Teething suxxors

As if you didn't know. But seriously, for three years??!!

I can haz teeth?

Or something to that effect. We felt two razor sharp little teeth the other day. Also, on the same day, Alex discovered his junk in the bathtub. Two milestones, same day. Life is grand.

Temper, temper

So, the bug's got a temper. I knew that. What I didn't know was that he can hold a baby grudge. I made him mad this evening, just before his dad got home. I'm not sure if it was my getting up after he fell asleep next to me on the bed, or that when he woke up upset, and I came back to comfort nurse him, I then startled him by answering Mr. Punch's "I'm Home!" with a perhaps too loud "yay!"

In any case, Alex decides he doesnt't want to nurse anymore, and is twisting toward his dad to be picked up, which he is. They play. I come in for smiles and smooches, which he's giving his dad. I get nothing: he turns his head, silently. Hmmmmph. So, I go into the kitchen to start dinner, while his dad folds laundry with the bug on the bed. I come back in to play/help. And I get more of the same: he turns away from me, stony faced (inasmuch as a baby can be stonyfaced) and gives his dad a big smile. Hmmmmmph! So, I kiss him, and smile, chuck him under the chin and go back to the kitchen. I say: maybe I need to go away for a bit--then he's be happy to see me! (It's happened). After another five minutes, Mr. Punch brings him into the kitchen saying "he's following you with his eyes; I think he wants to make up." So I kiss and try to cuddle him, he's turning away, but not as much. I offer him a strawberry, which he takes and squishes up high. I play squish it with him, and TADA: a big smile. YAY.

Food and play as the peace offering. A little bit passive agressive. Just like Mama.

He's 8 months old.

I'm cooked.

Puns come true

Yesterday, Mr. Punch pointed out that Alexander had literally ripped the F out of my keyboard. Put his nimble baby fingers to good use, reached in there, and removed the F key from my laptop. No lie. Its funny and annoying all at the same time. Ah, parenthood.

Songs

I make up songs, not as well as Mr. Punch, but randomly, to amuse the buglet while I'm trying to get him to do something he's resisting (sleeping, holding still for a diaper/pajama change, wait a minute until I can pick him up...). And when he's grumpy, like today (realizing how sucky it is to be sick), I make up extra. In the tradition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat":

Grumpy grumpy little bug
Shiny face just like a slug
Grump all day and grump all night
You won't sleep without a fight
Grumpy grumpy little bug
shiny face just like a slug.

Snot, Snot, Snot.

All the time. For the past four days. Him and me both. We have a cold. I cannot describe the painintheassness of being sick with a sick baby. Correction, being sick, home alone, with a sick babyNever, never, never could I have imagined it. But this weekend, his dad did all the wrangling and I made guest appearances, to which responded with the biggest smiles ever. So, almost worth it.

It's not serious, in case you're worried. No fever. Smiling and responsive and playful when he's not tired/about to nap. Just buckets of snot and drool, and the most pissed-off response to having his nose cleaned.

He's zooming towards eight months. Still the same habits of cuteness: biting fingers, trying to crawl. Now he can sit up, unassisted for minutes. He's working on grabbing anything that is within reach and stuffing it in his mouth.

We're so cooked once he works out crawling.

Gurgling and Growling

And stalagtites of drool! Almost seven months old. Sitting up for seconds at a time! Growling at things, especially those things he's about to eat. Gargling when he's happy. Practicing his new shoutlike cry that says "hey, pay attention." Still finger biting, smiling, and in the habit of wrinkling his nose when he takes a particularly enthusiastic bite.

But still, no teeth. Lucky me.

He laughs the hardest when he's the most tired, so laughter is very close to crying. He's ticklish, and laughs lots when he can grab your hair on the top of your head and try to bite it.

Like this:





Here he is biting one of our poor unsuspecting chums while his dad giggles hysterically, and I take a picture.