Progress

Wow, a lot has happened since last time I posted. It's kind of been the best of times and the worst of times around here. My family has been going through a... transition. It's been hard and sad. I'm not going to talk about it here, but I'm hopeful that things will work out ok in the end.

A lot of happy things have been happening, too. Little Man is learning so much these days. It seems like he learns a new word everyday. He has a whopping 10 teeth now. (That means that 5 teeth have erupted in the last 6 weeks or so, which might explain why I wanted to sell him to the circus for most of August.) He also started at his new daycare last week, and it's been wonderful. The lady we picked is fabulous! Since he started going, he's been eating, sleeping, and... wait for it... he kicked the binky habit! She doesn't let kids use them at her house, and we tried to cut it back to bedtime only, but it was just too hard on him to know that it was in his crib and he couldn't have it. So it went bye-bye. The first two days were a little rough, especially at bedtime, but it was way easier than I thought it would be. And did I mention he's eating? He's eating! He's actually become quite adventurous in his food choices. He's been trying lots of new foods and has finished his dinner every night. James and I just stare at him and wonder where our kid went, because the change has been so sudden. We're not asking questions, though. Maybe he'll put on a few pounds and get back on "the curve!"

Here he is eating a bowl of cold cereal in his new booster chair.

School started for James and I last week, too. James is being challenged by his classes, but he seems to enjoy it. And I love my new school more every day. It's such a different atmosphere than what I'm used to, and that's a good thing! The staff is great, the kids are great, my department it great. I'm in heaven.

Also, in other happy news, we've been enjoying the fruits of our garden this week. Our green beans are finally ready and we even picked a zucchini last weekend. Our pumpkin plant has 3 lovely little pumpkins that we are really hoping are ready in time for Halloween. And remember the great tomato massacre of earlier this summer? Well, I'm pleased to report that one plant seems to have made it and it even has a blossom. Whether or not I ever get an actual tomato or not remains to be seen, however.

If you know James and/or his family at all, you will not be surprised to hear that Little Man has some OCD tendencies. One of his new obsessions is coloring. He does it for hours a day. At daycare, the other kids have started to bring him a crayon when ever he cries. He's usually pretty good at keeping the crayon on the paper, but every once in awhile, he extends his artwork to other areas. Here is one of his masterpieces.

Little Man in also obsessed with sprinklers. It takes us 45 minutes to walk up the street and back because he has to stop and touch every single sprinkler that he sees.

James's new obsession is Harry Potter. (Oh, he's going to be so mad at me for telling everyone!) I read all the books over the summer, and am more than a little obsessed myself, and I challenged James to try them. He said he'd read 50 pages and now he's already well into the 5th book. Here he is looking particularly engrossed. (He was finishing the 4th book. If you've read it, you know why he's on the edge of his seat.)
Here are my boys enjoying their daily cartoons-and-cuddling ritual.
More to come soon. Here's to a happy Labor Day weekend!