it is to take photos of a squirmy baby with balloons?

Also, from earlier this week. I love this video...he's not doing anything, but I love the way his leg is wagging:

Hot, hot, hot!

It is uncomfortably hot here in Bellingham. Ugh. Miles's fifth tooth is erupting, upper left, next to his fang. More drool than usual, and slighty cranky, but otherwise okay.

Orr's Island, Maine

Hello! We've just returned from Miles's first trip to Maine (where Ethan is from). Bad weather prevented more excursions, but there was lots to do at the house, and a big brother and two cousins to chase!

Lots of eating...

One day at the beach, which Miles loved!

Miles & Daddy

Figuring out the puzzle...

Remmel grandsons: Seth, Benjamin, Miles, and William...

Diapers!

The story: I had just changed him, and went to throw away the diaper. I came back, and he was playing with the diaper caddy...(there isn't anything particularly exciting in this video, but I like the way he "studies" the diaper.) Then, off he goes for more exploring!

Eleven Months...can you believe it?

Hi Everyone,

Today was a rough day for Miles (and me). I think he has new teeth coming out, as he was pretty cranky and clingy today. It's pretty unusual for him to cry as much as he did today. And he took a third nap, something he hasn't done in months. So his 11-month birthday was marked with a lot of hugs and consoling (for him). And a big glass of wine for me! :-)


Hello, Mr. Cranky-pants here. (I love that serious expression on his face.)

Go Gophers!!! We were at an outdoor concert on Thursday night, so here's his picnic dinner of chicken and sweet potatoes.

Wobblerhood

Oz Spies says it better than I could: http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/knockedup/archive/2008/07/23/wobblerhood.aspx

I started reading her blog when I was pregnant with Miles, as his due date was just a few weeks before her baby's (Axel). Anyway, as I read her blog, Axel and Miles hit many of the same milestones within weeks of each other.

I'm loving Miles's "wobblerhood" stage, especially the way his little butt sticks out when he's standing up. He can pull himself up quite quickly, which means additional child-proofing. Miles is this close to standing on his own. He's not quite cruising, but he has successfully climbed up our stairs (with supervision, of course!).

How cute is this?!

Mr. Cuteness (long post)

A few things:

1. I took Miles to the "Mother-Baby Center" today for a weigh-in. The MBC is a great resource for moms (and babies) here in Bellingham. They have a ton of resources, on-call nurses, a small lending library, and two scales. Miles weighs 18 pounds, 13.5 ounces. The kid eats a lot, but still (to me) doesn't seem to be gaining weight. He has been 18 pounds for over a month, just gaining a few ounces a week! He's got lots of chub, as you can see, and he seems fine. He's in the 10th percentile for both height and weight (30th for head), but I need to remember that he's compared to other August 26 babies who were at term. He's probably just fine for his adjusted birth date. But still, I worry.

2. He took a bath with Seth tonight. Miles has outgrown his little tub, and I've tried giving him a bath in just the tub, but he's so squirmy (Seth calls him "Sir Squirm-alot") that it's dangerous. So my friend Rebecca gave us this seat, and it does the trick, but I don't feel that he gets as "clean" that way.

3. See, he can stand up!

Mean Mom (59-second video)

We've had a string of good weather lately, and Miles & I have been taking many walks to the park. Life is good in Bellingham!

Most of the time, Miles can pull himself to a standing position, which was my intent when I started filming; to show off his new skill. But as you can see, he had a little oops...

Happy 4th of July!