What's this? What's this?

Part of me is appalled that two weeks have passed and I haven't posted anything; but, another part of me is appalled that I feel compelled to detail the minutiae of Eames's constantly evolving world. He seems to be changing every day. He looks at things differently, discusses them earnestly, and continues to grow and grow and grow. However, I also know that I'm probably the only one interested in the amount of drool that comes out of this kid or the new sound that he's obsessed with.

What's this?

So, when he discovered his hand, I kept quiet even though watching him stare at his hand as he slowly turned it and inspected it from different angles before finally deciding that, yes, this too belonged in his mouth was the better part of my day for a solid week. In fact, everything at this point belongs in his mouth, so when he recently discovered that, like the hands that grace the ends of his arms, he has feet on the ends of his legs, I was curious to see what he would do given the my particular genetic limitation.

I can't believe my eyes!

Turns out that in true Luedtke fashion, feet are things to be touched (kind of) but will never, ever make it to the mouth. I've got to give Eames some credit, though. For one of us, he is surprisingly limber, especially with the bulk of his diaper impeding his range of motion. I'm pretty sure he can thank his father for that.

Wake up, Eames, this isn't fair!

So, while finding your feet might be a little thing, I'm with Eames on this one...it's completely enthralling and worthy of contemplating from as many different angles as our flexibility (or lack thereof) allows.

Lyrics (captions) courtesy of Danny Elfman.

My First Trip to the Zoo: A Photo Essay

"I don't see any lions..."

"Lions are notoriously secretive creatures, my dear. Indeed, during my many travels to the savannah..."
"...I have only once managed a glimpse of the elusive King of the Jungle."
"However, Madam, should we see such a majestic beast, I must insist that you stand back. They are very dangerous creatures and you must avoid direct eye--"
"Look! I see one!"
Rawr!
"That kitty is cute!""I do declare...that lion looks a bit dodgy, but well, erm, I need a closer look.
Right... I think I left my binoculars in the car...Cheerio."

Liitle Things

Because sometimes, even in the fetid darkness of the compost bin, there are little moments of beauty.

Blowing Bubbles

I love Josh. A lot. More than I ever thought I could love someone who isn't related to me. But that doesn't mean he doesn't do things that make me shake my head in wonder. Bewildered wonder. For instance, when Josh is deep in thought, reading The Nation or Slashdot or engaging in his bromance with his bearded doppelgangers, he blows bubbles. You know, the kind of bubbles where you gently part your lips forming a perfect, soft bubble that gently billows out catching the light just so....The kind of bubbles that usually catch a dirty look from me as well, because, yes, Josh blows spit bubbles.

Well, it seems that the apple doesn't far fall from the tree:

Introducing Sir Droolz-A-Lot!!!

While there don't seem to be any teeth in sight, the drool is coming on strong. And with it, the bubbles. Eames's clothes are often soaked through from the neckline to the belly button. The 'wet spot' has taken on new meaning. Specifically, it is now the spot that graces the shoulder of anyones who has dares to hold Eames for 12 seconds or longer; also, it is the spot that appears after you have picked him up off the bed/ground/blanket, etc. Indeed, it is concrete evidence that Eames has been in the vicinity.

The side view is even more impressive...

No number of dirty looks or long-suffering sighs will deter him. I've given up on changing his clothes every hour or two. Instead, I let him air dry during naps.

In the battle of nature vs. nurture, well, chalk one up to genetics in this round.

Chowing Down

From the beginning, our relationship revolved around food. Given our veganism, I suppose that's not all that surprising, but we spent a lot of time eating food and prepping it and sometimes going out to get it. Within a short period of time, we ate dinner together every night and now we sit down at the dining room table to do so. As a result, it's become extremely important to me; I value the time we spend sitting down, discussing our day, and actually consciously enjoying our food and each other's company. More than anything else, it is our space and our time. I've been excitedly waiting to add Eames to the ritual.

Therefore, one of the first things we bought was a high chair--even though I knew we wouldn't need it for quite some time. When I was about 5 months along, we plunked down a significant amount of money for a trendy, over-priced, Scandinavian-style high chair. It's true that we could've saved a lot of money with the very affordable Ikea Antilop high chair or even some run-of-the-mill high chair with a tray. But, it was important to me that he be able to sit at the table with us (not off on his own in a free-standing chair) and I was sold by the fact that the Stokke high chair becomes a regular chair that grows with him over time.

Tonight was one of those nights that made it all worthwhile. Even though he's not eating actual food yet (and still has 6-7 weeks to go before we start that adventure), he is capable of sitting in his chair with us while we eat. So, tonight, while we ate taco salad, Eames got to sit in his chair and play with his toy and keep us entertained.

Coffee at The Cup

Fall?

Norman's Birthday

Leverage

Sweet Dreams

The Sleepytime Smack Down

Dalyn 1, Eames 0