I'll not be watching

I completely agree with this woman. I have long said that I will be holding my own personal boycott of the China Olympics, and I believe James is with me (he can correct me in the comments if I'm wrong). We were horrified when China was awarded the Games, and more than skeptical of all the promises they made to get them. Not surprisingly, those promises haven't been fulfilled. (And that article was written before the recent Tibetan protests.) I am not under any illusion that whether or not I watch will make a difference. Nonetheless, I will register my disgust and by turning off the TV. (Or, more likely, by watching Marx Brothers movies instead.)

Check me out

I am a co-author on a chapter in this book. There's my name in the list of contributors! Sweet.

Inappropriate Laughter

When your child does something he is not supposed to do, laughing definitely sends the wrong message. But sometimes it's just so funny I can't help it. So I laugh. And then he laughs. And then the jig is up, so to speak. For example:

Alex spits out his food. He has a cold, so his nose is stuffed up. That makes eating a bit of a challenge for him. He knows he can't breathe through his mouth and swallow at the same time, so he holds his breath and then opens his mouth for a bite (smart boy!). I put a spoonful of delicious sweet potatoes in his mouth. Then he decides he has held his breath for long enough, exhales sharply, and sweet potatoes go flying. The first time I thought, "heh." By the tenth time, I was giggling uncontrollably.

Alex falls down. It is not funny when Alex really hurts himself. And I don't want him to think I am laughing at his pain. But sometimes when he falls it is so slapstick I am sure he has a bright future in physical comedy.

Alex does something silly when he's supposed to be going to sleep. Bedtime has been going like clockwork for us lately. We bathe, we put on PJs, we read stories, we sing a song, and then in the crib and he's asleep in minutes. The morning nap is pretty smooth as well. So most of his antics occur when I'm trying to put him down for his afternoon nap. It has been taking anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes for him to go to sleep. Between the 20th and 30th minutes I start to get somewhat put out. Nonetheless, he can still crack me up with his inventive anti-sleep tactics. For one thing, he stands at the rail chewing the paint off the crib. So, in order to save the finish and prevent too much ingestion of paint chips, I go to lay him back down. On the way down, he manages to get a vise-like grip on the rail. As I tug to get him to let go, he laughs and laughs. There is something so knowing, so mischievous about this, and I can't help it -- I laugh. And then he thinks, "Mommy's laughing! I KNEW it was play time and not sleep time!"

I really need to work on my poker face. He already thinks it's funny when I try to use my serious voice (e.g., "no biting, Alex!"). Any attempts at discipline are going to be for naught if the first thing I do when he misbehaves is laugh.

Hurray!

James and I went down to Pike Place Market on Saturday, and as we were on our way to Lowell's for a delicious lunch I noticed something exciting at all the fruit stands: It's Muscat Grape time! I was so excited. All through lunch I kept saying, "Muscat Grapes!" at random intervals. After lunch we headed straight to our favorite fruit stand, Frank's, and got as many as would fit into one bag. (The folks at Frank's LOVE Alex, and they always steer us toward the best fruit. I would never have discovered pluots or Asian pears if not for Frank's.)

If you've never had these grapes, you have to try them. They are the sweetness of green grapes and the flavor of purple grapes all in one. Is it weird to be so enthusiastic about grapes? Maybe. I don't care. Muscat grapes!

Nine months of Alex

Our little monkey is 9 months old today. He has learned more in those 9 months than I have in 9 years. For example, he learned:

To roll from his tummy to his back, and then the other way.

To smile when he's happy (not just when he has gas).

To laugh at anything, any time.

To sit up, then stand up, then cruise along the furniture.

To find his voice, which can sound like singing (aaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaammmmmmAAAAA), like talking (blarghaman naythm), or like an elephant (I have no idea how to describe that one).

To whine (we're thrilled about that one).

To put things in his mouth, both good (Cheerios) and bad (dirty socks).

To hold his own spoon.

That Daddies make the best jungle gyms and Daddy shoulders are the best seats.

That Mommy hugs are the antidote to bumps on the head.

That sweet potatoes are delicious and asparagus not so much.

That Grover and Cookie Monster are hilarious (I guess he likes the blue ones).

That his own snot is tasty.

That Mommy's "stern Mommy" voice is funny (not the intended effect).

That the best toys are grown up toys like laptops and cellphones.

That getting new teeth hurts.

That ripping paper into tiny shreds is the most fun thing ever, and if you eat the shreds all the better.

That if you try hard enough you will eventually figure out how to get around Mommy's road blocks and put your hand right in the poo.

And that's just a sampling. Here are some things that I have learned as well:

To see the wonder in everyday things again.

To change diapers with lightning speed.

To function on ridiculously small quantities of sleep.

To perform complicated tasks with one hand.

That almost everything is an accident waiting to happen.

That poop comes in many different consistencies, colors, and odors. (Mmmm.)

That playing peek-a-boo for half an hour is not as boring as it sounds.

That if you're carrying an adorable baby strangers will be extremely nice to you.

That it is, in fact, possible to discern your baby's "Waaah!" from another baby's almost identical-sounding "Waaah!"

That Alex's smile is the antidote to any foul mood.

That peace, love, and happiness is having a baby asleep on your chest.

Happy 9-month birthday, baby!

Open Letter to Babies

Dear Babies the World Over,

Unless you were just born, 4:20 a.m. is not an acceptable time to wake up in the morning. No amount of pooping, shrieking, or smiling adorably will make it so.

With much love (and deep, dark circles under our eyes),
Mommies the World Over