Through the looking glass...

How cute is THIS little mannie? Happy to be going on his first flight - Vancouver, 6 or 7 mo old.

So, now that he is a curly headed, talkative, expressive babbling BEASTIE of a toddler, I have learned some sobering truths.

The other night I was utterly frustrated with Nolan, who, when he is doing what HE wants, is a sunny dispositioned, sweet, smiling easygoing kind of guy. Now, when you try to get him to stop what he is doing to do what YOU think is best, his head spins, he projectile vomits pea soup, and it's all "Nonononono!" OK, maybe not the Exorcist exactly as described, more like a firmly set chin, and a cold gaze that says "There. Will. Be. No. Deviation. From. My. Plan." Even if that plan is to imminently dip Mike's toothbrush into the toilet.

Mike, viewing all this (except for the toilet incident, and no, he didn't succeed) said "You deserve it, you know."
Me, annoyed- "What?!?"
"He is EXACTLY LIKE YOU".

Moment of soul searching- and I realize- he's right!
Except that's it's OK for me to get my way all the time because I am always right.

A tupperware kind of weekend

Just for the record, Nolan has really big feet (fat too)- barely fits a sandal which is meant for a 2T. He also bellows a lot- most recently standing in front of framed photos and yelling "Baby!! Aaaaaaaaa! Mamama! wieeeeeeeeee?! Dada!"

It's cute that he recognises us, actually as the photo he announces is a wedding photo...I haven't changed that much, I guess (haha).

The title refers to the Tupperware drawer unpacking (repeated) in which we get to collect it resort it and repack it. Again and again. While dodging the broom- Nolan loves to sweep but as a consequence of his being short the fulcrum of motion is low and the top end swings wildly, quite close to ones head. Yikes.

Got to go-

P.S. No, we haven't got a new camera yet.

Haummmmmmm!

Nolan is a pretty good mimic, I must say. Just having homemade gnocchi (potato dumplings really, I don't roll them, just cut cubes) with sauteed onion and sour cream, ham, creamed spinach and some celery sticks for supper. Nolan is a BIG ham fan, and fairly into things involving potatoes, and sour cream or dairy sauces, so that's the sort of thing we eat more often, vs, say, previous faves like semi-violent curries and rice. So, he had just started playing with his gnocchi and was holding it out to feed Mike, then pulling it away and laughing while he ate it himself- (who taught him that???) when Mike took another slice of ham. Nolan, having finished his fairly heroic piece already, perked up and pointed, enquiringly. "Ham" says Mike.
"Haum. HauMmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" says Nolan, who pauses in his eating of said ham a few minutes later, to state a definitive "Haum."

Nope, no new camera yet. Nice ham though, hey?

I had another story but am a bit tired and simply can't remember it.

Here's another one. I bought Nolan some new books- including a peek-a-boo pop up one with animals under hats, with little rhyming clues. The last page involves turning back several layers of animal pictures to reveal a mirror- and the first time Nolan does this he looks at it and says "Baby!!!" I looked at it and thought "little distorted cyclops!" because it was a pretty poor reflective surface, but whatever, it seems he realizes that he is Baby. He also picks up a picture of himself (at 3mo old) and walks around with it saying Baby. Kisses it too, no false modesty (it is a cute picture). So, next step is get him to realize that in SPITE of the fact that Mike and I call him Baby all the time, his name is Nolan. Nolan.

Or maybe Haummmm.

A frightening tale

The photo is at least a month old, but we are still figuring out what to get for a new camera. The old one, aside from being decrepit, also has it's batteries missing. Nolan has probably squirrelled them away somewhere with his secret stash of things we need but can't find. Anyway, it's not the best pic of him, but notice the great tomato tocque? From 'Aunty' Char, a woman of many talents.

Nolan has been very affectionate lately- rubbing noses with Daddy, coming in for kisses at me (me keeps his mouth OPEN but the idea is clearly there- I wonder if he's seen too many movie French kisses??). However, every once in a while he'll BITE instead of kiss, which makes the whole experience a little- well- edgier, more film noire-ish than Disney.
Today we were looking at new digi-cams at London Drugs and Nolan was hyper and overtired, but having a high hilarious old time. Then he suddenly switched to ferocious mode and- you may not believe this- with his razor sharp baby teeth, ripped a chunk out of the shoulder of my black leather coat. It was more like an avulsion, really, with a small missing bit which I considered trying to get out of his mouth, but was afraid (you'd be too) of the teeth. I believe it was spit out not swallowed, but, well, he eats meat anyway.
Occasionally he walks up and eyes bits of me- like my leg when I'm in jammies, or lifts up my shirt to say"Hi" to my tummy, or check my bellybutton-ring (it's now 12 years old, can you believe it) and I thought it was simply curiosity and maybe affection- now, in fact, I am a little more afraid.

Dali-esque durdles

Memory Lane- 8 months old, in London- note the baby jetlag eyes but good natured grin

Yawn. On call, got home at 1900h ish after waking up at 0400, paged in the late evening but not overnight- but, who needs to be paged when your baby is very capable of waking you up anyway?
Working on Surgical Grand Rounds-I present friday- and taking a break.

Nolan was a nice cuddly little man for a while this evening, we were watching a baby einstein, I trimmed his nails with barely a fight, we chatted about the TV show, holding hands, and I actually teared up with him curled in the crook of my arm because he is so cute and affectionate and good. He seemed only slightly less lovely this am when he wanted very much to PLAY!!!!! at 0400h. Mike got up with him just before 0600, which was nice but Nolans dismantling the kitchen was noisy enough that I just got up too and read the paper. Need to catch up on election issues anyway.

The cutest thing- when I say turtle, he croons "Durdle" or "Doo dle" and looks for his At Home book with small stuffed animals that you put in their" houses". The turtle and the bird are next to each other, and today I said "say BIRD" and he looked around and said "Durdle!", as if they ALWAYS are next to each other, in real life. He also likes putting the cow in the fishbowl, which is Dali-esque in the extreme and makes me very happy.

It is amazing how much mucous a baby's nose can emit, I must say. For two mornings running, Nolan has sneezed with his mouth shut and the resulting cascade of snot down his chin and lips was disgusting and amazing. Better out than in, of course, but where was he keeping it? He resists attempts at wiping his nose, yelling "Nononono!". Good times. Tonight, though, he started vigourously swabbing at MY nose and face with a paper towel. Maybe I looked dirty? Or snotty?

Feral Badger

These are a month old or so- he has been very fond of the red play glasses lately (like his Mommy- into bold glasses frames?). I think he is just stunningly handsome, actually, even with geeky glasses on and a slightly rabbity smile (he is getting more teeth as we speak). Or should I say "rabid-y", as he continues to bite just a bit more than I think is reasonable...

He will still actively come after you in retaliation, to bite in an expressive "So there!" way, when you do something unreasonable like take something sharp and pointy away from him. I have a big bruise from a bite about 6 inches above my L knee- which is Nolans bite height when we are both standing, FYI. How can one small person look like an angel come to earth one moment (he was SO lovely sleeping this morning) and act like a feral badger the next? GrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Overall the biting is less, and I am now taking a hard line on at least a minute timeout in the babyjail for bites. Penalty time.

We just got back from friends house - they have a little girl a year older than N, and a sweet little 7 mo old. Nolan and Elly were playing quite well together, in her play house- it was such a big hit that we may get him one. Great idea on their part- it's an outside play house that looks cute as can be inside for the winter.

Anyway, Night Night time, will post more photos when whe download more. Our old camera is on the way out, btw- the duct tape holding together, 1/2 h battery life thing is getting old.

Nolan News

The goofy look is because he has just filled both of his cheeks with what amounted to an entire half pear- the chunks just kept being inserted until he couldn't close his mouth to chew. Winter storage? He'd never done that before so I surmised that he likes pears.

The News
This just in....getting out of the crib by himself! And toddling adorably out of the bedroom (past the top of the stairs, where we have not yet found a baby gate that will fit) , to where Evadnie (our nanny) was helpfully cleaning up the upstairs bathroom, where he walked up behind her and said "Hi!!" and scared her to bits because he was
a) supposed to be napping
b) not supposed to be able to get out of the crib.
New security measures underway as we speak....

Other amusing things:

Drinking bathwater out of his bath bucket and then gleefully yelling "Auuchhk!" just the way his Daddy does (when Nolan drinks bathwater.)

Carrying a can of tuna around for the better part of an hour, including making a break for it up the stairs several times. Why he wanted the tuna upstairs remains a mystery.

Yelling TOES!!! TOES!!! and grabbing my toes. And pointing out noses and mouths fairly consistently on Mommy and Daddy and Nolan. He doesn't know for sure who Nolan is though, I think. Maybe because I call him my sweet bugaboo, Bunkers, and, weirdly, cause where did THAT come from, my Babazoo. (Try this to the tune of Oh Christmas Tree- "My babazoo, my babazoo, how funny are your faces".)

Running in circles around the kitchen island with me "chasing him" until I reverse and appear in front of him as he rounds the corner. Shrieks! Giggles! More shrieks! Staggering with laughter! Again! Again!!! Again!!!!! (gasp)

Pulling up my shirt repeatedly when I was wearing a Tshirt and no bra around the house and saying a fond "petabo"- that's peekaboo in Nolan- and lunging forward to nurse. The weaning is almost done but I think he has a lot of fondness for nursing....

Sitting in his highchair loudly declaiming, proclaiming, and announcing at TOP VOLUME! Because he is an IMPORTANT PERSONAGE- JUST LISTEN!!! SEE??! I AM LOUD!!! This is spoken in fluent Nolan, with breaks to conversationally point at the light above the table. "At, at."