This and That

I think we are starting to get partied out. Bonesteele's birthday, Mr N's birthday, our anniversary and my birthday all fall within a 10-day period in late April. Too bad my birthday is the last of the bunch, I predict I will be too tired to do much of anything. Besides, Mr N has graduate school class all evening on my birthday. This is adulthood! Woo! Ha ha My ability to party hardy has been hampered by the worst allergies of my life. On Thursday, I went outside for 20 minutes and came back in because my nose was getting stuffy. By that evening, I was in a dreadful fog of congestion and pain which lasted until Tuesday!!! This is serious motivation for me to eventually get out of the Willamette Valley. I weaned Bonesteele this week so I could start taking allergy medicine. The weaning was surprisingly easy and took a day and a half. I kid you not. He was ready!

Miss E has started reading out letters everywhere she sees them. Thanks Sesame Street! My friend EK made cute puffy letters that spell out the kids' names; these are up on their bedroom walls. Miss E read them off to us this morning easily. She read me our license plate. She reads out "DVD" while she anxiously awaits the beginning of Cinderella.* I have been quizzing her on letters for a while now, I guess I should move on to the next step of sounding things out.

Miss E's new catchphrase is "Poor (fill in the blank with a suffering creature)." If Bonesteele is unhappy because I dare to clean him off after a meal - "Poor Buddy!"** If I stub my toe and yelp with pain - "Poor Mommy!" Then she blows me a kiss. It's very sweet. (Who wants to actually kiss a toe? Yech!)

*Please tell me, how did Cinderella happen here? I hate Cinderella. I keep making up alternate responses for her. I keep muttering under my breath while Miss E watches this movie. How she should have just kept her mouth shut in front of her stepmother, and then snuck out of the house after her wicked stepfamily had all left. Oh but Miss E loooooves Cinderella. She even chose a Cinderella book (actually a strange compendium on D!sney princesses) at the library! Part of me wants to tell her no, but I know there will be time enough to gently show her that Cinderella is not the paragon of femininity. Ha ha

**If Miss E is happy with Bonesteele, she calls him Buddy. If she is mad at him, she shrieks his name. It sounds quite similar to fingernails on a chalkboard.

Mr N's Birthday

As some of you know, Mr N's birthday follows close on the heels of Bonesteele's. It is a party every day here in April! Bonesteele had a funfetti cake with cream cheese frosting, while Mr N opted for Chocolate Decadence ice cream cake. And because he is a good sport, he posed with said cake while wearing a Elmo birthday hat backwards:

Bonesteele is happy to have some more cake left over from his own birthday.

Miss E is delighted by the candle, cake and general birthday excitement!

Mr N probably wished that his boat would be running soon. Happy birthday babe. :)

Bonesteele Turns 1

...and celebrates with the enthusiastic consumption of cake.

Easter, The Bunny

I started singing Little Bunny Foo-foo and then bopping Bonesteele on the head during the corresponding part of the song. He laughed hysterically every single time, which resulted in his parents laughing in delight at the sound of their baby boy.

This picture was taken just before church, when Bonesteele was clean. He came home from church completely filthy, having drooled all over himself and rubbed pretzel sticks all over himself. Thus his nakedness in the other pictures.

Easter, The Hunt

Playing at the Park

You remember feeling like that on the swings. I know I do.

Daddy is willing to climb a tree to get the best shot.

Linguistic Adventures with Miss E Part IV

Mr N is fixing Bonesteele's crib:
Miss E: Apparently he's having a hard time.
Mrs N: I think Daddy can do it. He's strong.
Miss E (doubtfully): I don't know...

***

Miss E: Lift me up on your shoulders!
Mrs N: Um, I'm not strong enough to do that. Maybe when Daddy gets home, he can do that.
Miss E: If I ask him pretty please.

***

Mr N walks in the front door and sees Miss E.
Mr N: Hi buddy!
Miss E: I not a buddy, I a girl!

***

Miss E: I'm hungry! I want Cheerios!
Mrs N: What if I make...pancakes!
Miss E gasps, then spins around in delight.
Miss E: You're the cute best of ever!

***

Mrs N puts a piece of pizza down in front of Miss E. It is 5 Italian cheese pizza (Freschetta Brick Oven). Miss E, who loves homemade pizza with just mozzarella, scrunches up her nose and announces "Too stinky!" Apparently Miss E is not an Italian cheese connoisseur. Ha ha

A Horrifying True Story

I realize I haven't posted in over a month. We are all alive. I have been reading instead of blogging. Oops. Pictures will be added later when I get around to uploading some...But now for the horrifying true story. I hope you're sitting down. Oh and if you have a weak stomach you should pretty much just skip this post.

Bonesteele wakes up a little earlier than Mrs N likes to. So I have babyproofed my room and I let him crawl around and self-entertain and get into things, while I try to catch a few more zzzzs. Depending on Bonesteele's mood, this works for anywhere from zero to thirty minutes. One morning I was lightly dozing when I heard the terrifying sound of Bonesteele gagging. I leapt from bed, looked down at my son, and said...

"That's your own poop, isn't it."

Oh yes, it was. It was so disgusting, words are failing me. Bonesteele had had raisins the day before...so little poop-covered raisins had popped right out of the back of his diaper onto the carpet...and I guess he was intrigued. Luckily, he found the taste of those morsels not to his liking. Oh my heavens.

*Shudder*