Faces of Grady #2

Bath time

When you have no neck, it's important to soak the baby long enough to get into the creases.

Faces of Grady

And then one day my baby could make all these goofy faces. And it was a hoot.

(I'm late posting this, due to delays associated with making faces at my cute, chunky baby. Sorry to be sharing last week's news...)

And then one day we did stuff

I've noted a few times on this blog that I pretty much do nothing except look at, talk to, feed, and change my baby these days. I’m really not exaggerating. Baby Grady really detests sharing my attention. He is particularly irked by productivity. It's two hands on the baby at all times around here. So, I count it a good day when I accomplish one task or activity that is not nursing, diapering, baby-playing or very light housework. And I mean light! As in, carrying my used mug to the kitchen or putting a dirty burp cloth in the hamper. Maybe picking up a wad of Reese fuzz. Like, if it’s right in my path. Something so ambitious as doing a load of laundry? That would totally count as my one thing. Yeah, these are the standards I’m working by. I’ve been telling myself that the cuddling and gazing and soothing and playing (to the extent that Baby Grady can really play)... those are the things I’m getting done, even though they are not to-do list types of tasks. Thing is, I believe myself. It may be lazy, but it’s also right.

So one day earlier this week, out of the blue, without intending to or making a list or having a big build-up in my head (which is something that precedes almost all of my accomplishments, great, small, and imaginary), we accomplished so much more than just one thing. These are the things we did:

1. Loaded and ran one dishwasher.
2. Did one load of laundry (not the folding).
3. Talked to Granny J.
4. Wrote one thank-you note.
5. Got dressed! In jeans! And sneakers!
6. Applied mascara. Using the little mirror in a cloth baby book.
7. Brushed my hair, delighting Baby Grady. Having a baby really leads you to question your act. I can make faces, read stories, and tell jokes, only to be met with the blankest of baby stares. Then I brush my hair and it’s an absolute scream?
8. Emptied the diaper pail.
9. Walked across the neighborhood to mail several thank-you notes and another thing.
10. Walked to the market and purchased salad greens, corn thins, and a six-pack. By the way, I really like corn thins. They are like rice cakes, except made of corn. And also thin. They are really, really well-named.
11. Ate a salad. (I made the salad ahead of time, which was clever, because it meant that I managed to eat something that was not dry cereal, an apple, or a spoonful of peanut butter.) Go me.

Baby's wardrobe #13: Fighting Owl Edition

This onesie came from a dear lifelong friend, a reference to our school mascot -- the fighting owl. In fact, I'm pretty sure the "fighting" part was an add-on in our later school years to make us seem more competitive. Really we were just the owls... because owls are wise. (But they suck at soccer.)

With Dad #3

Of note: Baby Grady's cheeks are red, because this was before I discovered (with Granny J's help) that Grady doesn't like when I eat tomatoes. Well, it doesn't actually seem to bother him, but it does give him hives. And he's so much cuter without hives! But it turns out that, left to our own devices, we eat a fair amount of tomatoes. (Italian and Mexican cuisines dominate our quick-and/or-make-ahead repertoire.) So, any suggestions for quick and easy meals without tomatoes? Bonus points for things that can be made in quantities to provide multiple meals. Put them right down there in the comments, please!

Fanboy

So today, this happened:

Because, this:

My baby is the neatest.