everybody loves the shopping mall

One of ours puts up a monster, White House-inspired tree.

susu - so good

When my school switched from serving cartons of milk to those self-serve upright milk machines we were allowed to drink as much milk (chocolate-skim-2 percent) as we wanted. The new machines were so popular that some students, usually boys, would end lunch by simply parking next to the milk for an extended..........eh......nursing. Perhaps it was a way to talk to people as they approached the machines, perhaps it was early party-boy behavior with milk standing in for beer, or maybe these boys from Stearns County, many of whom lived on dairy farms, just felt a connection to home. A friend from Paynesville reported the same phenomenon in his school. There, they referred to milk as magic.

On our milk front: In September we were serving July milk (a great month for milk, btw :), but in December we are only one month ahead. It's just harder for a mom to pump and store and work a full time job, without spending a weekend also pumping. The timing works out well. As the dates on the stored milk catch up to us, and we feed PC more solid foods, we face the end of breast milk in PC's diet. It's been a good run, now we move on to some formulas. Any good recommendations?

Remember, this stuff has to be good, considering that the old milk probably made us better Americans.

day in the life

Spent milk shooters

6:15 handoff
6:45 awake to see mom off
6:45-8:00 shake out cobwebs, playtime
8:00 eat food food
8:20-8:35 calm down for nap time
8:35 - 9:10 nap
9:10 - 9:35 play time
9:35 - 10:45 milk shooter, stroll to park w/Buford & Kevin, playtime
10:50 - 11:50 nap and playtime
11:50-12:20 milk shooter followed by failed attempt at nap
12:20 -- 13:07 holiday songs and playtime
13:07 - 13:35 umbrella stroller walk through neighborhood
13:35-13:55 final prep for departure
14:00-15:20 feeding w/ mom at lola and lolo's / playtime
15:25- 16:15 car / home nap
16:15 - 18:00 food/rest/mommatime
18:00-19:15 grocery and office store
19:15-19:40 food food and playtime
19:45 wind down / tank up for bedtime
20:30 lights out

first food food

baby stats

Our morning looks funnier now that it's over. I was downstairs online when C dropped the boy in my lap to start our morning routine. Typically after the hand-off it's a diaper, an outfit, play time until C's ready for work, then out to the truck and departure. Today, halfway through the especially voluminous diaper I ran out of wipes. Bad timing. And since you can't leave PC unattended at the changing station, C had to come over while I ran off for supplies. Of course the tea water was blaring before I made it to the wipes, so I had to abort the trip and get that. The drama.

The last meeting with the pediatrician was all about the great big world of solid food. It's time for us to get out the spoon, make decisions about organic v. the other kind, and learn the differences between stage one/two/three eating. I think between the two of us we have it covered--the mini-lecture Dr. P delivered in our sit-down was packed.

All the food is apparently needed to fuel the big changes in crawl-ability and general mo-bility we are told to expect over the next three months.

family

Twas a slow November for blogging, but eventful nonetheless. Last week Grandma A. came for a wonderful week-long visit, which gave me the opportunity to stay home and be a full time dad for the first time since this summer. And more importantly, it gave PC's long-distance grandma a chance to snuggle him for extended periods. Thanks for the help, grandma!

milestones

I was a little worried that PC might snub me upon returning after a few days away. This time around, though, I returned to his happy smiles and the surest sign that he loves me: a well-targeted effort to nurse from the end of my nose. Being away is never easy, though my fantastic colleagues gathered at this year's NCA made it all that much better by asking to look at pictures, and indulging me by looking at one or two more than they had probably hoped to. Salut to friends far and wide!

We are happy to report that after a very brief apprenticeship, PC recently mastered rolling over from any position. Increased mobility has its downsides in terms of where he can lay down, but it also means the little reward of those times when he rolls over just because he wants to look at you.

A visit from Grandma A. is on the horizon ...

special appearances

music by andrew a.
footage courtesy grandpa chuck

songs for PC part deux

This week has brought a new spate of children's songs to the ear of PC, and these are no less random or fun than the last, and included Yankee Doodle, Lucinda Williams' "Jackson", Son Volt's "Tear Stained Eye," and Dylan's "The Times They Are a' Changin.'" 

There's more Americana in there, but I'm forgetting some of them.

Speaking of songs and parents who try to sing them, we have found with PC what Kristan has found to be true with Monster Baby--sometimes the best songs are the made up ones.

Related, check out this ambitious project by a mom who is writing a "Mammagraphy" for her baby of songs that were influential/important to her. Wow!! What a treasure. 

joke

I ran into a colleague, a math professor, in the locker room the other day.

mathprof: Hey Paul, how's your baby doing?

me: Great, he's growing like a weed (nice cliche, eh?)

mathprof: I have only one piece of parenting advice for you.

me: Okay.

mathprof: When he starts walking ....

me: Yes.....

mathprof: ... PUSH HIM BACK DOWN.