rainy day = prison

I bet there's rich folks eatin'
in a fancy dining car

they're probably drinking coffee

and smokin' big cigars

but I know I had it comin'

I know I can't be free

but those people keep a movin'

and that's what tortures me

friday afternoon

dawg update

Winston seems to be back to normal this morning. He slept through the night, for which we are grateful, and so far he is on a normal digestive schedule.

bits and pieces

I think it's safe to say we are now in full-on toddler mode. Although Jed still crawls a little bit, it's mostly to get to something he can use for balance to get into standing position: walking is definitely the preferred mode of transport now. He's even skipping the knee for about 50% of the steps he takes on the stairs.

The reach-o-sphere is growing daily, too, especially as he's learning to climb. Jed has also learned to show you where his ear is, he points to his belly button when we read the belly button book, he's waving more, and he "talks" on his cell phone.

And yesterday, he got his first up-close look at a moving train while we were waiting for our take-out lunch. We were across a parking lot from it, but it was close enough to capture him. When I took him back inside, the train was still lumbering along so while I paid, he stood at the glass door pounding on it with both hands! Too bad we weren't across the street at Logan's; they occupy an old train station so we could have gotten within feet of the rails!

In other news, poor Winston has a pretty upset tummy. The old man started having issues on Monday afternoon, seemed ok most of the day yesterday but relapsed late yesterday afternoon. Overnight, we were up with him at midnight, three (which included an inside-the-house clean-up), and 5:30, so we were off to the vet first thing this morning. I'll update this post later today once I hear from the vet.

2pm update: After a physical exam and a lot of blood work, Winston is home with an anti-vomiting shot on board, orders to take Pepsid every 12 hours (3/4 of a tablet... are you kidding me?!), and bland dog food for his dinner. He doesn't seem to have ingested a poison or toxin and he doesn't seem to have anything stuck somewhere in his digestive tract, so the vet thinks he probably just ate something that's not sitting right with him.

In the meantime, enjoy the little man.

the reach-o-sphere grows with help from a pot

stretch

anger at the reach-o-sphere's limits

I can almost see out!

maybe if I use this I can get up to the window
(he has not repeated it, but yesterday, Jed did get both feet on the bottom step)

go!

let's go see what's on the kitchen table

the cell phone
We gave Jed an old cell phone, so now if you say "hello" to him, he'll hold his hand or the phone (pictured) up to his ear and do one of his little barks.

weekend pictures

rainy Saturday

any cobwebs in your ear, Winston?

Jed loves to pull his inchworm (thanks, Uncle Brian and Aunt Dara!) around the table

you must be certain that you only grab the very end of the string

Jed's latest favorite pose: attempted head-stand

Daddy pushes the tractor

and I go get it!

can the tractor hang on the side of the table?

a half-way still moment
back to motion

you know the weekend is over when the clothes come off

dog is love

Yesterday, Jed gave Winston a hug! It was very adorable and gives Eric and me hope that he'll hug us one day rather than squirming to get down! He went right up to the sleeping dog, put his arms around Winston's neck, and snuggled his head down by Winston's.

The two are really becoming a pair with a low-to-the-ground bond that's strengthened by a love of food. They are very patient with one another as poor Winston stoically endures pokes, pinches, and pulls and Jed gets reminded to be gentle. In fact, I think "Winston" was the first word Jed understood. Long, long before Jed figured out to associate the words "Mama" and "Daddy" with me and Eric, he would look for Winston if you said the dog's name.

So here are some pictures from yesterday's interactions. I did not catch the hug, but I think you can see the love (at least Jed's love for Winston) in the pictures I did get. To see Winston's love for Jed, I think you just have to appreciate the fact that the dog kept hanging around.

but let's start at the beginning . . .

Jed has not learned to let sleeping dogs lie.

Hey, dog, wake up!

Really?

Hey, Winston! Check out this awesome puppet that Caroline, Henry, and Lucy gave me!

See, I told you: totally awesome! I know you love to smell things, so I'll try to jam this in your ear.
Smell goes with ear, right, Mama?

and speaking of ears, Winston's ears are very, very soft

maybe I can get inside there?
(and in fact, Jed did get Winston's ear flopped over the top of his own head)

I love you, Winston.

Chip off the ole block

The kid is learning to walk . . . bribery with shiny trinkets is involved.


He's getting better at it. Sarah has him delivering her midday sixer.


A marathon run! But where did he learn that unique style of walking?


Aaaahhhh! The ole block himself.

i'm walking

yes, indeed, and I'm talking . . .

Ok, walking, but not talking, although we're working on that, too.

Yesterday, Jed suddenly made the leap from short-distance stepping to longer distance walking ("walking"). Grandma and Grandpa came for a brief visit, so I don't know if that inspired him to show off or if he just decided it was time, but out of the blue, he took off.

Previously, he wouldn't go more than a few steps before dropping to crawl, although he'd extended his range a little bit over the last few days. He also complained loudly if you only offered him one hand for assistance or if you tried to extract one or both hands from his grip. But now, he can travel long distances (10 feet or more), he'll voluntarily let go of your hand or a piece of furniture, and he can stop, re-start, and change direction with confidence! Last night, when Eric saw him in action, he said, "He'll be off to the prom before we know it." It's a pretty remarkable difference and I hope to get some video posted over the weekend.

I walked 6 or 7 feet to the window!

down the hall!
(he made it beyond the threshold you can see in the distance)

here I come!

dinosaur pjs on the move

watch out, Winston!

but all-fours still feels pretty good