Day 295: Thanksgiving Monkey Business

Day 289: Clothes Schmothes

I have heard stories of and, on the rare occasion, seen the evidence of this strange aversion kids have to clothes. Even friends of ours have horror stories of their kids running around naked in public.

I just don't get it. The kid-less me of just over 9 months ago not only didn't get it but also probably thought there was something seriously wrong with any parents that couldn't keep their kid's clothes on. Have they no concept of public decency? Ah the kid-less me.

Atom isn't running around naked yet but he puts up an unbelievable fight when it comes to diaper/clothes changes. Such a fight that he is just seconds away from being too much even for both of us to wrangle him. It is scary. He twists and turns more than Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

I can only imagine this is just the beginning too. He doesn't quite have the capacity to undo our efforts yet but that time is not too far off. I imagine those sleepy eyed parents chasing after their own half dressed child probably started off where we are not too long ago. At least winter is upon us and even crazed babies wouldn't consider streaking in the snow...would they?

Day 281: O' Sleep, Where art thou?

Sleep is just a state of mind, right? It must be if not everyone needs the same amount. Atom apparently needs very little at this point. My wife and I unfortunately need more. And there never seems enough.

Is it a by-product of being deprived of the sweet Maui air? Or the lightly lapping Pacific waves? We may never know the cause but sleep has been very elusive for Atom the last two months. We have tried everything. Putting Atom to sleep later, earlier, over stuffed, well exercised, sleepy, wide awake, etc. We have shored up his schedule and tried to stick to it as much as possible but his sleep cycle is still inconsistent. Is he teething, admiring his new skills (standing, sitting), in the midst of a growth spurt, what? As of now it is hard to tell but what we do know is that we may never know why he is sleeping so unevenly.

We will continue trying as much as we can to get him back inline with what his body needs. But in the meantime even during the wee hours of the night, when we are straining to keep our eyes open, strolling him around the house or rocking him in a chair we will continue to wonder what his thinking, try to soothe him and hope he finds some sweet dreams soon.

New tricks: Momentarily standing without support, mimicry (will angry face back at us if we do it to him, will stick his tongue out back at us when we do it to him), another new round of peek-a-boo where he pulls the towel in front of his own face

Day 274: Making a Point

Point. Point. Point. What is the point? It is not always clear.

Sometimes Atom uses this index finger to probe uncharted territory such as a new toy, a new zipper, an old face, the carpet, or peanut's head. This E.T.-like appendage acts like a scout on a recognizance mission and will leave no object poked, prodded, or unturned. Please Note When carrying Atom: Even though sometimes he moves at the speed of sloth, DO NOT underestimate the tenacity or dexterity within this finger. Poked eyes are a daily occurrence for his parents.

Sometimes his index finger becomes more like one of those reaching sticks one uses to extend their reach. I don't mean one of those metal pincher types you would find at the pharmacy but more like one of the toy ones that might have a shark or dinosaur or alligator head at the end. The pincher type usually is a by product of the souvenir shop you were dragged into (Sea World = Shark or Killer Whale, San Diego Zoo = Dolphin or Shark, Bird Sanctuary = Toucan or Shark). Sharks for some reason have become the universal symbol of pinching something to pick it up. Poor Sharks. Atom uses this toy-plastic-shark-head-like-finger to grab things and usually has the same amount of success that one has using one of the real thing.

In his most human-like movement, sometimes, he actually uses his finger to point at things or people. Even though he is seemingly communicating much the same way as a more highly developed human being (such as a traffic cop, the guys on the ground while your plane is coming into or out of it's gate, or a symphony conductor) this gesture is often the hardest to understand. His tiny little pudgy finger sometimes seems to have a mind of it's own. He may point at you when you enter the room or he may point inside his mouth. Neither of which might mean what they appear to mean. He has his own logic and we're cool with that.

The poking in the eye is another issue.

Day 266: His First Halloween

Atom's first Halloween! Atom was so excited. He tried his costume on four or five times before feeling completely comfortable with it. He went as a pumpkin of course even though he was a little concerned he might look a little to Kool-Aid man-ish but he pulled it off in the end. Besides no one has seen the Kool-Aid man since he crashed through the wrong wall one too many times.

Atom knew this was his first major holiday, outside the womb, and he wanted everything to go just right. He adjusted and re-adjusted his pumpkin top hat. He made sure all of the candy was in the bowl and that it was placed just right by the front door. Atom even added a few new strategically placed decorations to show that he was fully embracing the holiday but with his own sense of style.

The day went flawlessly. A day full of a short lived attempt at a nap, one seriously upside down smile, and two very huge smiles on his parents face.

Day 260: Introducing Atom -- Chicago Style -- A few more favorite moments...

Day 260: Introducing Atom -- Chicago Style

We just got back from Chicago a few days ago. Atom finally got to meet the rest of his family. It was incredibly touching to see him interacting with everyone. Here's a few of my favorite moments out of a plethora of favorite moments.